Filipinos love singing, and indeed, many are natural-born singers. Girl Valencia, however, takes it a step further. This multi-talented woman is not only an award-winning singer-songwriter, she is also a theater actress, writer, TV commercial model and advocate.

Known as “the enchanting crooner,” Valencia can jazz any song up, from classic rock ‘n’ roll to novelty songs. Her beautiful voice and high-spirited personality have attracted a distinguished audience, including writers Pete Lacaba and Alfred Yuson, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Eugenia Apostol and Letty Magsanoc. She even came to be known as the favorite singer of the late National Artist Nick Joaquin, who used to watch her regularly during her five-year stint at the Tap Room at the Manila Hotel, where she performed with legendary pianist Joselito Pascual. Before this, she used to sing at Conways Bar at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, her first professional singing job after she graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in AB Communications in 1993.

Valencia pens her own songs, but she also composes for other artists. Some of these are Jeffrey Hidalgo, Nino Alejandro and Regine Velasquez, whose rendition of “Tanging Mahal” snagged Valencia a nomination for Best Song for a Movie Soundtrack (“Pangako Ikaw Lang”) at the 1999 Aliw Awards. Valencia also received an award for the song at the 1992 Himigsikan Songwriting Contest. Her composition “Muli” won her an award at the same contest in 1991.

An independent record producer for her label Alibata Records, she produced and released a dance album entitled “Dance Project 001,” featuring artists like Potch Macaraeg, Mika Pineda, Kay Bulaong and Arnee Hidalgo. The record label aims to promote the world-class talent of Filipinos through original music.

Aside from her passion for music, she is also an advocate of peace and hope. Her songwriting efforts in this vein earned her the UNESCO Peace Prize of Excellence for “Breaking Barriers,” the Song of Peace in 1995.

Valencia’s craft extends to creative writing. In 2005, she won the National Book Award for Children’s Literature for her first book, “The Christmas Fireflies,” self-published under her own Paper Tree Publishing.

Her other achievements include an award for the song “Yan Na Naman” at the 1993 Likhawit National Songfest and being named one of the Top Outstanding Alumnae of the School of the Holy Spirit.

In 2007, Valencia released her debut album entitled “Girl: Driftwood Traveling” under Candid Records’ sub-label, Isla. The songs are a musical travelogue, an homage to the wonderful places in the Philippines that she hopes will be appreciated and visited by more Filipinos. For her, there is no place more beautiful than the land of her birth.

Nowadays, one can find the artist singing in hotels like the Inter-Continental and the EDSA Shangri-La. She also conducts free songwriting workshops for public school students in the provinces, hoping that other artists will also make efforts to tap the innate musical talents of the Filipino youth.