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The Gen Z star is going—and dancing—with the flow.
"You're my childhood, oh my god!"
Getting recognized in public while off-duty is no groundbreaking moment for famous personalities—but suddenly learning about your role in a life you had been unaware of? That's a different story.
Niana Guerrero knows this all too well, as she recounts a time when she heard those words from a stranger, hoping to snap a photo with her inside a mall. "They literally looked like a child," she describes, and it turns out she was right—the fan was just in their mid-teens. "I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy. I'm your childhood?'" she quips, laughing softly.
Although the format keeps morphing, people love attaching labels to measure a star's magnitude—the long list include "Star For All Seasons," "Teen Queen," and "Primetime Princess." While the young Internet personality hasn't been baptized with a clear-cut moniker yet, the phrase that often tails along her name seems like a tall order nonetheless: Gen Z.
She's seen as the generation's icon, star, role model. Hundreds of people spend time rehearsing her dance choreographies, whether it's a new spin to an '80s hit or something as trippy as a slow-mo walk against a picturesque view. The chronically online are seated for her pranks, like having fake piercings or the more unhinged ones—think a sudden power outage and a gift-wrapped room—which she pulls off to mess with her older brother, Ranz Kyle, who had begun charming the interwebs before she was able to.
In fact, an old YouTube video starring both of them proves that in the current era of overnight sensations and algorithm-driven popularity, Niana's friendship with fame goes way, way back. Before lip-syncing for bite-sized videos was even a thing, that famous "car jam"—which is currently near 60 million views—showed Niana singing to 2017 earworm "Despacito" with Ranz Kyle acting all nonchalant at first, but eventually giving in to the vibe. "It was my brother who got me into everything. And I feel like I just adapted [to] being on camera or being bubbly and excited about stuff," Niana claims.
Seven years later, onlookers of Niana's life would see her bopping to the same song, but in a cotillion dance for her 18th birthday this time. That day in January 2024 also featured a teary-eyed version of the debutante when talking heads of her loved ones flashed one by one onscreen, pouring their sweetest greetings. There, a similar idea appears in her younger sister Natalia's and older sister Chelseah's messages: A wish for strength in her new chapter.
Among women, the definition of being strong comes off multilayered—oftentimes, it implies an action borne out of a despite. Strength means standing up for yourself, pursuing goals, or being emotionally resilient, despite curveballs formed under a patriarchal society.
For Niana, "Strength is confidence… and when you know your values."
I get a hint of Niana's values when I ask her about last year's learning process. "I've realized how important it is to surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. I feel like good energy is everything, and the right friendships can make a huge difference," she says. Niana also wants to heavily focus on "making meaningful connections" as well as "letting go of anything that doesn't feel right or supportive."
Reflecting on changes in her relationship dynamics, Niana also reveals that she would previously have a shyer approach towards people, whether it's her "closest friends ever" or fresh acquaintances. "But I feel like what changed in the recent years is that I'm more approachable now," she ponders. "I'm more expressive now. Especially for my friends, I feel like napansin din nila na I'm more vocal [...] So, nagugulat sila 'pag sinasabi kong, ‘Aww, I love you guys, thank you.' Ganon!”
When it comes to her support system, look no further than the people you regularly spot in her YouTube channel with 15.8 million subscribers: her family. While many would rather not join forces with close circles in work-related matters—mainly for the fear of creating a dent in personal relationships—Niana doesn't see her content creation journey with family as work in the first place.
"It's really just us hanging out on camera. And we don't really think, 'Oh my gosh, should we include mom and dad, or Natalia, or like my sisters, and stuff like that. They themselves want to join for fun. Kasi that's like our bonding na rin in a way; what we vlog or what we do on camera, like silly pranks [and] silly challenges."
For a public personality with a massive following—and I mean the highest one on Filipino TikTok with 44.1 million, as of writing—just letting things be as an ethos can be a bit jarring to hear. Curation, branding, and other buzzwords would usually populate this place. Sure, there's the yearly goal-setting with her home gang, but personally, she doesn't exactly identify herself with the 2025 self-rebranders-slash-vision board brewers we've been encountering on Reels and TikToks.
"When I get asked about [my plans] for 2025 or these coming years, I really don't know. I personally just usually go with the flow," she admits.
Niana just "going with the flow" would appear twice during our chat, making me realize her possible asset in today's dog-eat-dog digital landscape. It even may be a key to longevity. Sure, we can say it's authenticity—but this word is overplayed in celebrity territory; it might be hard to see what actually passes the test.
Instead, it may be more about her wholesome candidness, which stems from heavily knowing and investing in herself. "What I show—like literally—what I show on camera is me," she smiles. "When the camera is on, I don't really change that much—it's pretty much just me being bubbly [because] I'm usually shy off camera. It's all just normal."
