In an industry where relevance and its resulting success can prove all too fleeting, Gary Valenciano has succeeded in bottling lightning or perhaps more appropriately — energy.
By KAP MACEDA AGUILA
How many entertainers can lay claim to selling out two nights of the massive Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City — 40 years after their onstage debut?
He looks almost sheepish in knowing that his “Gary V: Pure Energy… One Last Time” concert, directed by son Paolo and under the musical direction of frequent collaborator Mon Faustino, had sold out well before it’s set to take place on April 26 and 27. As of this writing, another show was opened for May 10.
We tell him that the title of his concert surely must have distressed and, dare we say, bothered many fans.
“Not every K-Pop group has a concert that states that it’s their last time. Mine does,” he observes, smiling. “And I think that’s what’s drawing people: People who’ve never seen me before, those who have wanted to see me, people who have grown up with me, and have allowed me to be a part of their growing-up years and their lives in general.”
It’s easy to glean an unmistakable sense of gratitude in Gary — and a measure of disbelief — because, well, he’s a walking miracle. And that’s no exaggeration.
“Honestly, I’m not even supposed to be alive today,” he maintains. “The doctor told my wife and my mom that from the day of diagnosis as a Type 1 diabetic (a patient) is given at least 30 years, and then that’s it. I was 14 when I was diagnosed. So (my time should have been up at) 44. I’m 59.”
On top of this grim diagnosis, Gary needed to have a heart bypass in 2018. Then, he adds, “two weeks later, they found cancer in my kidney, so I had to undergo surgery for that again. They took out 33 percent of it.” And the latest challenge happened last February when doctors decided to put stents in his heart upon discovery of new blockage. That threatened to scuttle the aforementioned show.
“I’m okay now,” he insists. “I’m up and about, but I have to be careful with what I do. I want to see my grandchildren grow up. And Kiana (his and Angeli’s youngest child after Paolo and Gabriel), who’s getting married, if she has babies, I want to be able to carry, see and run around with those kids.”
What he does, Gary shares, is “try to stay fit, and then God just takes care of the rest.”
And while the artist known for spectacular dance moves that complement the uptempo tunes of his vast discography has never hitherto shirked from the challenges and limitations brought about by his condition, Gary Valenciano acknowledges that it’s time to begin “a new chapter.”
To be clear, this doesn’t mean he will hang up the “Mr. Pure Energy” moniker or that he will stop performing with as part of a duo or trio, but he does acknowledge the inevitability of Father Time catching up with his agility and stamina.
So, will he be known as Mr. Managed Energy, we jest. “A chapter needs to close for the next to begin. I was telling people that a person like myself — or even someone like Regine (Velasquez) or Ben & Ben — when are they going to have an indoor concert again that big? It’s probably in the next three or four years. And if that happens with me, I’ll be 63 or 64. And when I perform, people will most probably see a difference from the Gary V that they see today as the Mr. Pure Energy,” he says. The Arena shows will be the latest project to showcase a “fullon” Gary V, though hopefully, not the last.
Pure Energy no more?
As Albert Einstein famously said: “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” And such a metamorphosis seems to be taking place within Gary.
“There have been performances in the recent past where I’ve had huge audiences before me and I’m giving everything — and I feel ‘it.’ I don’t want people to see me like that,” he insists. “I don’t want people to look at me and say, ‘I think he needs to kind of tone it down.’ Why? Because I’m not the kind of person who’ll step on the brakes. I’ll keep going.”
Just like the rest of us, Gary sees age creeping up on him. But the man is accepting it gracefully by getting ahead of it. “Okay Gary, there are others out there who can really sustain what you used to sustain. And it’s okay. You’re going to have other opportunities to do even more meaningful shows in the future. Let’s move on from here,” he tells himself. “My problem is that I love doing it, but the problem is sometimes the body and the mind don’t sync the way they used to.”
After “Pure Energy One Last Time,” Gary stresses that he’ll still be moving and dancing because, frankly speaking, “it’s hard not to.” He vows to “bust out the moves occasionally,” but this new phase means not being pressured to live up to his longtime moniker, Mr. Pure Energy. “It’s going to probably take on a new shape, a new form. It has to do with music but probably it will be more impactful than what it used to be.”
Ubiquitous Gary V
We tell him that it’s a struggle to think of any musician, local or foreign, who has accompanied us in all facets and stages of our life. There’s a Gary V tune for when we are happy or sad; when we celebrate or grieve; when we need to pick ourselves up from the doldrums and depression or to dance and revel in our successes. Couple this talent with an innate ability to connect with fans of all ages, and you have enduring songs that everyone knows and resonates with. Think of ditties like “’Di Bale Na Lang,” “Shout for Joy,” “’Di Na Natuto” and “Take Me Out of the Dark.” They never seem to lose their luster or, again, relevance.
