Gary Valenciano On Building A Legacy And Celebrating 40 Years In Music

When you have a career as illustrious as the legendary Gary Valenciano’s, you wouldn’t want to retire either.

For the past four decades, the Filipino icon — fondly and rightfully referred to as ‘Mr. Pure Energy’ — has been churning out classic hits, soundtracking beloved teleseryes, and of course, setting stages alight across the world. He’s released 23 studio albums, performed countless of shows all over the global, and garnered a community of fans that spans generations — but he’s far from done.

Despite announcing his last string of major concerts, which are set to happen this December 20 and 22 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Valenciano has more in store for his fans, seeing this run of shows marking not the end of his career but merely a chapter. With doors wide for what’s coming next, it’s a new beginning for Gary Valenciano.

As he gears up for his awaited Gary V: Pure Energy, One More Time concert, we sat down with the legend himself to find out what it’s like building a 40-year (and counting) legacy and how he’s kept up his undying love for music.

Billboard Philippines: When you first started 40 years ago, did you think that your career would go this far?

Valenciano: When I joined the industry, my mind was made up that this is what I want to do, and I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but I’m going to make the most out of it while it’s still there. That mindset only changed in the middle of my non-managed days, when I would go with my ever-faithful cassette, with all my minus ones, and I would be invited to different schools — but then, I went to ICA. 

[At the time,] there was an offer for me to join two groups or to go solo. One was the thought of joining a band called Rage Band back in the ’80s with Juan Miguel Salvador, or to join a group of singers that all shared the same background of coming from La Salle Greenhills, so it would be Randy Santiago, me, and Ogie Alcasid. We would be put together and then we would travel the world like the Madrigal Singers, but more on the pop kind of feel. 

Considering joining that all changed after I came out in ICA, because they didn’t put me in the first part of the show or the last part of the show. When I say first, that’s when people are still coming in, and last is when people are going out — that’s always where I would be. They put me in the middle, and they said, “Can you do a song that speaks about people uniting?” So I did, it’s a song called “Magkaisa,” written by Juan Miguel Salvador [and] arranged by Ryan Cayabyab. I sang it and the reaction was different. It’s the first time in my life that I felt that it’s not about the performance, it’s about the way the message was put across. 

And then that’s when I told my sister. I said, “Diane, I think, I think I want to go solo.” Then I met Angeli [Pangilinan-Valenciano], and she was hoping I would choose to go solo. That’s when we started talking to each other; she introduced me to her manager and the rest is history.

As like an icon in the industry, and as someone who’s always been referred to as ‘Mr. Pure Energy,’ was there any pressure whenever you did a show or released new music to live up to this image and expectation that people have of you?

No, never. It was more pressure [from myself] to be satisfied with what I’m doing. I would always compete with myself; I have to do better than my last performance, and I have to always make sure people want to come back and want to watch more of me. It was not a very healthy way to think, because you can’t keep coming off stage feeling pressured by that, you want to come out on stage because you love your audience, you love what you do, and just kind of have fun. But it wasn’t like that until November 12, 1985 when I gave my life up to the Lord.

[From there,] things just went, “Okay, Gary, I’m glad you did that, because this is what I actually want you to be pressured about.”

There were times when I would come out on stage with no voice. That’s the worst thing any singer has to go through, but thank God I was able to survive all of those challenges, and that’s been the only pressure [I’ve experienced]. But there’s no pressure about me being Pure Energy, and [people’s expectations], because Pure Energy is not just about dancing, and it’s also about the passion that you put in every song, whether it’s a ballad, or whether it’s upbeat.

Having had the illustrious 40 years that you’ve had, was there a specific moment where you felt like, “Oh, I’ve made it“?

