We got Kiana V on All Out yesterday (May 8) with Rico and Karla all the way from Los Angeles, California for #FANtasticFriday and the 'No Rush' singer was in for an awesome treat!
Starting off, how is Kiana doing during this time? Well, Kiana was meant to only be in California until April, since she had shows here in Manila lined up, but everything got cancelled due to the pandemic which got her stuck in the other side of the world. Although she's far away from her family during this hard time, we gotta thank technology for making Kiana stay connected with everyone back home!
Kiana's latest single 'Ambrosia' was set to drop on the show, a Monster Exclusive as it'll be the first time we get to hear her song on the radio! So what is the story behind 'Ambrosia'? According to Kiana, "It's about taking control and embracing your femininity and really finding power in vulnerability ... As women sometimes, you feel pressured to just kind of go with the flow, especially in relationships but in this song it's more empowering because it's kind of "alright, I know what I want and I'm gonna ask for it or I'm gonna take it" and I think that people forget that girls deserve what they want to, and girls deserve to ask for what they want." Such a powerful take on femininity and woman empowerment! She also stated that her newest single may sound like a love song but it's really more about "two girls just feeling themselves ... being confident to ask for what they want from another person or to just take care of another person" lyric-wise!
Kiana, just like the rest of us, had a hard time adjusting to the current world situation and it took her some time to find her "quaroutine" (gotta hand that term to Kiana!) She admitted that before this whole thing, she was more introverted in the sense that she likes staying at home but, as she said, too much of one thing is also overwhelming. To help her stay healthy, she still maintains to be physically fit as it also helps her produce serotonin and has been strict to keep an everyday workout routine. Kiana has also been struggling in terms of her writing and the creative process but she is in no way pressured about it! She believes that this is a time for her to discipline herself and reflecting on what she wants to be after all this.
In terms of Kiana's creative process, as she mentioned earlier, she isn't pressuring herself to create or write music especially at a time like this. Instead, she journals everything! Kiana showed us on All Out that she has 3 journals; one is for her frustration and feelings, one as her daily planner and day-to-day stuff/agendas and the other one is basically her ideas, whatever just comes out of her mind that would make up for a good song idea later on. She may not be writing in terms of music, but she is writing! And these journals could help her a lot by the time she releases an album!
What does Kiana do when she feels the pressure and just wants to sit down and relax? The answer to that is binge-watching! Kiana recently finished The Good Place and Hollywood. (which are both amazing shows, by the way!) But laying out on the sun, on their building's roof deck is what really helps Kiana relax the most. Another thing is definitely cooking as it's what she's been doing a lot of recently! A mean Garlic Butter Pepper Seared Salmon is definitely Kiana's "to serve" dish! Although she definitely misses her mom's cooking and Sunday lunches. Hopefully their family Sunday lunch will resume once again after all of this is done!
Kiana talked about another one of her singles that came out this year, 'No Rush'. It was supposed to be a slower, ballad-y song as she originally wrote it but Billy Davis totally flipped the song and Kiana loved it so much, they went with his direction! As for the music video, Kiana really wanted it to be on the sultry, empowering sexy video where she and the girls could just own it! And definitely they did! Karla just couldn't help but feel in awe of Kiana's powerful, unapologetic vibe and we couldn't agree more!
