Si Gab Valenciano at ang kanyang dance partner na si Jasmine Navelgas ang itinanghal na winners sa bagong season ng Shall We Dance, a celebrity dance competition on TV5 hosted by Lucy Torres-Gomez with Jon Avila and Victor Basa. As winners of the competition, Gab and Jasmine each won a cash prize of P500,000.
Nakausap ng PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) si Gab sa Studio 5 ng TV5 sa Hemady, New Manila noong Lunes, Novemebr 10. Tinanong namin siya kung ano ang gagawin niya sa napanalunan niyang premyo.
"I will produce my studio album, and we called it Project Atlantis," sabi ni Gab. "I will be producing all the ten to twelve original songs, and I'm glad and excited about it."
Dagdag niya, "Hindi ko in-expect na mananalo ako. Akala ko tatanggalin ako kasi I'm Gary Valenciano's son. At may pressure sa akin ‘yon dahil baka isipin ng mga tao, kaya ako nanalo dahil tatay ko si Gary Valenciano. I talked to Dad at sabi niya, okey lang daw ‘yon, I just do my best.
"Akala ko, si Danilo Barrios of Streetboys and his partner ang mananalo, o si Jopay Paguia of SexBomb, dahil talagang mga dancers sila, alam nila lahat ng dances. Tapos kami, least rehearsal pa dahil, di ba, kasama ako ni Dad sa concert niya sa Europe? Nang bumalik kami, semifinals na. Mahirap, kaya I asked my mom [Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano] why she let me join the contest. Nasabi ko rin na after Shall We Dance, I will not join any dance contest again," lahad ni Gab.
Bukod sa album niya, ang iba raw sa napanalunan ni Gab ay ide-deposit niya sa bangko at ang 10 percent nito ay mapupunta sa church nila.
"Nagulat nga ako when I attended our church service after I won, they congratulated me. Napanood pala nila!" kuwento ni Gab.
GARY V'S CONCERT. Sa November 14 and 15 ay gaganapin ang two-night concert ng ama ni Gab na si Gary V, ang Gary V Live @ 25, sa Araneta Coliseum. Guest si Gab dito kasama ang mga kapatid niyang sina Paolo at Kianna. Ang iba pang guests ay sina Karylle, Rachel Ann Go, Sugarfree, Bloomfields, Salamin, Powerplay, Pinoy Dream Academy winners Yeng Constantino at Laarni Lozada, Maneouvres, Philippine All Stars G-Force, at mga surprise guests.
Ano ang kakaibang gagawin ni Gab sa concert since alam namang pagdating sa sayaw, kayang-kaya niyang sabayan ang amang si Mr. Pure Energy?
"Ibang-iba talaga," paniniguro ni Gab. "Two things na iba ang gagawin ko sa concert. First, I will play the drums with 16 Brazilian percussionists. The other one, I will do a very passionate dance number na ngayon ko lang gagawin. Sana magustuhan ng mga tao."
Kung papipiliin si Gab, anong songs ng daddy niya ang gusto niyang i-revive?
"Gusto ko ang Christian song niyang ‘Letting Go' and ‘Search And No.' It makes me feel that God is always there. Among his popular songs, gusto kong i-revive ang 'Growing Up,'" sabi ni Gab.
STUDYING ABROAD. Tuloy ba ang plans niya to study abroad next year?
"Yes, by March 2009, I'll be leaving," wika ni Gab. "Actually, I know showbiz is not for me talaga. For six months, nag-stay na ako sa Alabang for my Bible school. I live with my pastor and his family para magkaroon na ako ng background kung ano ang gagawin ko kapag nag-start na ako ng classes ko sa Full Sail University in Florida.
"I will stay with my lola, Dad's mom. Medyo mahirap ang studies ko doon dahil 60 to 70 hours a week ang classes ko. I'll be a musical producer after I finish my studies in two years. Then, I will go muna sa Nashville, Tennessee, the center of Christian music, bago ako bumalik dito."
Hindi ba dream din ng daddy niya na mag-aral abroad?
"Yes, but he's needed here," sagot ni Gab. "Siguro dadalaw lang sila ni Mom. Saka si Paolo, dito rin siya. And this will not be my last concert. I'll have a farewell concert by February 2009 before I leave. Pero mauuna ang launch ng album ko by the first week of January 2009. Then, ang farewell concert sa New Life Christian Center in Alabang. It has a 2,500 sitting capacity."
GAB'S LOVELIFE. Nakitang magka-date sina Gab at Rachelle Ann Go sa concert ni Sarah Geronimo, ang The Next One, sa Araneta Coliseum last November 8.
Sila na ba ni Rachelle? Wala na ba sila talaga ni Nikki Gil at ang sumunod na Nikki na naging girlfriend din niya?
"Naging kami ni Nikki [Gil] for one year and two months, pero we were not seeing eye to eye. The other Nikki, hindi rin kami nagtagal, I don't want to force them. I think I'm the most misunderstood person," seryosong wika ni Gab.
"And with Rachelle," patuloy niya, "we've been getting closer since June, after our team building with other ASAP members. But it's hard for me to get into a relationship because I'm into many things. I don't want to say she's not special because she's very special. Mahirap talaga kasi we already gained na a very close relationship. Mami-miss ko siya talaga."
Ano ang nagustuhan niya kay Rachelle at paano sila nagsimula?
"She's a very sweet girl," sabi ni Gab. "I like her simplicity and her character. I like her family. Nakaka-relate ako sa dad niya dahil nagbanda rin siya noong araw.
"Yes, dumadalaw ako sa bahay nila. Pero noong bago pa lang kami magkasama sa ASAP, dedmahan lang kami. Pero sinabi ko na sa kanya noon na ‘You're the best singer in ASAP.' Dedma lang siya. We don't even text each other. But she's the only one I'm going out with today."
Sa gagawin niyang album, may ginawa ba siyang song for Rachelle?
"Meron, ‘Indeed' ang title. Na-express ko doon what I'm feeling at that time. Maybe I'll include the song in my album. Pero ipinabasa ko ‘yon sa kanya, gusto niyang isama rin sa new album na gagawin niya," kuwento ni Gab.
We requested Gab to sing kahit one paragraph of "Indeed," pero wala pa raw music. So, ni-recite na lang niya ang lyrics sa amin.
"But oh, listen to my heart/ hear it calling for you/ I don't wanna go/ leaving you behind is the last thing I would do/ I want you to know that loving you this way is all I wanna do/ I can die now knowing in my life that you love me."
Medyo natahimik si Gab after reciting the lyrics. Tinanong ng PEP si Gab kung hindi ba niya paghihintayin si Rachelle sa kanyang pagbabalik after two years.
"No, ayaw ko siyang tanungin," seryosong sagot ni Gab.