Giancarlo Alzate Magdangal is his real name and he was born on November 18, 1981 in Manila, Philippines. He is a Filipino actor, singer and performer and an exclusive talent of GMA Network. Gian was a former member of a boy band named 17:28, and he began to be famous when he was proclaimed as one of the runners-up of the 2006 Philippine idol competition. He was tagged as the ‘Livewire Idol” of the said talent show. Gian is a cousin of the actress and singer Jolina Magdangal.
He started showing his interest in singing when he was only a little boy of two years old. He used to sing lullabies to his favorite grandmother, he recalls. He learned to listen to Broadway musicals and famous Hollywood artists such as Stevie Wonder and Brian McKnight. His parents saw this potential and eventually they decided to send him to study voice lessons at St. Scholastica’s College Conservatory of Music. He also trained and attended workshops in singing with the Trumpets Playshop, Sweet Plantado, Mon Faustino, Audie Gemora, Carlo Orosa and Freddie Santos.
In high school, his first experience was when he joined kundirana, at his school in La Salle Greenhills. He was enjoying the music and doing some stage acting in the school’s drama club. He pursued his college degree at De La Salle – College of St. Benilde and took up Business Administration major in Computer Application. This is where he became a member of the boy band 17:28 which was created by Audie Gemora. They had successfully recorded two albums, and one of their songs was used as a jingle for ABS-CBN. The album was released under Star Records and Viva Records. The song’s title was “Sukob Na.” Later on, the band disbanded paving the way for Gian to form his own band named “Gian with Industriya.”
After his graduation in 2003, he continued to hone his singing skills and talents, attending more workshops and theater plays. He admitted that the training gave him more confidence, discipline and humility, and he learned the values of teamwork. Sadly, in the latter part of his career he was left with no choice but to take a break from his career and focus on his family first. He disbanded his band and joined the corporate world. He worked with Smart Communications as the Marketing Events Officer before he auditioned for Philippine Idol.
The pressures of the competition were difficult and all the hardships paid off when he was announced as one of the runners up of the contest where he received a cash award of P250,000.00. The amount helped the family in the financial situation. His being a winner opened doors and various opportunities for him in the entertainment business. In the midst of his career, he met Sherre Bautista-Agustin, a fellow actress and singer, and had a child which they named Gian Hailey.
He admitted that he is enjoying as a father to his child, and is very hands-on. Although they do not plans to get married in the near future yet, he makes sure their child is very well-taken care of and had all the support from him and Sheree.
