Why Gary is proud of his children

For some people, it’s difficult to work with family, but for the Valencianos — dad Gary, mom Angeli and kids Paolo, Gabriel and Kiana — working with each other is not a chore but an immense joy.

As the kids of Gary and Angeli, it was a foregone conclusion that Paolo, Gabriel and Kiana would eventually follow their parents into the business. You can’t be born into a family like theirs and not have any musical or performing talent. When they started appearing with Gary in his concerts, not everyone was pleased with the idea; some saw it as impudent self-promotion and didn’t expect it to last. Some wrote it off as an act whose novelty would wear off soon enough. But eventually, the Valenciano kids proved that there was more to them than just being the children of the country’s most dynamic performer.

In the case of Paolo, when he started singing, it was a deliberate choice on his part to form a rock band to distance himself musically from his father. Then he discovered that he was also interested in working behind the scenes as a videographer and director, and he began pursuing his passion for it.

Paolo was successful and his biggest project to date was directing Arise: Gary V 3.0, his father’s 30th anniversary concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. It wasn’t the first Gary V. concert Paolo directed (the first was On Higher Ground at the Music Museum in 2012) but it was the biggest.

It was the most serious career challenge Paolo had ever faced and he was glad to have his father with him. “This is the second time, so the pressure wasn’t that bad, but I think it’s the fact that it’s the biggest show he’s doing, plus first time ko mag-direct sa Araneta so medyo nakaka-overwhelm ng konti,” Paolo told a group of reporters at a press conference a few days before the concert. “I’m glad, though, that my first project in Araneta is with my dad, if it was with anyone else, baka umiiyak na ako sa takot.”

Gab, who is more of a dancer and who recently started to explore a career behind the scenes, shared Paolo’s observation that working with their dad gives them both a sense of comfort. “This is always asked of me, and I always have a different answer,” says Gab. “It really is something, when you’re onstage, and you look to your left and right and see your dad next to you. My dad will look at me and say one word, and the connection is instant. It’s just an amazing feeling. I just enjoy it so much. It’s just a different feeling.”

For his part, explains Gary, being able to work with his family is a blessing. “Really, the word is blessed — and you’ll hear it again and again. For the concert, I’m truly privileged to have a director who knows me so well, who studies the audience so well during my performances, who gets feedback and executes the ideas and who comes to me and asks, ‘Should we do this? Should we do that?’ I see that respect (that Paolo has for me). There’s mutual respect for each other. I don’t know of any other artist who can say that his son is co-directing what can probably be called my biggest concert to date.”

And this family has members who are very proud of each other. The success of Gab’s Super Selfies in the US has made his family back here very proud. Paolo, Gary and Angeli believe that Gab needed to leave. (Super Selfie is loosely defined as taking a photo of one self with a “super” event in the background. In Gab’s case, a video of himself just letting loose and tearing up.)

With daughter Kiana —Photos from Gary V’s Instagram

Explains Paolo, “When Gab was here, we noticed he was not being given the attention he deserved. He got a lot of crap online. Sinasabi lagi ng tao, trying hard si Gab, he’s not gonna become popular, but me and my mom, we believed that if he left this country, he would be appreciated by people that don’t know he’s Gary V’s son. We knew that he was going to get recognized — and look what happened. Now, he’s walking through the Los Angeles airport, may mga nagpapa-picture na Americans. It makes us proud that he’s a superstar in the States. There’s stuff he’s doing there, that he cannot talk about yet but it will come out soon, and the Pinoys are going to appreciate him more after this year.”

Dad Gary agrees, “I know that he’s destined for a stage bigger than the one he had in the Philippines.”

Indeed, Gary and Angeli are very proud of their children, and will support them no matter where they go or how far they may fly. Their success is also their parents’ success and they will bring that with them wherever they go.

Gab Valenciano, the youngest son of Gary, has taken up another challenge since moving to the US to study and pursue a music career there early last year.

According to the Valenciano family publicist Chuck Gomez, Gab has tried his luck in the upcoming season of America’s Got Talent, the ninth edition of which will premiere in the US on May 27.

The reality show has released a teaser of the auditions, which briefly saw Gab in a colorful tank top and tight pants, apparently doing his Super Selfie routine.

Gab’s Super Selfie is a series of mostly 15-seconder video clips on YouTube showing Gab displaying spirited dance moves and wacky outfits.

The Super Selfies have since become viral racking up more than 1.7 million views to date and getting featured in US news outlets like Good Morning America, Huffington Post, etc.