L'Officiel talks with Kiana Valenciano about her journey with music, move to Los Angeles, and inspiration behind her latest EP.

PHOTOGRAPHY Sandro Tolentino LOCATION Peters Canyon&nbsp;

Kiana V allows her music to speak for her. Using her songs as a medium and a message, she's unafraid to admit her fears, ask important questions, and dig a little deeper.
After all, the 28-year-old was born into a musical family, and she&rsquo;s never known a life devoid of music. The art form has been her trusted companion through the seasons&ndash;the ups, downs, and arounds.&nbsp;
Listening to her latest EP <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2JEBCbt5jrWOZkrI1sP6ol?si=fno0Z2vXTg2c5tpxWI-EFw&amp;dl_branch=1&amp;nd=1">Dazed</a>, you&rsquo;ll notice how much it tells you about Kiana&rsquo;s life and inner feelings. Written while in isolation, the songs are slow and introspective. The sound and content of this latest release are different from her past releases. If you go through her whole discography, a realization will occur: the music changes along with Kiana.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s safe to say that the R&amp;B artist&rsquo;s musical journey has been an eventful one. As a little girl, she would be seen singing alongside her father, Gary Valenciano, in some of his concerts. But initially unsure about pursuing a career in music, her next industry move was in 2017, when she debuted with her single "<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2fTEzQUD3XO0NAMRZu9xnE?si=4426e2dca7de4fd7">Circles" </a>as an independent artist. Her days as an indie musician were short-lived; she <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2019/7/18/kiana-renews-partnership-with-tarsier-records?lang=en">signed with Tarsier Records</a> that same year and later released the EP Grey and album See Me.&nbsp;
But perhaps, the most significant change happened last year, right before the pandemic hit. Amid a blooming career in Manila, Kiana moved to Los Angeles. She hoped for a refresh&ndash;a chance to build a path, a career, and a sound that genuinely spoke for her.
L'Officiel sits down with Kiana to talk about her journey with music, move to Los Angeles, and inspiration behind her latest EP.&nbsp;

How did you first start making music?&nbsp;
I got into it around 2015. I was actually in London studying Fashion Design for the summer, and while I was there, my land lady's grandson was into music production as well. He introduced me to some of his friends and we spent a weekend just recording and songwriting, and I think that's when I realized that this was something that I could do for me&ndash;outside of maybe what was expected of me, even if it was in the same industry as, you know, my brothers and my dad.&nbsp;
What was that like? What was the role of music in your early life, especially because you grew up with a musically inclined family?
Music was always something that I ran away to. Somehow, I wasn't very good at &ndash; and I think I'm still in the same situation &ndash; but I wasn't very good at articulating my emotions or the craziness of adolescence, and so I was always just running toward music. And I don't think I ever saw it as something that I wanted to pursue until I reached that point where creatively, it was the only way that I was able to fully express myself.&nbsp;
You usually gravitate towards R&amp;B and soul. How did you choose your sound?&nbsp;
I don't know if I could say I chose it. Because growing up, I guess I did a lot in different shows. And so I was able to try different genres, and this was just one that I gravitated toward more. Not just the type of music that I would listen to, but also just my way of singing. The artists that I listened to growing up were, you know, Brandy, Christina Aguilera, Aaliyah, artists like that, that I guess, have a way of singing that really influenced my way of singing and writing as well. So it kind of, I would say, happened more naturally. And I think even now, it's still evolving.

"And I don't think I ever saw it as something that I wanted to pursue until I reached that point where creatively, it was the only way that I was able to fully express myself."

