On Monday, October 5, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will appear on a special episode of "Unshaken With Gary V: Stories of Grit and Grace," an iHeartPodcasts series focused on deeply personal conversations about the experiences that shape people and what keeps them standing when life shakes them.
The much-anticipated interview, which will air at 12 p.m. on YouTube and other major podcast platforms, will feature Valenciano and President Marcos speaking for more than two hours, not for a traditional political interview, but for the type of intimate discussion that has come to define "Unshaken."
Instead of the usual presidential formalities, President Marcos will be shown entering Valenciano's personal music studio and "mancave," a small, roughly 20-square-meter area where the singer has composed and produced music over the years.
"Unshaken" was never about reviewing accomplishments or scrutinizing resumes. Instead, it seeks the human story: childhood, family, loss, pressure, faith, failure, purpose, the moments that shake them and the things that, in the end, ground them.
The discussion upholds the "Unshaken" tradition of welcoming people from diverse backgrounds and treating them as humans first.
Responding to the mixed reactions of netizens ahead of the final episode's release, Valenciano said, “There’s no agenda in this. It’s just stories from the person and not the politician.”
For the OPM legend, it's another fascinating chapter in a career that has taken him from singer, songwriter, and legendary live performer to something he never intended to be: a long-form interviewer.
He also clarified that he approaches his guests less like a journalist with a checklist and more like someone who is genuinely interested in the stories they have.
“Person. I like saying that word. Person. He stands for something else that also begins with a 'P' but today, we’ll speak about the person. Most people know the name before they know the man. Behind every public figure is a private story,” shared the “Unshaken” host.
Produced by iHeartPodcasts, "Unshaken With Gary V" is also a milestone for Philippine podcasting, with Valenciano becoming the first Philippine artist to lead an original podcast project with iHeartMedia, and the show becoming one of the company's first original podcast productions in Asia.
In just 19 weeks, "Unshaken with Gary V" has surpassed 30,000 subscribers.