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Photography, interview and styling by Lauren Engel
If you’re this generation you have definitely seen Liane V online. One of the most stunning Filipino tech savvy females she has dominated the industry for a few years now from hosting to pageants to Vine to singing – this girl is multi-talented. We had a chat with her in Hollywood about her upbringing and her success in life.
You were born in San Jose right?
Yes, born in San Jose and raised in Modesto, California which is about an hour away from the bay area.
Are both of your parent’s Filipino?
Yes, they are. They were both born in the Philippines but they moved here around the time when I moved here. Although, I don’t get to see them as often as I would like to as I’m always travelling, we do spend as much time together when we can. I cannot remember which provenance my mother is from but it’s in Manila. I’ve been there three times and I love the Philippines, it is always so much fun.
Would you say you’re Americanised?
Yes, definitely, I was born and raised in the States, although I do understand Tagalog and speak a little bit of Tagalog and eat lots of Filipino food.
Growing up, you were really into cheer-leading and gymnastics. Is this something your parent’s pushed you to do?
I actually did it on my own, my parents let me do whatever I wanted to do. They knew that I have always loved to perform and things related to entertainment, arts and photography. Gymnastics was one of my most favourite things to do, although I never stuck to just one thing. I did gymnastics for a year then I took dance classes, acting, played in a band, started basketball and joined the choir; I just tried to do a little bit of everything.
“I want to be remembered for being loved on by everybody, and as a person who helped influence people to do their best and to follow their dreams”
How would you describe yourself in high school?
I had a lot of friends; my mom was always like ‘You have so many friends over! Soon as one leaves another one comes over.’ I was very social and had a lot of fun all the time, my parents let me go out and hang out with my friends and I did stuff like creating a fake ID in order to get into school dances. I was in a Christian school for 9 years but all my friends were in public schools so I wanted to be where my friends were and my parents allowed it. I would describe myself as outgoing and fun, I was always doing something and was never bored.
Do you think you’ve changed since then?
I would say I am still the same; the only thing is that I’ve become more independent. A lot people knew me as ‘Little baby Liane’ as I am the youngest, I have two older sisters. I am really blessed growing up, my parents took care of me, they got me car when I was started high school and I am blessed with great family, friends and great support. I was definitely the baby, I didn’t know how to work a job. Everyone was worried when they knew I was moving to LA, they were like ‘You’re not going to survive, they’re going to eat you alive.’ I could never keep a job for more than two weeks, I worked at Forever21 and within two weeks’ time I was like ‘I can’t do this anymore!’ I am definitely more independent now and love working; gosh I work 24/7, but I do what I love so it’s not really work.
Was your dad always a pastor?
No, he was ordained when I was 18; he wasn’t a pastor when I was growing up. We did have Bible studies with a couple of pastors who he was really close to back home. I grew with a very strong Christian family.
“Everyone was worried when they knew I was moving to LA, they were like ‘You’re not going to survive, they’re going to eat you alive.’”
Are you still very religious?
Yes, I am, that has never changed.
Were your parents worried about you getting into the entertainment industry?
My dad was told that ‘Liane is a Christian and she should not be singing this or wearing that’. But, my dad was very understanding of what I wanted to do, he was very supportive. He gave me great advice like ‘you are the light in this industry and you need to go in there and be that light’. That’s what motivated me, as long as you know who is blessing you, knowing God is blessing you. To live in the great example for people and that’s why my content is so clean, I do not curse, don’t drink alcohol and I try to keep everything very clean; brand friendly. I try to keep my integrity and morals and everything straight.
Has your mom always been a nurse?
Yes, she has, but she’s retired now. Both my parents are, although my dad is a part-time dancer for me. We make dance videos together; he’s also a great actor. My mom is starting to act more in my skits and she helps me record all our dance videos. It’s like our team that we have together.
How did you get your dad involved into your videos?
My dad and I have always been doing things together. We used to own a DJ company, he used to impersonate celebrities. We’ve always had such a great relationship; he’s always been a clown and has such a comedic personality. That’s where I get it from; I never thought I would be making funny videos that I do now.
So, they know all about social media then?
Oh yes, they are on it! They were stuck on this flip phone for ages but I convinced them to get an iPhone so they can follow everything I do and they comment and reply to everyone on social media. They even stand up for me online and I’m like ‘mom and dad you can’t say those things!’
“You must be consistent, there were so many times when I wanted to give up because I didn’t know what I was doing and I felt lost even though I knew what I wanted to do.”
What did you do after high school?
I moved to LA and went full force in the industry. I had to decide to either stay and go to college or head to LA to pursue my dream with a full force. My parents were very supportive, they told me to treat it as if I was moving away for college, to go take acting classes, whatever I needed to follow my dreams. And, if at the end I found out it wasn’t something I wanted to do, then I could come back into college as both my sisters are college graduates. I understood that having an education was important to get a good job, but also doing what I wanted was important to me so there wasn’t another option at that point. There was no course for ‘social media, how to collaborate with brands to make an income.’ There was no option back then. But, it shows you that you never know which door will open for you and you just should follow your dreams and whatever you want to do you’ll figure it out on the way. You learn along the way; you’ll figure it out and it´s important to never ever give up! You must be consistent, there were so many times when I wanted to give up because I didn’t know what I was doing and I felt lost even though I knew what I wanted to do.
If it wasn’t acting, I would be singing and if I wasn’t singing I would be dancing, if not I would be creating music. You should just do it, and I didn’t know that social media was going to open that door for me to connect to people and allow me to do the things I love to do and to inspire people around the world.
What was your big break?
I was a back-up singer for an artist called Dev, she was with the Cataracs. I would go on tour with them on the weekends and work full time through the weekdays. So, I juggled work, my Vine videos, and my friends were big on YouTube and they told me that I should get on it and make funny videos. I don’t even think I’m that funny but people seem to think I am. I got my family involved and people started following me. I think what people like about me is because I’m personable, relatable and they think “I am just like Liane, I could do that too.”
Did you have any mentors when you were growing up?
My parents. I would not be where I am without them and their support, my friends and my faith in God.
How did you get into TV hosting? Did you get yourself involved in that or was there someone helping you?
I got into hosting as I knew a couple of people who were hosts and I also wanted to find a way where I could interview artists and get a feedback to how they got to their success. My friend got me on the carpet to gain experience and learn how to be open and not to be shy. When you first move to LA you are afraid because you don’t know anybody, so interviewing people did help me learn a lot of things and understand the industry. As I said before growing up I was in choir, we also had our own DJ company and when I moved over here I linked up with a few different producers and other songwriters.
What do you want to grow in as it feels like you do everything?
With social media, I would say that I have reached my peak with the following and building that influence. But, I do want to build up more on my singing and acting.
You performed at the White House, right?
Yes, it has been one of the most exciting experience I’ve ever had. I was there to perform my music and I got to give a talk about my journey as an artist, it was amazing.
What do you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered for being loved on by everybody, and as a person who helped influence people to do their best and to follow their dreams!