“My songs have a balance of what people see and what people can take home with them after they see the performance,” he posits. “My son always reminds me that authenticity is the secret. It’s not just what you sing but it’s also what you say and how you lead into the song. It just so happens that the songs that I have been singing in the past still resonate with what the people are going through today, especially when I see the young people.
“Nagkaroon din ako ng mga anak (I’ve also had kids). The problems that they’ve had are similar with what the younger ones are going through today. It’s just that their problems are like on steroids. And many times, they look for a permanent solution to a temporary problem. And that’s when lives are taken and all that. I must speak to the hearts of those who are dealing with that. When I speak to young people, I don’t hide behind the bush. I give it to them as it is.”
On popular music streaming platform Spotify, he averages a substantial 640,000-plus listeners each month. Gary also keeps an open mind (and ears) when it comes to music. “I love listening to all types,” he reveals. “I listen to all genres, but not all songs really tug at the heart, tug at the soul, tug at the spirit, encourage the soul. If that’s my role, which I think it has been, then it’s good to know that when people need something that speaks of life and life matters, they can come to a song of mine. There are many artists out there that carry out the same mission. But I am thankful that I am part of that team.”
Face2Face
Anyone who’s followed the arc of Gary’s career long enough must surely be familiar with him loudly and publicly expressing his Christian faith. It suffuses his music, his pronouncements and his health challenges, and how he has bravely faced them has only served as solid testament to this spirit.
It also obviously fuels his desire to give back. “I’ve been visiting students in different universities,” he shares, telling us of his so-called “Face2Face” series of talks. “It’s an amazing experience of me and just 150 to 300 students and their teachers. It’s very intimate. They don’t go out and buy tickets to watch my concert. They will not even go out and search on Spotify to listen to my songs. Maybe they will now, but when I’m in front of them, I just share with them what I know and what I have. If I could print the comments with their names, without even talking to them, you’ll capture what that whole event is.”
Gary gives valuable life lessons while listening to what the youth have to say — their concerns, problems, worries.
God’s hand
Gary is someone clearly in awe of his journey in life thus far, and he admits that it’s a journey that couldn’t have happened without the blessings of a higher power.
“If I am able to say one word or one name — for somebody who never took music, for somebody who never thought of becoming an entertainer or being a songwriter and all, for somebody who did not think that they could dance and then ’yun pala (actually) I could, I think the whole orchestration was because of the Hand of God,” he acknowledges.
Even as Gary would probably not approve of the parallelism, it’s easy to discern an almost biblical Job-like quality in his life’s story. “(It’s like God said) you know what, you’re a diabetic, you’re going to go through a lot of difficulties with your health, but I’m going to see you through the hardest of times,” he shares. “And you’re going to be out there and you’re going to outdo or outlast not (just) other artists but what medical books say. You’re going to shine even at the age of 60 or even beyond that. So, it’s really been God.
“What did he provide for me? He gave me a heart that has never ever felt na ayoko na (I quit). It’s a heart that’s always loved what it was called to do. It’s not just to entertain because sometimes I’m in the Middle East and I am being led to speak about God. How can you do that when you’re in front of a Muslim (audience)? But I’m given the right words and, in the end, I have the same Muslim coming up to me and shaking my hand saying ‘God bless you’.”
Love for work
Gary has also been instilled with a deep love and appreciation for what he is able to do. He credits confirmatory wisdom that came from veteran actress Maricel Soriano. “She won’t remember this because it was one of her interviews from a long, long time ago,” he narrates. “She said, ‘Dapat mahalin mo yung ginagawa mo kasi maraming tao ang may gusto ng ganun, kaso hindi sila binigyan ng ganun. Ako binigyan ako ng ganun; mahal na mahal ko talaga ang ginagawa ko. (You should love what you do because lots of people want to do that, but they weren’t given the chance. Me, I was given that chance, so I really love what I do.) That resonated with me quite deeply.”
It was a totally different era that spawned Gary — a time before instant celebrities who benefited from the fast lane of social media. It’s accurate to say that his appreciation for where he is now is also engendered by the very real grind.
His first taste of the limelight was via the Kundirana, a vocal group of La Salle Greenhills. “It is not a professional organization,” Gary says. “It’s a high school organization of creative dudes just wanting to express themselves through music. And then we went a step further. We visited people in need and we became the singing ambassadors of God.
