It’s no surprise that some of the children of celebrities have inherited their parents’ talents and so they follow in their footsteps.
Most of them, however, have a hard time proving themselves because of the expectations put on their shoulders just because they carry their parents’ last name.
Kiana Valenciano admitted in an interview that being the daughter of Gary Valenciano can get frustrating, especially when people compare her achievements to her father’s.
“It used to be so hard for me (having his last name). It does get a little scary to think that people are kind of waiting and watching my every move,” she said. “So most days, I just have to remind myself of what my goals are and that success isn’t the same for everyone.”
Kiana does not want to limit herself with the comparisons, neither does she strive to surpass her father’s success in the industry.
“I’m trying to build my own path and do my own thing. But sometimes I have these frustrations because people kind of have this idea where I’m supposed to bring my life.
“Like, she’s the daughter of Gary V, (so) she’s going to be exactly like her dad. And if I’m not trying to reach the scale of his career, they might say na ‘Oh she’s not that good.’”
But of course, there’s an advantage to being the daughter of Mr. Pure Energy.
“My dad is such a perfectionist and I know for a fact that I got that from him too. My dad pushes me to aim for excellence. That’s why I worked hard because I want to prove that I’m not just privileged, I just don’t have connections. So yeah, I’m just grateful for all the opportunity given to me,” she said.
I am what I am
Singer Leila Alcasid feels blessed that her parents are generous enough to help her when she needs it.
“It’s a wonderful thing,” said the daughter of singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid and beauty queen-actress Michelle Van Emeiren.
Still, it gets to her at times when people make unfair assumptions about her just because of her last name.
“I have a different sound and I always make sure of that. From the beginning, I separated myself from them (in that aspect),” she said.
“I remember also the assumption about me na… I’m used to travel way before I got here in the Philippines. Some people say that I’m just using the money of my parents to travel around.
“But they don’t know me. They don’t know my parents and they are not aware that I ‘m working hard to earn what I have.”
In light of the Michael Pacquiao issue wherein he was criticized for allegedly riding on the coattails of his famous dad, Leila tells those who struggle to make it without the benefit of a famous last name, that they can do it too.
“We (children of famous parents) also owe it to them to uplift them,” she said.
Global artists
Leila and Kiana are label mates under Paradise Rising, a localized label of 88rising in partnership with Globe.
Paradise rising will serve as a platform to establish a presence for Filipino artists in the West and globally through music distribution, music rights management, and artists development.
To commemorate its launch, Paradise Rising has released its first mixtape “semilucent” to digital retailers and streaming services. Lending their voices to the album are Kiana V (Pop/R&B), Massiah (Hiphop/R&B), Jason Dhakal (R&B/Soul), Leila Alcasid (Pop), and Fern. (IndiePop).
Kiana’s song is “Safe Place” while it’s “Clouds” for Leila.
88rising is a global name in the creative music industry for bringing Asian artists, such as Rich Brian, NIKI, Joji, and Higher Brothers, to Western audiences.