MANILA, Philippines — Kiana Valenciano continues to shine in the international music scene as she performs for the prestigious SXSW (South By Southwest) music festival in Austin, Texas on March 16 as the Philippines’ representative alongside Haru Nemuri from Japan and South Korea's HAEPAARY and Y2K92.
This month, Kiana performs at SXSW as a 2022 official show artist, along with Maxo Kream, Priya Ragu, Poppy Ajudha, and more.
Kiana's brand new single “Heartbeat On Me” and its music video open with infectious synths and gently tapping drums, allowing Kiana V’s featherlight yet instantly striking voice to enter with a gentle immediacy.
Possessing the immediacy of Tinashe and the knack for undeniable melody of Aaliyah, Kiana is a powerhouse, possessing a quiet intensity that strikes bone deep.
A delectable confection of R&B and pop, the track pulls forward with its flirtatious sound and deftly punchy vocals. It’s a display of both patience and a rush toward pleasure, never overdoing its pace, and sways seamlessly between emotive verses and an addictive call-and-response chorus.
“‘Heartbeat On Me’ is a song about when you feel like you can really dive in and fall in love with someone, but you want to make sure the feeling is mutual first. You want to know that they’ll be there for you the way you are for them,” Kiana explained.
Exploring the delicacy of a relationship at its peak, the daughter of Gary and Angeli Valenciano sings of waking up right next to the person you adore, taking in their breath, their pulse; two people so in sync as to become one organism.
“Will your actions meet the honey you speak?” she ponders to herself.
“Heartbeat On Me” follows the release of Kiana’s five-track EP "Dazed,” which earned praise from SPIN, NME, HYPEBAE, Of ice Magazine, Paper Magazine, and more.
Kiana received the 33rd Awit Awards People’s Choice Award and nominations: Awit Awards Best Performance by a Female Artist, MYX Awards Mellow Video of the Year, Wish FM 107.5 Awards R&B Song of the Year and R&B Performance of the Year. Kiana was also awarded the McMillan Woods Global Award for Most Promising Female Recording Artist of the Year in Malaysia.
She currently splits her time between LA and Manila, as her international presence grows. She was featured on Spotify's NYC Times Square billboard and will take fans behind the scenes with her travels to see the billboard and across the country in the MYX original series documenting her musical journey called “The Crossover.” The TV show will air globally on linear TV, Myx.Global digital and @myxglobal social platforms.
With over 20+ million Spotify streams to date and Grammy.com calling her a "Filipino artist to watch," Kiana is poised to bring her R&B/Pop sound to the rest of the world.
Subscribe to Kiana Valenciano’s official YouTube Channel and check out “Heartbeat On Me” at https://youtu.be/LiIDwczPsis. —Video from Kiana V YouTube channel