Fil-Italian Shanaia Gomez shares her ‘biggest takeaway’ from PBB and ‘Idol Ph’

Shanaia Gomez in “Click Like Share” Season 3

Actress Shanaia Gomez, who encountered vicious bashers while competing in “Idol Philippines” and “Pinoy Big Brother,” (PBB) admitted that her “confidence really took a hit” so much so that she already considered quitting the biz.

In 2019, Shanaia joined “Idol PH,” where she reached the mid-rounds. She then took part in PBB’s current season, “Kumunity Season 10,” where she became the seventh evictee.

The Filipino-Italian celebrity said that, while it was quite known that she took a bashing during her stint in “Idol PH,” Shanaia said she never regretted taking part in it. “People said, ‘She’s just pretty, but she’s not really good.’ I’m grateful for that experience because, in show business, you can never please everyone. I kind of felt like I needed to experience that so I’d know how to handle myself, how to react next time I’m in a similar situation.

“I told my mom that I didn’t want to perform anymore,” the 19-year-old recalled. “But it was great that my mom was there to catch me. She told me, ‘Don’t listen to them. You have so many people praising you, so many people saying they see potential in you. Why are you letting this tiny percent of people tell you otherwise?’”

Right genre

Shanaia said it was in that program that she learned the importance of finding the right genre of songs suited for you. The teener explained: “You have to sing songs that flatter your voice. When you finally find your own sound, your own genre, people will start to appreciate you as well.”

Shanaia was born in Dublin, Ireland, to an Italian father and a Filipino mother. She moved to Canada with her mom and sister a few years later. Her mom, who is from Talisay City, Cebu, now runs a performing arts school in Canada.

In 2016, Shanaia won first runner-up in the Miss Philippines Canada pageant. In May 2021, she signed up as a talent of Rise Artists Studio, a unit of ABS-CBN’s Star Magic.

Joining PBB also helped shape Shanaia’s personality, she said, especially because she met quite a few interesting people from her batch. While competing, she got linked to actor Albie Casiño and comedian TJ Valderrama.

Different personalities

“Inside the House, I learned a lot about how to be with people, 17 people to be exact. It does get quite busy in there, but I learned how to adjust. This is important, especially when you’re in show biz. You really need to learn how to deal with different types of people, especially since I’ve never lived with men before. I grew up living in a house of women. It was interesting how small things like keeping the toilet seat up would matter a lot,” she pointed out.

“My biggest takeaway is dealing with people when they’re in different moods, when they’re in their lowest points. When they’re having a hard time, when they’re struggling, you have to be able to determine what kind of comfort they need. Some people just want you to hug them and let them know you’re there. Others want advice, while others just need alone time. It’s important to know these things so you can help them the best way they need to be helped,” Shanaia declared.

Shanaia is part of the episode titled “Swap” of the third season of “Click Like Share,” which is currently streaming on iWantTFC. This is her first acting gig since she left the PBB house.

“Adjusting to the outside world was a struggle, much more doing this episode immediately after I came out. I’m grateful that I was there with Belle (Mariano), a fellow Rise artist. She guided me whenever I had questions. Direk Andoy (Ranay) was so kind and understanding, too. I’m glad they trusted me with the project.”

“Click, Like, Share” Season 3 started streaming on Jan. 12, 8 p.m., on iWantTFC.