You're currently in LA, right? You moved there last year. What influenced the move?&nbsp;
I always wanted to experience life outside of my comfort zone. And growing up in Manila, I'd say lived a fairly sheltered life. And I think, you know, my decision to leave really stemmed from not having many decisions that I made for myself at a young age. When I was younger, I wanted to study abroad, and I wanted to travel a lot. And I didn't. I mean, I wasn't really able to do that until I came to the point where I was financially independent and able to make that decision for myself. So really, I wanted to start from scratch. And there were all these places that I was thinking of going to. I wanted to go back to London; I wanted to go to New York. But I knew, if music is something that I'm pursuing, I'm probably going to end up in LA. So let's start there, and then see where that goes.&nbsp;&nbsp;
How is [the move] affecting your work? I believe you split your time between LA and Manila.&nbsp;
It's challenging, but the good type of challenging. It's hard living in two time zones, which that's what I'm doing right now. You don't really know when to draw the line between the start and the end of a workday. So I've slowly become a workaholic. But at least I'm happy with the work that I'm doing. But yeah, I think that's how it's affected it. It's harder now to draw the line between work and play.
You released your EP Dazed while you were there, and in quarantine too. You mentioned it was about self-love. Could you tell us more about the inspiration behind [the release]?&nbsp;
With my previous work, I paid a lot of attention to what I thought other people wanted to hear. And, I guess, what I thought would make a hit, or the trends of the music industry at the time. With Dazed, because I spent a lot of time in isolation&ndash;I spent all my time in isolation during the production and the finalizing of the songwriting, I was really able to focus on what felt right at that moment and what felt authentic&ndash;with the music production, and with who I was, at that time, and even now. So that's why I say it has a lot to do with self-love because I really put myself first when it came to deciding what direction we wanted to take this project. Even with the release, I decided to release it independently, so it's been a lot of hard work. And I think that's also why it's harder now to tell when the workday starts and ends, but it's been so fulfilling, knowing that I'm able to put myself into something and invest myself into something and come out feeling fulfilled. Because then, I feel like I'm on the right track, somehow.
That's all we really want, isn't it?&nbsp;
I know! Really, that&rsquo;s so true. [Laughs]
Any favorite tracks from the EP?&nbsp;
So my favorite track is "How Do I," track number two. And in that song, if you really pay attention, I'm talking about a lot of my insecurities. When I wrote this song in 2019, It was more of the insecurities of getting into another relationship and bringing baggage that you've had from the past into something new, which you really shouldn't. And somehow, because it was based on something so personal, I was surprised that it flowed out that easily because usually, I have like a wall up when it comes to being vulnerable. But with "How Do I," It came out easily and naturally. And so that's why that's my favorite.

"It's been so fulfilling, knowing that I'm able to put myself into something and invest myself into something and come out feeling fulfilled. Because then, I feel like I'm on the right track, somehow."

It also seems like you've been working nonstop. You had an EP a few years back, you released an album, and then you had some singles last year. And now, you have this EP. Has it been hectic for you? Or do you enjoy the creative process?&nbsp;
Well, I love the creative process. I really do. I think that's actually my favorite part of it all. It's when I'm in the studio, or when, as much as I hate it at the moment, when I'm trying to scramble for the right words to put on the paper. I look back and I realize it was so much fun.&nbsp;
So it has been a little hectic, in terms of making sure that, you know, the right songs come out&ndash;then we save some. Just timing-wise, I guess. But it's been very nice. It's been a nice little journey. And I think my favorite thing coming out of all of this is the evolution of the sound. It's to see, when I look back, how different I sounded two, three years ago versus where I'm going right now.&nbsp;
How has it changed for you, your sound?
I think, lately, I've been able to just be a little more internal and more vocal about my intentions, especially in the studio. In the past, I would just kind of write the song, go in the studio, let the producer have total control over the direction of the song. But now, somehow, I think because I naturally like the more mellow, slow, introspective sound, I'm able to find my way going back in that direction. I started that way with Circles and even Misfits. But yeah, I went from just trying to please my listeners to this space where I'm trying to please my own ears.&nbsp;
We talked a bit about your creative process earlier. What's that like for you? Lyrics or music first?&nbsp;
When I started writing, it&rsquo;s usually lyrics and melody at the same time. So as I write something down, as I write a thought down, I'll record it immediately. Or take a video and send it off to someone. But I do have so many voice memos&ndash;just because I like to keep track of these little snippets. And I do find it easier to write without music first, and then find a beat, and then tailor what I've written into that beat or find a producer who is willing to interpret what I've written and see where that goes.&nbsp;
When you work on your music, do you have any favorite collaborators? Who are some of the people you love to work with?&nbsp;
Right now, I'd say Jesse Barrera and I are totally in sync. He's the one who worked on my latest EP. I'm so lucky to have worked with producers who super believe in me. It's so helpful to be in the same room as someone who's able to hype you up and draw out words and inspiration, especially in moments when you feel like you're not really motivated or driven. Some of my previous collaborators were Marcus Davis (he's the one I really started off with), Billy Davis, Jesse Barrera, and Larce Blake. They've just all been so amazing. Right now I'd say, my go-to is Barrera. We work well together&ndash;the chemistry is definitely there in the studio.

"I think, lately, I've been able to just be a little more internal and more vocal about my intentions, especially in the studio."

So this is our last question for you, we'd love to know, what's next for Kiana?
I actually designed all the merch that I'm going to be slowly releasing over the next couple of months. So there's going to be merch, there's going to be more live videos, also online and on my YouTube. And there's an EP of the remixes of this latest project that I just released. And I do have a show in a couple of weeks here in LA that I'm super nervous and super excited about because I have to get back to singing in front of an audience, and I haven't done that in a while. It's nervous-exciting, that feeling.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kiana V Grows Alongside Her Music

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