Meet Niana Guerrero, the most-followed TikTok star in the Philippines. At 15 years old, Niana has conquered social media with her brother, Ranz Kyle.
Who exactly is Niana Guerrero? Aside from being one of the youngest successful social media superstars, she’s actually just a regular teenager with a passion for making videos with her family.
Niana is most known for her dancing videos, pranking vlogs, and being 1/2 of the dancing duo, Ranz and Niana. Recently, she reached 13 million subscribers on YouTube, 21.7 million followers on TikTok (she’s the most-followed TikToker in the Philippines), and graced the cover of NYLON Manila together with her brother, Ranz Kyle.
As Niana reaches more and more milestones in her career, take a look at why she’s so beloved by the internet:
FAST FACTS AND Q&A WITH NIANA GUERRERO
She started dancing at 3 years old
“It started when my brother was filming himself dancing and I would copy his dance moves. He saw me copying him so he taught me how to do some basic moves and it led me to love dancing.”
Her most viewed YouTube video got 54 million views
“I was just having fun bonding with my brother when we did it so it was a pleasant surprise to see it grow as we created content. I was still a kid then and I had no idea what youtube really was. For me, it was just a way to have fun and bond with my brother.”
She’s super close with her family
Niana is the second youngest sibling of four: Nina Stephanie Guerrero, Ranz Kyle Ongsee, Chelseah Hillary Ongsee, and the youngest, Natalia. You will usually see her in vlogs with Ranz.
“My relationship with Kuya Ranz is that I see himself as my dancing partner, we’re like a dancing duo and we just want to bring good vibes to everyone. I actually look up to my Kuya, he’s more than just my dancing duo. We are literally like a tandem not just for our vlogs, but also in life. He just gets me so much.”
She keeps in touch with her fans through Facebook groups
“Since we’re all stuck at home I just usually do some live streams for my followers so I can reach out to them and talk to them. We also have a Facebook group where we can keep up with our followers. Also, I would do some TikTok dance challenges that my followers can do as well.”
She doesn’t see herself as a “star”
“I don’t really see myself as a star but I just want to use this opportunity to continue motivating others. I feel like I am on a mission to give hope and to inspire others that at a young age there is so much you can do if you love what you are doing and that you should just continue working hard for your dreams.”
Her dream career
“I actually haven’t thought about that yet but for now, I will continue what I love doing which is putting a smile on people’s faces.”
But she wants to learn how to sing
“I actually want to learn how to sing, I wanted to learn that for a while now. I also want to learn some new dance moves because learning never stops.”
And her biggest lesson from 2020:
“I learned that the material things are not important, it’s more about your character as a person and how you want to be remembered by.”
Get to know the most-followed Filipino vlogger in the Philippines, Ranz Kyle.
Ranz Kyle has been in the spotlight for years, starting with his career on YouTube. With 13.5 million subscribers on the platform, he’s the most followed Filipino vlogger best known for his dancing videos and content with his sister, Niana Guerrero.
He’s the proud brother and one half of the dancing duo, Ranz and Niana. His self-titled channel produces entertaining videos such as his dance covers with his siblings, pranks, vlogs, and challenges.
So, how did Ranz Kyle’s platform grow so much over the years? Here’s what you should know about this Filipino content creator.
He holds the Top 5 spot in the Philippines for the most number of subscribers on YouTube
Ranz Kyle started posting on YouTube in 2011—that was literally a decade ago! He would upload dancing videos that garnered views from casual fans that later became his loyal supporters. He quite literally paved the way for Filipino YouTube vloggers to start a career on the social media site!
His most-viewed YouTube video has 69 million views
Yup, before P-Pop became mainstream in the Philippines, Ranz was already in a boy group called Chicser. It’s a six-member group with his long-time friends in school, which later became so popular that they started doing mall tours and even making an album! How’s that for a high school barkada, right?
“Chicser gave me a chance to introduce myself to the public that led me to have fans and followers. Being with Chicser really encouraged me to pursue my YouTube channel and to try and start my own thing outside the boy group.”
He didn’t expect for his content with Niana to blow up
“When we did our first ever content, we were just having fun dancing and filming ourselves. We were surprised when we noticed that people were asking for more videos of us.”
He wants to be a director someday
“If there’s something I want to do in the future, it’s directing a superhero movie. So careerwise, I see myself as a director.”
Does Ranz Kyle have a girlfriend?
We know what you’re typing on Google, guys. And while Ranz hasn’t publicly stated that he has a girlfriend, he indeed had a Valentine date this year. Check out his cute first Valentine’s day vlog with his date, Milissa Grande.
Lessons from 2020
“What I learned is to not take things for granted, because everything can disappear in an instant. I also learned how to be grateful and to keep the simple things in life because it’s something that not even money can buy.”
Ranz Kyle and Niana Guerrero appeared on their first-ever magazine cover with NYLON Manila, and it’s the first time fans are seeing the dancing duo in editorial looks.
