Hanggang Dito: The story behind Nonoy’s new song

MANILA, Philippines - Nonoy Zuñiga, singer of monster hits like I’ll Never Say Goodbye, Doon Lang, May Minamahal, Kamusta Ka and Love Without Time, has initially released via digital download from MyTunes a new single titled Hanggang Dito, which is predicted to be another chartbuster.

Composed by former commercial endorser Cristina Suzette del Rosario, Hanggang Dito is a heart-tugging song about the end of a relationship and the many painful, bewildering questions that torment the broken-hearted. A ’90s teen lead product endorser for Coca-Cola, Johnsons and Johnsons, Colgate Palmolive, Nissan Sentra and Nestlé Philippines, to name a few, Suzette was in grade school when she first came upon Nonoy’s hit song I’ll Never Say Goodbye, playing it by ear on the piano as her mother, a big fan of Nonoy, listened to it on the radio.

According to Suzette, little did she expect that she would one day write a song that would be interpreted by no less than the idol of her mother.

“It’s fascinating. My first composition gets to be sung by the singing sensation of the hit song that I so eagerly wanted to learn how to play on the piano when I was a kid. It’s amazing how songs connect us in mysterious, almost mystical ways.”

Called Seth or Crish by friends, Suzette has accomplished much in many ways. She was just 14 when she did her first product endorsement. She was barely 16 when she made it to the Top 15 models in Faces ’87 out of more than 100 talents from the country’s top modeling agencies who participated in the model quest.

Now reinventing herself as a creative artist and composer, Suzette is optimistic about Hanggang Dito. With the positive feedback that the song has been getting from music buffs, Suzette may yet have another accomplishment at hand.

Nonoy first performed the song before a live audience in his recent concerts in Davao and General Santos. Describing the audience reaction, he said, “The moment I sang the first line, they enthusiastically applauded, even if it was the first time they were hearing it. In fact, some members of the audience were left teary-eyed after the song.” Nonoy plans to eventually include the piece as the carrier song of his forthcoming album.

The Hanggang Dito official music video is ready for online release. Directed by Roy Iglesias, it stars ABS-CBN actor Martin del Rosario and commercial model Kristine Chan. For Roy, featuring Martin and Kristine in the music video was a way of introducing Nonoy to today’s generation via the fans and admirers of the two young talents.

Nonoy is now based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He continues to perform to packed audiences in the States but makes it a point to visit the Philippines at least twice a year.