Gab: The sum of his parents' best qualities

MANILA, Philippines - Gabriel “Gab” Valenciano is born of showbiz royalty being the second son of OPM icon Gary Valenciano and veteran artist manager Angeli Pangilinan. His prodigious lineage could have offered him fame and fortune on a silver platter but Gab clearly opted to move toward a different and more laborious direction by deciding to work extra hard to get to where he is in the industry today.

“My parents may be polar opposites of each other in a lot of ways but both of them taught me to put God first in everything that I do and they also taught me the value of humility. I don’t want to be pushed in front of any line just because I’m the son of my parents. I prefer to work hard in perfecting my craft as an artist,” says Gab.

A champion of Shall We Dance, the dance competition show of TV5, a former host for Club TV, and currently a host/dancer for ASAP Rocks, Gab opened 2011 with a series of impressive projects such as his unforgettable opening number in the much-talked about 1@11 event of Aficionado wherein he arranged and produced the electrifying music and choreographed the dance sequences in collaboration with the G-Force dancers. A record audience of 65,000 came to the event. He did a jaw-dropping 10-foot leap that amazed the show’s producer, Joel Cruz. Gab further showcased his skill as one of today’s most talented young producers and musical arrangers by re-arranging Rey Valera’s classic ballad Naaalala Ka for Jericho Rosales for his Change album. The music video has reached the No. 2 slot in the MYX Countdown. Gab also collaborated with Jericho by producing and arranging Bumuhos Ang Ulan, the theme song of ABS-CBN’s Green Rose, which Jericho wrote for the hit soap series. To his credit, he has arranged and produced corporate projects like the Real Leaf launch in ASAP, AIM Global’s opening number at the Araneta Coliseum, as well as projects for Glucontrol, Ayala Malls, and for the Supahdance Album released by Star Records.

“Sometimes I work 18 hours straight when I’m in the studio. I would play the piano for 30 minutes and that’s my warm up whenever I’m composing or arranging music. Then after that, a certain melody would hit me and then I start developing it. I worked on the opening music of 1@11 for 32 hours straight. I didn’t even notice how long I was in the studio until the material was finished.”

On ASAP Rocks, Gab is not only one of the performers but one of the visionaries who assists in choreography and arranges the breathtaking dance routines of its much-awaited and highly anticipated Dance U segment which showcases the dancing prowess of some of today’s hottest young stars.

“I opened a dance workshop for young people two years ago and I’m planning to do it again this summer. I get a natural high when I’m among young and aspiring artists who have the same passion for dance and music as I do,” says Gab.

As an actor, Gab has appeared in the indie film Rebound as well as in an episode of Your Song for ABS-CBN.

One of Gab’s long-term goals is to study Recording Arts and Music Production in the US and major in Music as it is one of his aspirations to produce globally competitive and world-class music. “There’s so much to learn and it would be an honor to help in showing the world how talented Filipino musicians and artists are.” It should be noted that in 2010 Gab, along with brother Paolo, Zia Quizon and Karylle, Robin Nievera, Isabella and Duncan Ramos teamed up in the historic recording of One Voice-Stand Up which was the official theme song of United Nations’ worldwide campaign to end hunger. Its music video was shown globally with rave reviews. It is currently the theme song for Southeast Asian efforts of the United Nations.

In between his regular TV shows ASAP Rocks and Banana Split, Gab has been tapped by Powermac to teach music software for Mac users, by Blackberry to teach and inform users of its phone applications, and Gab discloses that an exciting and big project is in the works. He has in the past produced re-arrangements of Shout For Joy for the Rebirth album of his dad and live arrangements of Sa Yahweh Ang Sayaw for Gary V: Live at 25 and Hataw Na for the Soul In Motion series. He produced most of the ASAP production numbers for Supahdance, ASAP opening numbers, Kim Chiu’s and Gerald Anderson’s birthday celebrations as well as live arrangements for Jed Madela, Rachelle Ann Go, Jericho and other artists.

He recently hosted the First UAAP Streetdancing Competition at the Araneta Coliseum and performed at BDO’s annual officers’ conference.

Whether performing his gravity-defying routines as a dancer or whether he creates a masterpiece as a musical arranger and record producer, one thing is clear: the relentless pursuit of excellence is fodder to a true artist like Gab Valenciano.

(Follow Gab on Twitter at @gabvalenciano and like his official page, Gabriel P. Valenciano, on Facebook for official news and information. Gab Valenciano is managed by Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management, Inc.)