It’s Niana Guerrero’s world and we’re just living in it

In the often noisy world of Niana Guerrero, the biggest Filipino TikTok star’s 18th birthday wish is to get to know herself even more

Mindlessly scrolling through our feeds and endlessly refreshing our social media rotation—thereby turning a five-minute work break into an hour-long absence—is a modern phenomenon we are all too familiar with.

It’s not to say that each minute-long skit or dance challenge is compelling enough to warrant our undivided attention. The keyword is mindless—it’s just that easy to fall into that ever-enticing social media blackhole.

This, then, begs the question: When taking the bait and falling down the digital rabbit hole takes little to no effort, what makes the content we consume truly worthwhile?

“Sharing my passion with my brother Ranz Kyle and little sister Natalia has always been so fun. Whenever we make dance videos, we treat it more like a sibling bond! We just have fun with it,” says social media sensation and recent debutante Niana Guerrero, who has effortlessly stumbled upon her recipe to success.

On YouTube—where Niana originally bloomed as a performer—joy and laughter are contagious (just as yawns are). Each of the Gen Z’s videos contains pure and unadulterated happiness that we can’t help but feel mesmerized by.

Almost seven years ago, she posted “When Despacito By Luis Fonsi Ft Justin Bieber Comes On.” Beside the stone-faced Ranz Kyle and with the 2017 hit in the background, Niana—hands shaped into a microphone and with unparalleled confidence—bares it all upon their four-wheeled stage (and in “perfect” Spanish). This is her most viewed YouTube video by the way currently sitting at 59 million views.

Not to mention, she perfectly captured a habit frequently displayed by foreign listeners such as herself—singing along to anything that shared any resemblance with English—“¡Oh! Tú, tú eres el imán y yo soy el METAL, Me voy acercando y voy armando el PLAN.”

Fast forward to today: She’s a little older, a little wiser, and a greatly improved dancer—the last description carrying significant weight for someone who’s long been considered a dancing prodigy. Also: The most followed Filipino on TikTok. 

Despite this history, though, Niana remains the bright-eyed, charismatic performer viewers have come to love and adore. No wonder she stands head and shoulders above her contemporaries.

“Sharing my passion with my brother Ranz Kyle and little sister Natalia has always been so fun. Whenever we make dance videos, we treat it more like a sibling bond! We just have fun with it,” says Niana Guerrero

While other content creators may find it a challenge to build a solid audience in more than one platform, Niana seems to have mastered all her present territories: 42.1 million followers on TikTok, 14.8 million on Instagram, 23 million on Facebook, and 15.6 million subscribers on YouTube, plus billions of likes and views shared between. But behind those huge numbers is an origin story as genuine as recording videos with her family for the fun of it.

Her first-ever YouTube video showed a seven-year-old Niana (with missing teeth and all) bopping and grooving along to the viral mid-2010s hit “Gwiyomi Song.” Despite the “parody” disclaimer in the description, it seemed like people took her charm seriously. Some even find themselves scouring the internet for that video now, and reflecting on how far the artist has come since then. 

However, that wasn’t even her first time on the platform. Two years prior, she made her internet debut on her brother’s dance cover of “Teach Me How To Dougie”—displaying a natural swag and affinity for dance that had others simply begging for more Niana.

Tracing her roots to dance, Niana recalls, “I remember listening to the music that my family would play at home when I was around four, and my brother would dance by himself in the living room. I would just watch and copy his moves. I think that was the time I fell in love with dancing because it was fun!”

Ranz Kyle, who also has his own dedicated following, was once a member of the boy band Chicser. Upon witnessing his sister’s growing interest in what he had been doing, he started bringing her along and began recording and posting together as the Ranz and Niana duo. 

While the pair has gone on to grow their respective brands, the two still regularly show up together on screen—now occasionally including the youngest in the family, Natalia. The brotherly support is admirable, with Ranz Kyle even joking about his sister’s massive (and rather overshadowing) following. “​​Yep, [I’m] the brother,” he states on his Instagram bio.

“I remember listening to the music that my family would play at home when I was around four, and my brother would dance by himself in the living room. I would just watch and copy his moves. I think that was the time I fell in love with dancing because it was fun!”

After more than a decade of creating content, Niana surely does not have a shortage of fun and memorable experiences to reminisce about. 

From the top of her head, she fondly looks back on the “Hit That Despacito” video. She refers to it as “the dance that started everything”—and she’d point to it, too, if someone would ask what dance would best encapsulate her. She even performed a classical rendition of “Despacito” during her cotillion performance in her recent 18th birthday celebration, giving a nod to her roots as a creator.

