International agency WILD collaborates with Nadine Lustre, eyes more Pinoy artists
MANILA, Philippines — International entertainment company and record label WILD is eyeing to sign up Filipino artists as it expands to Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. It has started the ball rolling by collaborating with Nadine Lustre for a song to be released over the summer.
“We’re doing a one-song collaboration with Nadine. And that song should be coming out around April or May time. But my team spent some time with Nadine and she’s a very, very talented human being,” said WILD CEO and founder Leonard Lim during a recent exclusive virtual interview with The Philippine STAR.
This could be the 29-year-old actress-singer’s first music offering to fans since officially leaving the Careless music label, which she confirmed in media interviews back in December 2022.
Leonard further said of working with Nadine: “She’s very lovable, very down-to-earth, very humble. And so we’re very excited that we got to work together on this first song. And we can’t wait to show it to you and I’m sure Nadine can’t wait to show it to you, too.”
According to Leonard, the collab with WILD as a music label brings “an international flavor and international team” to Nadine’s song.
“She’s working with, you know, our in-house production team that spans over Singapore, Korea and Los Angeles. So, maybe a different sound, maybe a different, you know, vibe. But what’s really cool is that Nadine knew exactly what she wanted to do and she’s super creative and she was able to work very well with my team. So, very, very happy about that.”
Founded in 2021 in South Korea, the two-year-old WILD has since expanded its operations across Asia with Singapore as its Southeast Asia headquarters. The company’s vision is to “connect Asian artists and talents worldwide but with a focus on Southeast Asia, South Korea and the United States.”
Leonard said they’re looking to sign up more Filipino artists. They already have some names in mind.
“We have people in mind. I think we will make those announcements once it’s all signed up and I think people will get very excited about the projects that we have upcoming in the Philippines,” he said.
At the moment, WILD’s roster of talents ranges from recording artists, actors, hosts to content creators. Among them are Thai singer Sorn, the Hammington Family of Australia, Singaporean singer Haven and beatboxer Dharni, Korean artists such as Yubin of Wonder Girls, Song Ji Hyo of Running Man, and rapper Junoflo, as well as Australian-born food content creator Audreysaurus, among others.
Asked what kind of recording artist they’re seeking out, he said, “Under Wild, we have six recording artists right now, all of (whom) are pop stars, to be honest. So, a lot of pop music. But we’re very open-minded for very talented R&B artists and very talented hip-hop artists. You know, between pop, R&B, hip-hop, maybe even EDM. I think that, you know, these genres are widely-appreciated by all years.
“You can take K-pop as an example, because K-pop is its own genre. There’s a mix between EDM, hip-hop, pop, everything. So, what we’re looking for as artists, it’s more about… okay, one, the scope of talent, obviously.
“Two, their adaptability to a different market. Southeast Asia has so many different markets in it. But I want to have artists that they can tap into and that can relate to every single one of these markets outside of their own country.”
This year, WILD is setting up an office in the Philippines and hiring locally to support their projects here.
Leonard said, “So, we plan on working and we are working with some very talented Philippine talents, and then we’re going to help promote them outside of the Philippines and make music with them.
“Then, we’re planning to bring a lot of our current artists and the artists that we work with outside of our company towards the Philippines as well.”
After being based in Singapore for eight months now, the company felt it was time to grow its presence in areas like the Philippines and Malaysia.
“What we’re trying to do is just try to have a presence in each market in Southeast Asia. It’s important for us to do that because in order for the region, Southeast Asia, to be recognised on the global scale, in the western market and have the same type of recognition that K-pop has had, it’s important for us to team up.
“So, I’m talking about like Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand. In this region, we have so many talented people, and such a huge population to support it.”
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