Gary Valenciano first entered
the world of musical entertainment as a high school student at La Salle
Greenhills when he joined the popular music group Kundirana. This proved
to be a very important first step in his career because, as his website explains,
"This stint with the Kundirana, however brief, brought an important discovery
to Gary, nonetheless: THE POWER OF MUSIC TO INFLUENCE LIVES. Since then,
he has devoted himself entirely to music."
 Gary
soon decided to embark on a solo career. The public became acquainted with
the talented young singer through his frequent TV appearances, first on the
Pilita and Jackie show in 1982, then on German Moreno's Germspesyal, and
on Penthouse Live. His popularity grew, and he did a series of shows
at Tavern on the Square. Then at age 19 he had his first solo concert at
the Araneta Coliseum. With this jam-packed event under his belt, Gary V was
now on his way to becoming one of the most successful and popular performers
ever in the history of Philippine showbiz.
At the same time as Gary
was establishing himself as a hot concert artist, his recording career was
also taking off big-time. His albums and singles were as well-received by
those in the music business as by the fans, and before long he began to
accumulate an impressive list of major awards. Some of his earlier hits include
Paano, Di Na Natuto, Sana Maulit Muli, Babalik Ka Rin, and the Christmas
classic Pasko Na, Sinta Ko. His musical talents also extended to composing,
and over the years he has written or collaborated on many of his hits.
Christianity is an important
part of Gary's life and this has
been reflected in his music since the early days of
his career. Many of his best-loved songs have had Christian themes,
including Take Me Out of the Dark, Natutulog Ba ang Diyos, Gaya ng Dati,
Could You Be Messiah, Shout For Joy, Search and Know, Warrior is a Child,
and many others. Christian music is not often a commercial success,
but in Gary's case, his Christian songs are as well-known and enjoyed as
his dance tunes and love songs. His inspirational album Revive, released
in 2000, continues to be a big seller and recently went sextuple-platinum
(more than 180,000 units sold). Internationally, he released an album of
Christian Contemporary music in 1995, "Out of the Dark," which
was well-received in the US, and in 2003 appeared on the Christian TV
program "700 Club," where host Gordon Robertson twice referred to Gary as
"my favorite singer."
 Even
the biggest music stars normally enjoy only a few years in the spotlight
before their popularity begins to fade somewhat. As the years go by they
may find that their newer records don't make the charts and if they get concert
bookings at all, they may be less frequent and at smaller venues. But this
is certainly not the case with Gary V, who has now been at the top of his
chosen profession for more than twenty years! After more than two
decades, he continues to turn out exciting new recordings (he has over
21 albums at last count) and to win major awards. He has just received two
2004 Awit Awards: Best Performance by a Male Artist for Ang Aking Munting
Bituin, the theme from the award-winning movie Magnifico, and Best Duet for
his recording of Sana Maulit Muli with Kyla. He can still fill the Araneta,
still attract sellout Pinoy crowds at major venues all over the world. His
success as a concert performer is rivaled only by Martin Nievera. But while
Gary and Martin have both enjoyed incredible staying power as concert singers
and recording artists, Gary far outshines not only Martin but many performers
half his age in one very important area: his dancing! He has truly earned
the nickname "Mr. Pure Energy."
The fact that even at age
forty Gary's performances still include such physically exhausting routines
is made even more amazing by the fact that for more than a quarter century
he has been battling juvenile diabetes (also known as Type I or
insulin-dependent diabetes). He explained in an interview with HealthToday,
"During concerts, I check my sugar three or four times, 2 hours before the
show. Every time I exit [the stage] to change, I check again. Before I step
out on stage, my sugar level must be slightly above normal, so it doesn't
dip dangerously low when I'm performing."
Gary V has been married
since 1984 to former Camay model and Music and Magic singer
Angeli Pangilinan. She is also his manager,
and has written the lyrics to some of Gary's songs (including Sana Maulit
Muli, which she and Gary wrote together). Angeli is also a big help to Gary
with the control and monitoring of his diabetes. The couple have three children:
Paolo, 20, Gabriel, 17, and Kiana, 11. Gabriel has been singing and dancing
in some of Gary's shows over the past year, including the concert at the
Shrine in L.A. with singer Brian McKnight.
2004 has been another
big year for Gary; he turned 40 in August, and also celebrated his 20th wedding
anniversary. Wife Angeli has been in show business for 25 years. And it
has been 26 years since he began waging his successful war against diabetes.
He decided to celebrate all these milestones by holding
a "Thankful" concert at the Araneta last August 6. "Apart from my friends
and family, I have so much to thank God for," Gary said. "There are the sponsors,
the press, the radio stations, the fans, the networks, the managers, the
producers and promoters, the film and recording companies, the composers,
the artists, the musicians, the prayer warriors, my doctors, my pastors.
So many wonderful people. I want to celebrate with all of them." For
the first time ever, all three of his children appeared in the show. A large
portion of the proceeds went to the Shining Light Foundation, a ministry
founded by Gary and some of his colleagues in the business.
 Other recent happenings
in Gary's career include his joining the popular TV show ASAP Mania, and
the release of a videoke VCD of some of his inspirational hits. In addition,
his father, photographer Vicente Valenciano, has released a photo book
of Gary that includes comments from his mother, his six brothers and sisters,
his wife, some former schoolmates and others. Incidentally, Gary's mother,
Grimilda Santiago-Ortiz, who is Puerto Rican, recorded two duets with Gary
on his One 2 One album, including a Spanish song, Historia de un Amor.
For much more about Gary,
visit his very attractive state-of-the-art website at
www.garyv.com. One great feature
is a complete list of his albums and the songs on them, and many of the lyrics.
You can also join Gary's Yahoo fan group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/garyv/.
Gary has a series of shows
in the US this fall; check our
Events
page or Gary's Yahoo group for details.
Previous Caroustars: SEPTEMBER
2004: AIZA
SEGUERRA • AUGUST 2004:
LANI
MISALUCHA • JULY 2004:
ANDREW
E • JUNE 2004:
LEA
SALONGA • MAY 2004:
JOEY
ALBERT • APRIL 2004:
VINA
MORALES • MARCH 2004:
RICA PERALEJO
• FEBRUARY 2004:
RACHEL
ALEJANDRO • JANUARY 2004:
GENEVA
CRUZ
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