Gary Valenciano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gary Valenciano
Valenciano performing in Toronto in 2014
Born	Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano (1964-08-06) August 6, 1964 (age 59) Santa Mesa, Manila, Philippines
Other names	Gary V. Mr. Pure Energy
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician dancer record producer actor television host reality show judge
Spouse(s)	Angeli Pangilinan ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	3, including Gabriel and Kiana
Relatives	Francis Pangilinan (brother-in-law) Leo Martinez (brother-in-law) Sharon Cuneta (co-sister-in-law) Maricel Laxa (co-sister-in-law) Chito Miranda (nephew)
Musical career
Genres	OPM pop inspirational
Instruments	Vocals piano drums percussion
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Star Music Vicor Music Universal Records

Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano (Tagalog pronunciation: [balɛnˈʃano], born August 6, 1964), also known as Gary V., is a Filipino singer, songwriter, dancer, film actor, music producer, arranger and television host. He has been dubbed as the "Michael Jackson of the Philippines", noted for his distinct singing style, stage presence and career longevity.

Valenciano is regarded as one of the most successful musical artists in Asia. As of 2000, he has already sold an estimated of over a million albums in the Philippines (excluding pirated merchandise), becoming one of the best-selling Filipino recording artists in the country. He has already won over 200 industry awards, including 12 Awit Awards, 3 FAMAS Awards and the Myx Magna Award. He has already performed alongside globally renowned artists such as Brian McKnight, George Duke, Paul Jackson Jr., Michael Shapiro, Ricky Martin, Cliff Richard, Leon Patilo, Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patti, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Kool & the Gang. He has been named as the "Most Influential Artist" in 2006 by a consumer survey conducted by Nokia on their official website, and one of the most influential Filipino personalities across Asia by Tatler in 2021. His philanthropy focus on hope, faith, and positive change; having been appointed as the first UNICEF National Ambassador for 25 years.

He is also recognized as one of the most successful Filipino performers in history. With more than 500,000 attendees at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Nagmamahal, Gary V became the most attended local concert in Philippine music history. His concert Gary V Hits Series also broke records at the Panaad Festival in Bacolod. It was attended by over 25,000 people, becoming the biggest crowd in concert history in Negros Occidental. He has already performed a string of sold-out shows at the Araneta Coliseum, MOA Arena and Shrine Auditorium in California. He was chosen by the Doha Asian Games Olympic Committee as the official interpreter of the anthem titled 'Heart of the Games' at the 15th Asian Games in Qatar. He was also invited as one of the performers at the 23rd Asian Television Awards in Malaysia.

He is currently part of ABS-CBN's contract artists and one of the mainstay hosts of ASAP.

Early life and education

Gary Valenciano was born in Santa Mesa district of City of Manila on August 6, 1964. He is the sixth of seven children of Vicente Calacas Valenciano, a Bicolano from Camalig, Albay and Grimilda Santiago y Olmo (1934–2019) from Arecibo, Puerto Rico. His parents met in New York City, married, and settled in Manila. His mother is a Puerto Rican of Italian descent who sang opera in Manila during the 1960s. Valenciano attended primary and secondary school in La Salle Green Hills.

Career

In 1978, at 14 years old, Valenciano made his first television appearance in an advertisement for Fress Gusto, a now-discontinued soft drink sold by San Miguel Corporation.

He started as a choir singer, then launched his career in singing and show business on May 13, 1983. He first appeared as a solo artist in 1982 in the television programme The Pilita and Jackie Show.

He had his first solo concert in April 1984 at the Araneta Coliseum, followed by a number of albums. Three of his albums were released internationally, including the Christian-inspired album Out of the Dark. He won the Awit Award twelve times in the "Best Male Recording" category alone. He has been called "Mr. Pure Energy" due to his high energy dance performances in concerts.

As an actor, he won the "Best Single Performance by an Actor" trophy when he performed in a drama television movie for GMA Network in the '90s. He has appeared in 14 full-length films as the lead actor for some of the top movie companies like Viva Films, Regal Films, Seiko Films, and Star Cinema, with leading ladies like Vilma Santos, Maricel Soriano, Lorna Tolentino, Kris Aquino, Sharon Cuneta, Gretchen Barretto, Princess Punzalan, and Ms. Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres.

