MANILA – Gary Valenciano has been in the entertainment industry for almost 40 years now but the ultimate performer confessed staying relevant is not really a conscious effort on his part.
“I think it comes with the profession, which is like doctors who are constantly -- you know, just because you’re a doctor, it doesn’t mean that that’s it. You have to continue to study because things change, and then you learn. And that’s what I’ve done,” he told G3 San Diego in an interview for her YouTube series.
Fortunately, Valenciano has his children Paolo, Gab and Kiana who are all creative in their own right and are able to feed him with new ideas.
"They feed me with the dos and don’ts. Kiana sometimes texts me a link of an artist I’ve never heard of before, pero when I hear it, it’s like, wow, pwede pala ‘yun.”
“Or Paolo, who is my live events or concert director, who immerses himself so much not just onto the project, but to what the project is about, who the project is reaching, what’s the market, then he comes back to me and says, ‘Okay dad, when we did this with this group, it was like this, and when we did it with this artist, it was like this,’” he added.
When it comes to visuals on videos, it’s when his son Gab comes in.
“I know he’s a dancer, but he’s an excellent editor, he’s an excellent director when it comes to videos. So I have all three bases full with regard to what I need to stay relevant,” he said.
According to Valenciano, staying relevant in this industry is definitely a challenge but it is something he is willing to take on in the hopes of continuously touching other people’s lives.
“If I can change one life out of millions out there who might come across my message, that one creates a ripple effect and who knows how many lives I’ll be able to touch then,” he said.
“I’m not here to change lives. I’m here to touch people enough to know that there might be a direction that might be better for them. There might be a challenge that may not disappear but they might have to go through it, not to make them bitter but better as they go through it,” he added.
Valenciano is one of the mainstays of the ABS-CBN concert variety program “ASAP Natin To.” Aside from doing the Sunday show, he’s also active on social media like YouTube and Instagram.
Gary Valenciano, G3 San Diego, Kiana Valenciano, Paolo Valenciano, Gab Valenciano