But outside the 2017 smash hit, she points to two other core memories in her young career: when she started undergoing professional dance training, and her numerous collaborations with celebrities and highly-regarded artists. She has performed dance challenges with pop icons such as Sabrina Carpenter and Troye Sivan as well as with K-pop chart-toppers NCT Dream and Treasure. Not to mention, she also received praise from BTS’ Jung Kook for her cover of his single “3D (feat. Jack Harlow).”

These unexpected collaborations and spontaneous interactions, especially when blown up across the interwebs, would instantly make people wish to trade places with the social media star. But even Niana still seems undone with processing everything. 

“Honestly, until now, I still can’t believe that I got to meet these insanely talented people. It’s crazy! It would be really cool to meet Jung Kook, Dua Lipa, or Tyla. I love all their music,” she shares.

Through posting short skits and dance challenges online from the comfort of her home, Niana has taken full advantage of the digital world and has subsequently received countless opportunities and blessings. 

However, as any worthwhile personality would tell you, dealing with social media can be a double-edged sword—especially in the age of intense scrutiny. When several celebrities receive flak for smoking or drinking privately, or get canceled for remarks they made in a long-forgotten past, it’s clear why some dislike recognition—they can’t be completely themselves after all.

“It’s also a lot to handle sometimes. The pressure is real. The pressure to keep up with all the trends, to set a good example, and more,” she confesses. “But I’ve learned to take it in stride.”

For Niana, managing against the harsh social media spotlight and avoiding public criticism does not entail her creating a specially curated persona separate from her true personality—in fact, maintaining her authenticity is the way to go. “With all the buzz online, staying true to myself has been about keeping it real and remembering why I started,” she says.

She also makes it a point to treat the interwebs as a place of community. “My current relationship with the internet is like being in a fast-paced world where I get to connect with so many people every day,” she says. “It’s amazing because I get to share my passion and moments with our supporters across the globe.”

“My current relationship with the internet is like being in a fast-paced world where I get to connect with so many people every day. It’s amazing because I get to share my passion and moments with our supporters across the globe”

Nevertheless, while she has found an approach that suits her, not even Niana can keep going 100 percent all the time. We all need a break every now and then.

But taking time away from the limelight is not only a decision made for the sake of leisure. Rather, these absences serve to protect her from a threat even greater than online scrutiny: burnout. 

A crippling affliction that strikes the unaware, the phenomenon leaves behind an inexplicable inability to move and work. And for Niana, who has to keep up with and create her own trends, she cannot afford to be left behind. In this case, the young artist takes it upon herself to live a life offline. “I make time for the things I love outside the internet, like hanging out with my family and friends, and just being off camera,” she explains. “It’s more about remembering the love for the craft and not just the grind.”

“I make time for the things I love outside the internet, like hanging out with my family and friends, and just being off camera,” she explains. “It’s more about remembering the love for the craft and not just the grind”

In pop culture, turning 18 is typically romanticized. Getting to this stage signals the beginning of one’s life, a.k.a. officially figuring out what we actually want to do. After the celebration comes the sobering realization that things are about to change. It’s uncharted territory after all.

However, for Niana, who’s already found what she wants to do—and has been doing it for over a decade—the occasion serves a different purpose. It’s not about what she wants anymore; it’s what she wants next. Like a character that has already reached the end of their journey, Niana is out here doing sidequests.

“It’s exciting, but it’s also a time to think about what’s next. I’m hyped to try new things, like maybe working on different skills, such as singing or whatever.”

The internet star has been used to a million eyes watching her every move, may it be in dance or the much more mundane. However, in this new stage where you’d expect a grander agenda, Niana wants to revisit a place that’s familiar but also boasts so much more potential to be explored.

“Mainly, I’m looking forward to getting to know myself even more—to grow and learn more as a person. It’s like starting a new chapter and I’m ready to dive in and see what’s out there for me.”

“Mainly, I’m looking forward to getting to know myself even more—to grow and learn more as a person”

After all, somewhere inside her is still the Niana who just started posting dance videos online. “I would tell my younger self to keep doing you and don’t worry about what other people think. You’re going to face ups and downs, but every challenge is just making you stronger,” she says. “Keep sharing your love for dance, stay true to yourself, and remember to have fun!”

That last word popped up many times in this conversation—the core of what the biggest star of Filipino TikTok actually wants to do.

In front of millions of her adoring fans, Niana steps on her bedroom stage holding only to her pure love for dance. With each step, she dazzles and mesmerizes as she is taken away by the beat of her chosen song. And as she spins and twirls within a world of her own making—where no one else matters—we are but witnesses to a star of unparalleled potential. This is Niana Guerrero’s world and we’re just living in it.

Words by Carl Martin Agustin

Photography by BJ Pascual

Styling by LA Styling Studio

Makeup by Jelly Eugenio

Hair by Paul Nebres

Special thanks to Pia Campos