NIKKI JUNIA
23 year old Nikki Junia joins "Public Access" as the show’s resident music prodigy, a petite young host who practically grew up on a high note. A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music with a degree in Music Education major in voice, cum laude, Nikki has each of her feet planted in both pop and classical music.
"I started out singing pop songs, then when I entered the conservatory, I was trained to sing classical music," Nikki says. Although she has been singing even as a small child – especially during family occasions – Nikki made up her mind to pursue a career in music when she watched Leah Salonga perform in a concert at the Manila Garden Hotel.
"I was 9 years old at the time; Leah, was, I think, just a few years older," she recalls. "She was my idol."
Her father lost no time in having his daughter undergo more serious training. Nikki later obtained a scholarship with Ryan Cayabyab’s music school. Out of 140 applicants, only 14, Nikki included, were chosen. They eventually became known as the 14K.
Under Ryan’s tutelage, Nikki says she learned a lot. "We were taught not just how to sing, but how to become total performers," she explains. "We were taught how to dance, act, how to carry ourselves on stage."
But 14K didn’t remain for long. Some of its members, like Nikki, opted to continue her studies. Her colleagues went on to have their own solo careers, like Jeffrey Hidalgo, Tenten Munoz, Tony Lambino and Rada of Kulay.
Nikki also obtained a Fe. S. Panlilio scholarship from the Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-aawit. Under the tutelage of Irma Potenciano ( whom Nikki considers to be her biggest influence when it comes to classical music), Nikki sings classical music by day while belting out pop songs by night.
Some of her friends from the UST Conservatory put up a band called Cadenza and performed, pop, soul and rhythm and blues at bars such as Streetlife, Euphoria, Brew Brothers, Travessia, and Padi’s Point, among others. "I love singing pop songs," she says. "I decided to enter the conservatory to learn the techniques and apply them to singing pop songs."
Indeed, as a result of this experimentation, Nikki can now shift effortlessly from doing Mariah Carey ( her favorite singer) and Aretha Franklin numbers to Barbara Streisand ballads. Though she has plans of launching her own album, she is focused now co-hosting a telemagazine.
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