Funnily enough, even her meme moment is another case of things naturally falling into place. "Kailan kaya magpapalit ng DP (display photo) si Niana?" Facebook users would joke.
"That was just a random photoshoot when I was, like, nine or 10. I didn't even plan to have this for the rest of my life, it's just there and years later 'di ko lang napansin na 'di ko na pala siya napapalitan[...] When people were starting to notice that, my dad was like, 'Wait, let's not change it, it's pretty iconic,'" she fondly recalls.
I tell Niana that it's cool that her old stuff online still exists—a stark contrast with celebrities who shave off their social media archive upon experiencing meteoric rise. Not to mention, she has rewatched past videos a lot in 2024 because of nostalgia and reflection. "I feel like it's a fun way to see how much I've grown and what's changed over time. I think that's one of the reasons I make videos—to look back [on the] years, and just remember how it was that time."
Part of it is thanks to her healthy connection with cringe. "When I was younger I would do cringey stuff—I mean, until now, it's part [of me]. You just really have to embrace it," she says. "Cringe is part of me; I make faces, I do embarrassing stuff, and that's okay."
At the same time, Niana is admired for her head-turning style. One day, you might see her sporting futuristic glasses, a goldmine shirt, or a patterned necktie; the next day, she might effortlessly combine a long skirt and combat boots.
"My wardrobe is, I'd say, comfy but cool. A lot of people know that I love oversized pieces, and layering, but I also sometimes mix it up with something edgy, or sometimes I'll go with girly," she describes. "[I also go with] experimental when I feel like it. It changes every day, it changes every week, and it really depends on how I feel each day. Sometimes, I would pull up with a big, big shirt and big pants, chunky shoes, and a cap. And then the next day, I will go in a crop top and straight cut jeans. So you'll never really know—but shoutout to Pinterest."
She's been often regarded as one of the best-dressed celebs, but reveals it was a process to get to where her style is today. "[Before], I would see my favorite artist, and dress like them. Until years or days later, [I'd be] like, 'Oh, this is what I like. And this is what I do not like. It's okay to find inspiration and somehow copy them and recreate them in your own way."
At the end of the day, Niana sees fashion as a confidence booster. "Whenever I wear something that's comfortable, that's what makes me me. There's no filter or anything," she stresses.
Her self-comfort mindset also applies to how she takes care of herself—physically and mentally. Skincare is the "number one" among self-care practices Niana swears by, but she specifically highlights the importance of downtime above all, especially when it gets overwhelming. "When I'm not having it, I take a break," she says. "Like a two- or three-day [break], then usually I'm fine after that. You need that pause every once in a while."
"When I'm not having it, I take a break," she says. "Like a two- or three-day [break], then usually I'm fine after that. You need that pause every once in a while."
This same balance of self-care and passion shines through in her relationship with dancing, a craft she's mastered while staying true to her well-being. She's never posted a dance cover out of pressure or sheer necessity, she tells me. "I don't push myself to do things when I'm not in the right state of mind."
She adds, "When I'm not feeling it in general, I just don't do it. But then, I try my best to feel motivated again like getting a break, or spending time with family and when I'm good, that's when I make a dance."
If Niana weren't a dancer, would she still be a public figure? "Good question," she utters before diving into an internal tug-of-war. She then settles with, "maybe not" since dancing made her confident to be out there.
"Dancing will always be the number one for me. Ever since I was a child, when I saw my brother dancing, I was like, 'Oh, I wanna do that.' I have a couple of hobbies and passions, but dancing is just really the one that feels freeing to me the most," she says. "It's a way to express myself without needing words, because I'm really bad at expressing [myself] with words. I just dance it out all the time. I just dance it out when I'm happy, I dance it out when I'm sad, when I'm confused. Every emotion, I just dance it out."
Niana makes an effort to let her relationship with dance flourish, like by taking classes. Oftentimes, though, her schedule is too packed for one, so she maximizes what her bedroom can do for her in "exploring different movements and styles." She's also been trying out other genres, like Afro and contemporary dance. When it comes to music that makes her move, her playlist would show Tyla, plus artists she's already rubbed elbows with—Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, and Billie Eilish.
Whenever videos of Niana with industry phenoms like them take over the Internet, "Sana all" rule the comments. Niana herself jokingly adds, "'Sumosobra ka na, Niana!'"
On a serious note, she still describes these opportunities as "surreal." She pauses to scour for a better word in mind, but ends up with, "There's no explanation to it." Meeting people you admire can be more daunting than expected, though. The art of small talk has remained tricky especially post-pandemic—and Niana empathizes with it.