As an inspirational artist, he recorded a number of Christian albums and was chosen to do a music video for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) for a song he co-wrote, "Could You Be Messiah," in 1994. He was then tapped for Global Mission in Puerto Rico in 1994 where he performed with Michael W. Smith and Steve Green. BGEA tapped him as well as in Amsterdam 2000 where he performed for over 10,500 evangelists. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Christian Broadcasting Network, producers of The 700 Club. He performed at the 50th anniversary of CBN in Virginia Beach and has guested on The 700 Club USA many times.

As a performing artist, he was called the "Michael Jackson of the Philippines" in the '80s and '90s, and continues to hold concerts all over the world. He has sold-out venues and theatres in the Philippines and all over the world, performing in venues like the Shrine Auditorium and Microsoft Theater in California, the Roy Thompson Hall in Canada, the Budokhan Hall in Japan, the Navy Pier in Chicago, and the Sydney Entertainment Center and Hillsong Auditorium in Australia. He has performed all over the world, including in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Oman, Qatar, France, United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Amsterdam.

In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines' first National Ambassador. In 2006, the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee has named Gary Valenciano the official performer of the Asian Games' theme song, "Side By Side". In 2008, he marked his tenth year as a UNICEF Ambassador with a visit to Sitio Avocado, a former war zone in Negros Oriental.

Valenciano returned to acting in 2008 by appearing in the drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya, where he portrayed a prisoner who finds religion and becomes a born again Christian. That same year, he was nominated for "Best Single Performance by an Actor" in the 22nd PMPC Star Awards for TV.

In 2009, Valenciano released a collaborative album with Martin Nievera called As 1, with the carrier single of the same title.

In 2010, Valenciano was in a Holy Week drama special, Gulong ("Wheel"), a CBN Asia production shown on GMA.

For his 25th anniversary in 2008, STAR RECORDS, the music arm of ABS-CBN, released GV 25, a compilation of songs he composed and recorded sung by music stars of the Philippines like Sharon Cuneta, Rachel Ann Go, Martin Nievera, Piolo Pascual, Jed Madela, Erik Santos, and Christian Bautista.

For his 30th anniversary in 2013, his concert ARISE, which was originally staged at the Araneta Coliseum for two nights and restaged at the MOA ARENA to a jam-packed audience, won as PMPC's Best Concert of the Year. His album With You won the Best Inspirational Album for the same year at the Catholic Mass Media Awards.

Philanthropy

Valenciano formed the Shining Light Foundation in 1989, focusing on supporting diabetics and a scholarship program that has produced many multi-awarded scholars and students.

Personal life

Valenciano married Maria Anna Elizabeth "Angeli" Pangilinan, the sister of senator Francis Pangilinan, on August 6, 1984. Together, they have three children: Paolo Valenciano, a director and the vocalist of the band Salamin; Gabriel Valenciano, a singer, keyboardist, dancer, and director; and Kiana Valenciano, a model and singer-songwriter. The family resides in Antipolo.

He is currently living with type 1 diabetes, and has been an endorser for several wellness products related to the condition. In May 2018, Valenciano started feeling ill after a performance with his son Gabriel for the celebration of his 35th anniversary in showbiz in ABS-CBN's top-rating Sunday afternoon show, ASAP, and had to undergo open heart surgery due to blockage of his left anterior descending artery caused by his diabetes. The procedure was successfully performed on May 6, 2018, and he was released from the hospital by May 12.

On April 17, 2019, Valenciano's mother died in Orlando, Florida, after battling pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and H1N1 flu.

Discography

Filmography

Movies

Television

Awards and nominations

Music

Film and television

FAMAS

Golden Screen TV Awards

Other accolades

• First artist in the world to have a Sennheiser Special Edition microphone named after him – Sennheiser Evolution Series 2001
• First and current UNICEF National Ambassador of Goodwill in the Philippines, 1998–present

See also

In Spanish: Gary Valenciano para niños