Every year, Esquire Philippines presents Man at His Best, the local iteration of a global signature event where we celebrate extraordinary Filipino men and women reshaping society as we know it. These are the dreamers and doers who have made a profound impact on the Filipino's way of life, who are using their talents and skills to make something of themselves and inspire the rest of us to do better with our lives.
This year, we're honoring nine mavericks and legends in film, music, business, politics, and entertainment. Despite coming from disparate fields and industries, they all have one thing in common: all of them exemplify what it means to be a Man at His Best.
ALSO READ: Esquire Philippines Honors 9 Heroes and Mavericks at the 2024 Man at His Best Awards
Meet Esquire Philippines' Icon of the Year, Gary V
If there is one OPM pop act that you need to see live on stage at least once in your lifetime, it would have to be Gary Valenciano. Arguably, there is no other local performer with such an electrifying stage presence as much as Mr. Pure Energy himself. Creating music and performing are not only his greatest passions-they're his calling.
Many of us may have experienced how rewarding it is to see him belt out like a true balladeer and flex his complex dance moves on stage, but have we ever wondered what's it like for him to sit in a quiet corner, pour out his soul, and engage in a deep and solemn conversation?
On Gary: Top by Martin Uy; pants by Ino Caluza
In this exclusive interview and through his own words, Gary V. walks us through the early days of his four-decade-long career, the challenges he faced to stay relevant in a perenially shifting music landscape, and the driving force behind all that he is, and all that he will be.
A Controversial Start
"The whole career started with a bang. It was very controversial because my girlfriend at that time ended up becoming pregnant. So it was an unwed father kind of thing. In the early '80s, this was uncommon and a rather controversial situation. That girlfriend of mine ended up becoming my wife till today. But it was really challenging because media at that time said, 'There's no way that your career is going to take off. You haven't even started and now you're going to become a father tapos you're not married pa.' So it was really a challenge for me then to have to deal with that. But I'm thankful that somehow the fans still latched on to a very controversial career and have latched on ever since then. It's been 41 years.
"Maybe the other challenge was I always had to step on stage trying to prove to people that I'm okay. I'm worth watching even if the whole thing may be pretty scandalous to a certain degree. But other than that, I think that I had everything going my way. I had my youth. I had the fire and the hunger to not only prove something to my audience, but I think what I proved to them above everything else was that I really enjoyed doing what I did then. In fact, I still enjoy doing it up to now.
On Gary: Top and pants by Ino Caluza