"I still struggle with doing small talk with people; having conversations and how to keep them going. Sometimes they'd be like, 'How are you?' And I'd be like, 'I'm good, how are you?' And then I don't know what to say in the next few seconds," she confesses. "[When I talk to celebrities], I'd be like, 'Oh, they're just human too, so that's fine. I would keep my cool the whole day when I talk to them. [But then,] when I'm back home, that's where I lose it. I'm like, 'What! I talk to these people? That's crazy.'"
Niana's groundedness, it appears to me, also allows her to keep her childlike wonder alive. "Treasure hunt!" the soft-spoken Niana randomly says during our cover shoot, when we were looking for an item on set.
If there's anything I'm crossing fingers for, though, it's Niana's dream collaboration with Jungkook (ICYDK, he's been following her on TikTok and interacting with her posts). Should it happen, what does Niana envision?
"I would really like to do a simple TikTok video—maybe it could be a song and just a funny little video. I feel like I appreciate shorter videos with celebrities? Just because parang mas nakakakilig siya. Like, may thrill."
While Niana doesn't take herself too seriously, that doesn't mean she isn't careful with her decisions. "For TikTok, people usually think that I always do one take then I'm good, I'm perfect. No, it's not [like] that. I do a lot of takes. There are certain dance moves and details that I think of whenever I do dance videos and I make sure that I get them correct," she reveals.
"I check it 10 times before I post. It sounds crazy, but I always channel myself in different [perspectives]....How would it feel like when I'm watching as a dancer, [or] as a normal person." She adds, "For YouTube, the checklist is always like, 'Is this something that people would watch? Is this something kids would watch?'"
After all, being tagged as an inspiration of Gen Z—which she describes as people who "could be anything they want to be"—is significant for her. "It's a huge honor but it's also a little surreal. It's a big, big, big responsibility. A lot of people are watching, especially kids, families, so I also have to keep that in mind," she explains. "But I think it's cool that people somehow connected to me and I just hope I can keep inspiring others while staying true to myself."
Niana's been on the Internet almost her whole life, and strangers do get nostalgic over remembering her as a kid online. But she's never felt intruded or uncomfortable with people's perception of her.
It turns out Niana sees people's memories of her in a positive light. "I find it really funny, but it’s really, really awesome and I love hearing that. It feels like we're all on this journey together, which makes it really special and it's like a reward for everything that I do on the Internet—knowing that it inspires people. It makes their day, which is really awesome."
Niana, who's currently homeschooled, also experienced regular schooling from kindergarten to third grade. Even though she sometimes muses about the "what ifs" if that life continued, she sees her present life as her "normal life" and enjoys every bit of it.
There's a gem that came from that regular schooling era, though. Old videos would show little Niana saying, "Let's make a difference!" as a call-to-action. "I used to say that a lot before because it was like a term in our school. That was like the whole campaign," she reveals. "[But] even if I wasn't doing school projects, I say that pa rin because that's one of the things I learned in school: To make a difference, kahit in a simple way, or like in a big way. To me right now, making a difference depends on you. [It's] just being kind to everyone around you."
In line with the new year, I asked the Gen Z icon to send out a message to her future self. I expected her to imagine a far-off Niana, maybe her 30-something version. But in true Niana fashion, she kept it focused on the next chapter.
"I hope you're still doing the things you love doing. I hope you're happy and I hope you're spending time with your family even more, especially Natalia because she's growing up. And, I want to remind you to really surround yourself with good people, because you tend to not surround yourself with good people. I hope you dance more, and I hope 19 is fun."
"Sorry, that was the vlogger in me," Niana laughs with the Cosmo team during her cover video shoot, after being told that she doesn't need to clap for her introduction. Despite global attention, how cool is it to still deeply know the multitudes of yourself?
As Niana continues to be the childhood of Internet-raised dreamers while navigating and growing out of her own, it's clear she's choreographing something far bigger than viral routines. She's creating a rhythm that's all her own—and we'll be here, scrolling, double-tapping, and keeping in step.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Alan Segui, assisted by JEYO and Christian Mar
ART DIRECTOR: Ica Del Mundo
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ida Aldana
PRODUCER: Clara Umali, assisted by Cheska Santiago and Kate Sarmiento
CO-PRODUCER: Alyana Olivar
STYLING: Jolo Bayoneta, Stephanie Satorre, Jetrho Barrietta of Stylized Studio
MAKEUP: Miz Raffy
HAIRSTYLING: Gab Villegas
NAILS: Extraordinail
STORY: Jelou Galang
VIDEO: Cherrie Ongteco-Julian and Jino Del Mundo
SOCIAL MEDIA: Aina Lizarondo, assisted by Keonna Atienza
Shot on location at Bridgetowne Destination Estate
Special thanks to W Talent Management