Nadine Lustre Is Making Music Out Of Her 20s With Her Signature Baddie Energy

Good news, everyone: Nadine Lustre is back in her musician era (we cheered 🙂‍↕️), and she's bringing the baddie energy with her.

The actress and creative is returning to music with her latest tracks "Personal" and "Donuts," which showcase a more confident and unapologetic side of her. According to Nadine, that fiercer energy has always been there—music just gives her the space to fully embrace it.

"More often than not, I draw from personal experiences when I write," Nadine exclusively tells Cosmo. "When I'm making music, the baddie side of me becomes more dominant."

If you're used to seeing Nadine as the chill, aesthetic girl, she says her music lets her tap into a different side of herself. While her fiercer personality usually comes out only when it needs to in her everyday life, she gets to turn it all the way up when she's creating.

"That side has always been there, but I think it might surprise people because, for the longest time, they've seen me as someone who's very chill," she says. "With music, I get to fully embrace it."

You can definitely hear that energy in both "Personal" and "Donuts." In "Personal," Nadine sings about brushing off someone trying to get under her skin, with lyrics like, "Keep, keep on gunnin' for me, won't take it personal" and "Can't get under my skin, won't take it personal."

Then there's "Donuts," which takes that confidence up another notch with lines like "Pay me donuts if you want me in the room," "Bite hard but I got a sweet tooth," and "I don't need saving, don't you get it confused." Basically, Nadine is not here to be handled, and we're so here for it. 🙂‍↕️

"Donuts" also wasn't originally supposed to have a feature, but Nadine and her team felt the track could use another artist to make it "even more badass." Enter Apl.de.ap.

She met Apl earlier this year through their partner at Dehusk (Nadine's coconut milk brand with her boyfriend, Christopher Bariou), who connected with his team for a project he's working on to plant coconuts in the Philippines. What started as a connection through that project eventually led to the two making music together.

"He brings such a distinct energy to 'Donuts,' and I'm so happy he said yes to the project," Nadine says.

Music isn't exactly a new chapter for Nadine. In fact, it was her entry point into show business and what led to her signing with her management and eventually appearing regularly on TV.

"Growing up, I always knew I wanted to sing and dance," she says, adding that pop music was a major part of her childhood and shaped the kind of artist she wanted to become.

After exploring acting, fashion, F&B, and other creative spaces, Nadine says she's drawn back to music because of the freedom it gives her to express herself and explore different sides of who she is.

She's also looking to her 20s for inspiration, particularly the experiences and emotions that shaped her into who she is now. "I've mentioned before that my twenties are a chapter I really want to explore through music," she says.

For Nadine, that means writing about transformation, outgrowing certain versions of herself, and making room for the person she's becoming.

"There were so many unique experiences and emotions during that time that I want to write and sing about. Looking back now, I’m seeing those moments with a different perspective and understanding how they’ve shaped who I am today," she shares.

And if you're wondering whether this new era will eventually include a lover girl baddie song, Nadine isn't ruling it out. When asked if fans can expect one, she simply says: "Wait and see." 👀