Actually that has happened all the time, but [it’s like] “I made it” for this particular chapter, for this particular season. It’s usually after big concerts, because that’s where you put everything together and people come to see you. They know that it’s a peak in your career, so it happened in 1990, it happened in 1992 — especially 1992 because we released Shout For Joy, which was never done before, and then, it became the album of the year and all that. It happened again in a concert called Move in 1995, then it happened again in 2001 when I came up with the songs “I Will Be Here” and “Warrior Is A Child.”

I get to feel that all the time, especially now with Pure Energy: One More Time. It’s not an end, it’s not “I made it, so that’s it,” but it’s “I made it’, so what’s next?”

Looking back, is there anything you wish you still could have done?

Yeah, I wish that I went to school for audio engineering so that I wouldn’t have to keep guessing and relying just on my ears, but instead know what certain things do based on science. Then [I could] help enhance the way songs are recorded here [in the Philippines] for other artists. That’s one thing I wish I did. 

Another thing I wish I did a bit more of is act. I used to do movies before, but somehow I always felt I wanted to shy away from it, because I’m playing a role, so I can’t be my real self because I’m playing a role. So I always lean more to music, but I’m leaving my doors wide open now. 

With everything that you know now and everything you lived through, did you like the artist that you were when you started?

Yeah. Yeah because I feel I was able to create music quicker. Now I haven’t written [a song] since 2020, and before that, I can’t even recall when the last song I wrote came out. But, I cannot say that I like that artist better. I’m just saying that I like the artist. 

There’s a few things I wish the artist Gary Valenciano today had, and that’s I wish I still had my youth so I could just keep up — especially now where there’s so much music that gets people to move and groove, [regardless of] genre. Name any artist that are big now, and they have a song that I can still move to. I just wish that I had the youth to keep me going, because I do miss it.

What’s a word of advice you would give to rising artists today?

I don’t know if I can say this but I’m just going to tell you what I feel. Maki was rehearsing for his show; he was in ABS-CBN so I walked in, and his band was just standing around him, and he was just on a chair. [I told him] I first saw him perform at the PMPC Star Awards. He says, “Sir, thank you,” then I said, “No, thank you,” and he asked why. I said, “Maki, you know, ‘yung mga ginagawa niyo ngayon, mga artists like you (what artists like you are doing now), that’s exactly what me and Martin [Nievera] wanted. We wanted to bring music to where it is now.”

OPM was so structured — radio stations [back then] were required to play two OPM songs per hour. Today you don’t need that kind of law, because they keep playing it. At that time, it would be good if you heard two in one hour, but it wasn’t something that was truly implemented.

So I was telling [Maki], “If you’re truly passionate about what you’re doing, when you sing, it shouldn’t come from your throat, it should come from the heart.” It might sound like a cliché, might sound cheesy, but I think that’s one big reason why my career has lasted this long. I’ve gotten tired physically, but I’ve never gotten tired passionately, my passion for giving people what I feel they deserve.

I’m seeing that in many of the artists today. I see it in Over October, I saw it in Ben&Ben, I see it in Moira — she joined The Voice but she didn’t [win] in the finals but she’s so big now. I see it in SB19; I’ve worked with them, and it’s amazing just watching them or hearing them talk. I spoke to Pablo and asked him, “How did you learn how to do all of this?” He said, “YouTube lang.” There’s passion for what they’re doing.

So, maybe my only advice is that you do not run yourself down to the ground and burn out, because sometimes, when that flame is reignited, it’s not ignited in the same manner. 

Also, if you’re passionate about music, if you’re passionate about the arts, [if] you’re passionate about acting, then you do it and you give it your all. Even if you’re going to do it for the 1000th time, it’s never the same audience all the 1000 times; it’s always going to be a different experience. 

In terms of the business, like you should work with this [person] or do this, I’ll leave that up to them because they’ll know; they’ll hear music, and they’ll know what to do. But don’t be disheartened when things don’t work out in the beginning. Be encouraged, be passionate — there could be something around the corner just waiting for you.

This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.

Gary V: Pure Energy, One More Time is happening on December 20 and 22 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Tickets are available via Ticketnet PH.