Kiana Valenciano has grown up around show business. Her father is entertainment legend Gary Valenciano and her mother is famous talent manager Angeli Pangilinan. It was only fitting that Kiana would eventually be in the biz. But unlike many children of big stars, Kiana has a voice of her own. She writes her own music, and her vocal stylings are strong and unique. She shares that the greatest lesson she learned from her parents is perseverance. “Things don’t happen overnight and everyone has a different journey. Focus on yours,” she shares.
The young woman continues to work day in and day out to improve her craft, stating that whenever she’s home, she makes an effort to write before going to bed. Her upcoming album (which has a target release date of January 2019) is stacked with original compositions that she hopes will be a reflection of who she is as a person. “I’ve been working on it all of this year and I’m really excited to share it with everyone. I think it’s pretty different from what I’ve released so far and there’s definitely a colorful variety of sounds that I just felt like experimenting with.” Kiana continued to say that her favorite track on the album is the first one, entitled See Me. “When you hear it, you’ll understand why!”
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The “Chill-est” Girl in Manila
Currently, Kiana has a whooping 277k followers (as of print) on her Instagram account, watching her every move. When asked whether she considers herself a “social media influencer”, the young singer was a little reserved with her answer. “Hmmm maybe a little bit,” she says. When scrolling through her feed, it’s easy to be taken with her lifestyle. She’s seen attending many parties, posting different magazine covers in which she has appeared, and hanging out with her famous family and friends. But to Kiana, it’s just a visual album to document her life. “I hope they’re interested in my music! But I think some people are interested in my lifestyle and the company I keep,” she says about her sizeable following.
The superstar on the brink admits that she used to curate her feed, but now, she doesn’t really try so hard to do so anymore, stating “I used to be really OC about it, but now my feed changes with my mood. I try not to take it too seriously.” Kiana shares that one misconception people have about her based on her social media accounts is that she’s “mataray” and high-maintenance. “I’m actually really chill!” she laughs. The young woman discloses that despite what people think, she’s not very brand conscious and hardly shops either. When she actually does shop, she opts to do it online, where she has a preference for the apparel selection of Urban Outfitters, ASOS and Nasty Gal.
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A Swim a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away
Despite leading a very public life, it’s the quiet moments alone and at home that are worth more to her then being seen out and about. Each morning, Kiana finds herself waking up at 9AM and going for a swim. “I love to swim. Not even just as a workout, but I enjoy floating and just relaxing in the water,” she says about her daily routine. After that (she also shuffles between boxing and cycling as workouts), she gets ready for the day ahead. This is where the Kiana we all know comes in—attending events, being seen at exclusive get togethers, and posting her most stylish #OOTDs. When she gets home, it’s all about writing music and relaxing before heading to bed promptly at 11PM. Her main goal: to live a life that will result into a fruitful career.
“The way I balance work and pleasure is I just make sure I have my priorities straight,” she mentions. When asked whether she considers herself a social butterfly, Kiana laughed. “I’m a social butterfly!? I try to limit the events I attend because I really appreciate my me-time.” It’s this type of handwork and humble attitude that helps Kiana Valenciano forge a bright path for herself in the music industry. Luckily, people have taken notice because of her previous musical efforts. Most famously, her single Does She Know (ft. Curtismith) was a smash hit amongst music loving millennials. Countless clubs and radio stations played the song consistently when it was released. She shares a landmark in her career, “I never thought I’d have a crowd sing back my lyrics to me, so every time they do, it’s a milestone.”
This write-up was originally published under a full cover story called “The Power of the Post: Kiana Valenciano and KC Del Rosario are your Digital Savvy It-Girls”. Click this link to read the full digital cover story.
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SHOOT CREDITS:
Photography by Yukie Sarto
Shot on location at Solaire Resort & Casino
Special thanks to the digital marketing and marketing team of Solaire Resort & Casino
Styling by Roko Arceo
Makeup by Jigs Mayuga
Hair by Mycke Arcano
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