“When you really look at it in today’s level of understanding, that’s really what we were: Guys who would go to the Tala Leprosarium, orphanages, poor places, and bring music. We tried to bring a smile to people’s faces. We succeeded in doing that. I learned that then during my time in the Kundirana. I learned how to be a professional from a non-professional group. And sometimes, when I look back at how some groups work today, I want to tell them ‘You know, I should really sit down with you and share with you the things I learned with the Kundirana because it can help.’”
In his mid-teens, Gary admits that it was also a time for more simple aspirations. “All we wanted to do is to hear screams when they watched us. And, we did hear the girls scream! It was great,” he recalls with a laugh.
But when Gary became, well, Gary V, he realized that a true responsibility came with his celebrity. “I was sent to bring joy to others through music,” he declares. “It became real because I’d see it not just in those who watched me in, say, the Araneta Coliseum, but those I’d go to see in a mall — just there with a bag of Jollibee and that’s all that they’re there for. They’re not going shopping.
“But they just happen to see an artist that they see on TV. They probably will never see me up close like that again. That gets to me. If I saw Michael Jordan, if he looks at me for 10 seconds and goes, ‘Hey, man! How are you doing?’ that gets to me. Things like that are what people remember, sometimes even more than just the music. I’m thankful that I’ve never really gotten tired of that. I mean I do get tired physically sometimes. But the desire to be that way to people has never really diminished.
“It’s not just what you sing but it’s also what you say and how you lead into the song. It just so happens that the songs that I have been singing in the past still resonate with what the people are going through today, especially when I see the young people.”
Challenges and opportunities
It may be hard to believe now but, once upon a time, Gary hit a rough patch in his career. He had just released his album dubbed Interactive in 2001, which sought to capitalize on the then burgeoning CD-ROM technology. “It was my weakest-selling album ever. Nobody was into CD-ROM,” he says ruefully.
“I was with Kris Aquino (for a television) show. At the end of the interview, she goes, ‘Gary, is there any one last thing you want to say to all your fans who are watching? Because we have not really seen much of you around lately.’ I gave my message, then she looks at the camera and says, ‘You know, Gary, I’m so happy that you said that because I know that your career has been a little (down), but I believe that you’re a good man with great talent, you can’t put any of that down. So, I’m sure that we’ll be seeing more of you.’”
Gary also admits that he hasn’t been as prolific a songwriter as he was in the past. “I have not been writing music the way I used to. If you look at my old albums, there are like five or six songs that I write per album. Then it went to four, two, and then one. And then the others were remakes. That was a struggle for me not to be able to write new songs,” he admits. “Angeli (Gary’s wife) sat down with me once and she had the courage to tell me, ‘You know, Gary, you already have enough songs. It’s just that you don’t sing them.”
There are also songs in the proverbial drawer that have yet to see the light of day, and his wife is encouraging Gary to record and release them.
Always Gary
With the humility of his age and a resolve undimmed by it, Gary is, again, looking at “Pure Energy One Last Time” not as an end, but a doorway to another room of his career — this one not too tightly packed, not too bright, not too stressful, but promising to be just as fulfilling.
“I think that for as long people want to watch and see and be entertained and listen to the music, I think I’m still going to be doing what I do, perhaps, at a different scale,” he states.
He points to a recent series of shows he did, the “Back at the Museum” at the Music Museum in Greenhills. “It was 10 shows and I had people of all ages come and watch several times over. It baffled me, and it confirmed to me that this is what people want. I was even getting comments from random people online who had never seen any of my concerts: ‘Sir, if we don’t get to see you in your ‘farewell concert,’ sana (we hope) you can come to us back in Davao or Cebu. Yung mas (This is more) intimate; actually, sir, mas gusto namin ’yun ganun (we prefer that),” he recalls, not without fascination.
Taken as a whole, Gary’s 40 years (and counting) on the stage are always there to remind him of how blessed he has been — and continues to be.
“All of the things that I just mentioned are the pieces of the puzzle that, when you put together, spell the success and longevity of Gary V,” he says. “It’s not been an easy journey. There have been health trials and hurdles that I’ve had to face. It’s not been as easy as people would see. They don’t see everything else that I battle and go up against.”
These days, Gary finds the time to be active. He rides his bike, works out, hits the golf fairways every so often. “My golf really sucks,” he insists — but, not long after our interview, he scores an ace on Hole No. 4 of Forest Hills Golf and Country Club’s Nicklaus Course.
“God put all of these pieces in place to allow the career to last for this long. And this is just the first 40 years. There are still other things I’d like to fulfill. I may not be able to execute what I have in mind, but I can certainly contribute all of these things to somebody who might latch on to this vision and execute it.”
That certainly sounds like someone with a lot of energy.
“Okay, I’m ready. When’s the next show?” declares Gary Valenciano.
PHOTOGRAPHY by JAYSON ISAAC
