Giuliana Chiong: More than just a singer
Giuliana Chiong, a former semifinalist of The Voice Kids Season 5, has been given the incredible opportunity to represent the Philippines on a global stage. She has been chosen to showcase her talent on "Rising Voice," China's prestigious talent show. Her family and friends couldn't be prouder.
“It was a very nice experience, but I did have a few hard times with the Chinese. But everything turned out okay," said Giuliana, 13, during a recent interview in Quezon City.
She added, “I had to keep in mind the things I had to sacrifice like my time learning Chinese to be able to sing there. I had to balance school, academics, and other things to perform well in China. I knew I had to sacrifice a few things to get there.”
Giuliana found her four-day trip to Beijing for the show, which featured around 10 kids from all over Asia, to be nerve-wracking but enjoyable.
It took Giuliana a month to learn a Chinese song called Olive Tree in English. She received careful coaching, particularly in pronunciation, which could alter the meaning of the whole word if mispronounced. The teen star expressed gratitude towards her music teacher, Jade Riccio, who trained her for the Beijing performance.
“The message of that Chinese song was about homesickness. I think it connected with me and the audience," said Giuliana. She was accompanied by Cornerstone Entertainment’s senior artist manager, Cynthia Roque.
Although Giuliana had been to China before, she found it challenging to converse and understand the locals during her recent trip with her family. Her parents are Davidson and Gwen Marie Chiong.
Given another chance, Giuliana said she wouldn’t mind doing it all over again.
”I love the thrill of being onstage and connecting to your audience. I love connection when the audience can resonate with the music or how I perform. That’s the most beautiful thing I can feel as a performer," said the teen singer from Ozamis.
In last year's The Voice Kids reality competition, Giuliana belonged to Team Martin Nievera. She shared memorable advice from the OPM icon.
“Coach Martin always told me to just try my best and have fun onstage. When I first went onstage, I kept thinking, what if it wasn’t perfect?
"What coach Martin taught me was I should do [the performance] for myself. Whatever makes me happy. I should enjoy performing. You should not ruin the opportunity of being happy when you’re onstage and in front of the camera," Giuliana said.
Giuliana, the eldest of three siblings, has loved singing since she was five. She believes she inherited her singing talent from her mother, a singer.
“I used to bring a radio to my lolo and lola's office. The way you can express your emotions through songs, I think that’s what makes singing beautiful,” she said.
Giuliana loves award-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. “She strongly connects with her audience. I love how she’s so transparent with her music. She can turn her songs into something beautiful and share them with the world.”
She also likes listening to the music of OPM artist Zach Tabudlo. ”I love how he can turn pain into something beautiful and make people feel less alone. That’s something beautiful about music.”
Did you know Giuliana is more than just a singer? She also puts her creative energy into writing her music. It's inspiring to see how she's taking her passion to the next level and exploring new avenues of expression.
“But I don’t think the songs are good enough to be released yet. I hope to release a single. I want to take it slow since I’m still in school. It’s a lot to juggle my studies and singing," she added.