Moving on to special appearances from special people in Kiana's life, first up to surprise Kiana was her bff Nadine Lustre! Of course, a lot of fans were surprised as well when Nadine went live with Rico & Karla on All Out! The two besties got to catch up for a quick sesh. Nadine did come out clean first by saying that she forgot about her guesting on the show but she still came thru, for Kiana and for the Monster! The two talked about Kiana's newest single and Nadine expressed her support by saying that she can't wait to listen to it even if she has probably heard it before! Now that's true friendship! Kiana asked how she has been doing to which Nadine replied that she has been gaining weight. Rico took the opportunity and mentioned Nadine's "grocery shopping" photo and Nadine addressed it. It's basically a pap photo of her in line at the grocery and people are making a big deal about it, so much even that an article was written about it! Crazy! Nadine and Kiana just laughed about it, and Karla joked that she's just like Nadine, standing in line at the grocery! I guess we're all Nadines at this point! The girls also talked about their infamous pasta nights that they host with their other friends but sadly, they haven't had one in quite a while as Kiana isn't in the country. We're looking forward to your pasta night once Kiana gets back! Before Nadine ends her appearance on the show, she did leave Kiana a message by telling her how much she's inspired because of Kiana in which resulted to Nadine sending Kiana her newly written songs. We can't wait for the day these two talented women collab on music!
Next up, we had Vani Altomonte, another one of Kiana's bff on the show! These two go way back as they have been bffs since college! Kiana and Vani were just even talking hours before All Out, about their usual everyday topics like Sex And The City, Will And Grace and etc. You know you've hit that deep friendship level when you don't even catch up anymore and just talk about tv shows as an everyday topic since you already know so much about the lives of each other! That's Kiana and Vani's level. Vani also couldn't help but be proud of her bff killing it in the music industry and is working hard more than ever, as Vani is a witness to that, and now the world is a witness to all of Kiana's hard work! Vani has also been a part of Kiana's Sunday routine as the two hang out and do movie marathons to cap off the weekend. Another thing Kiana can look forward to once she gets back!
And of course, this guesting would not be complete without the Kiana's family! One by one, the Valenciano family appeared on the show. First one was Gab Valenciano, who had a kulitan senti moment with Kiana by telling us what he misses about her. Kiana is actually Gab's buddy in everything but she is also the one he fights with the most out of the siblings! Gab does miss having his baby sister around to talk to and annoy with. The two also revealed that once Kiana messages Gab the word "Kuys" it only means one thing: gossip! Whether about herself or just plain chika, Gab is definitely the first person Kiana tells!
Of course, the Valenciano siblings would not be complete without their kuya Paolo, so Rico and Karla just had to bring him in! Besides fulfilling dad duties of a cute baby girl, Paolo shared with us back stories and funny moments with his younger siblings. Being the kuya that he is, he just went on and exposed Gab for being a problem to until Gab was 13 and Kiana wasn't a problem to him, but to Gab. Gab really is the mischievous sibling! The siblings also revealed that when Gab was 4 and Kiana was just 5-6 months old, Gab accidentally dropped Kiana and it caused such a panic to Pao, being 8 years old that time, that he actually didn't want to go to school anymore! Paolo's message to his young siblings, if they become parents in the future? A simple "Good luck" is all they have to hear! In terms of following their dad's footsteps, "The shadow of Gary V is quite intense." A serious looking Paolo said as Kiana hilariously added, "We're all running away from it!" These kids really are an epitome of a sibling sitcom with their punchlines, anecdotes and witty ways of expressing their love and bond for one another.
Ending Kiana's guesting on All Out with a bang, the parents Gary V and Angeli joined in on the fun! This is the first time the Valenciano family "reunited" in a while! The moment these two came in, Angeli is seen taking a video of the video chat to watch back after and see everyone's reactions in true mother fashion! Angeli even expressed her concern for her kids by reminding Gab to always wear masks and gloves, telling Paolo that he is trying to be like John Lloyd based on his feed and of course feeling sad for Kiana as she is in a place where COVID-19 cases are very rampant. Of course the guesting would not be complete without the siblings giving heartfelt messages to their parents and for one another, and for Gary V and Angeli giving their motherly and fatherly concern to their kids. Our heart really melted at the sight of this happy family reunion (in a way) filled with kulitan and bond!
In case you missed it, here's where you can catch Kiana V's All Out live interview with Rico and Karla!
Kiana's newest single 'Ambrosia' is out now on all streaming platforms! Give it a listen and get in touch with your inner girl power!