In case you missed it, we unveiled the first cover of Ranz and Niana last week, along with a 4-episode behind-the-series of their cover shoot on YouTube. Usually, Ranz Kyle and Niana are seen sporting trendy street style and their barest faces, so naturally, it came as a surprise to all to see them rocking a new look.
From their editorial beauty looks to the inspiration behind their fashion looks, this milestone for the siblings definitely generated a buzz on social media. Here’s what the fans think of the cover shoot:
BUST A GROOVE
A fan commented, requesting for a dance cover inspired by the 1999 game, Bust a Groove 2. It’s a Sony Playstation music and fighting game originally released in Japan, and honestly? We totally see it! The outfits and the vibes from the game exude the same energy as our cover stars.
LOOKIN’ EXPENSIVE
We all know that a good jacket is worth the investment. How much more a giant puffer jacket, right? No wonder they look expensive.
A DIFFERENT LOOK
A lot of fans have commented about this totally different side of Ranz and Niana, especially with their makeup looks. That was our goal—to shed them in a different light, but still remain true to their identities.
THEY’RE GROWING UP
Their loyal fans from the beginning were emotional for Ranz and Niana. Growing up in front of their eyes, it’s no surprise that they feel a sense of pride and happiness, seeing the siblings unlock new milestones.
CONQUERING EVERYTHING TOGETHER
Being a tight-knit family means they are so much more comfortable when they conquer everything together. From celebrating 13 million subscribers on YouTube to being on a fashion magazine cover together, it’s so much better doing it with your partner-in-crime.
With more than 100 million followers across all social media platforms, it’s safe to say that the sibling duo, Ranz and Niana, are the biggest internet stars borne from this digital-savvy generation.
15-year-old Niana Guerrero is one of the most followed Filipinos on TikTok right now, and at one point we even called her a social media dance superstar for the influx of support she gets every day. To which on Facebook, she responded with: “i’m not a superstar tho”
Still, even with a simple one-sentence reply, the young content creator got more than 187,000 of her followers reacting to that post. How’s that for a non-superstar, huh?
The siblings arrived for their first-ever magazine cover shoot with an entourage of videographers surrounding them. Quiet, Niana went straight to the holding area and scrolled through her phone, while her 23-year-old brother, Ranz Kyle, came out to survey the area while thinking of an entertaining vlog on-the-spot.
ON RANZ Black oversized puffer jacket by WILBUR LANG, White sweater by THE HUNDREDS, Gray cargo pants by ELHAUS both at THE NINES, Silver chains by MAZEE PH, Black combat boots by PALLADIUM. ON NIANA Pink oversized puffer jacket by WILBUR LANG, White cutout sweater by H&M, Off-white baggy pants by NINA AMONCIO, Silver chains by MAZEE PH
Several heads in the office turned to see what the fuss was about, but for Ranz and Niana, this seemed like a normal day at work. Making content for their loyal fanbase was always a top priority.
How the hype for these siblings came to be is still a mystery for Ranz and Niana. While there’s no special formula for their fame, their content was all rooted in relatability and authenticity.
ON RANZ Brown faux fur coat by H&M, Sweater and joggers by APPRECIATE Y’ALL, Black combat boots by PALLADIUM. ON NIANA Cow print faur fur coat by H&M, Sweater by APPRECIATE Y’ALL, Flared pants by FOREVER21, All jewelry by MAZEE PH
“When we did our first-ever content, we were just having fun dancing and filming ourselves. We were surprised when we noticed that people were asking for more videos of us,” says Ranz. Even a casual Facebook user would simply be drawn by the siblings’ entertaining connection. If anyone happened to stumble into a random video of Ranz and Niana, they would be sure to keep watching for more.
Pink oversized puffer jacket by WILBUR LANG, White cutout sweater by H&M, Off-white baggy pants by NINA AMONCIO, Silver chains by MAZEE PH
Way back in 2017, when everyone was blasting Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber, Ranz and Niana made a little comedy skit about the song that reached over 57 million views on YouTube and 74 million views on Facebook. Their Hit That Despacito dancing video with their youngest sibling, Natalia, reached 91 million views on Facebook as well.
There is no doubt now that the skill of dancing clearly runs in this tight-knit family. And with a platform that lets them be themselves and show the people that their connection is more than just a 1-minute dance video, they were able to build their own social media empire that unconditionally supports their whole family.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Cow print faur fur coat by H&M, Sweater by APPRECIATE Y’ALL, Flared pants by FOREVER21, All jewelry by MAZEE PH
The first time Niana realized that she was into dancing was when she watched her brother filming himself. “He saw me copying him so he taught me how to do some basic moves and it led me to love dancing,” she says.
Now, the roles are reversed. At the photoshoot, Niana’s shell came out when she started doing TikTok dances. It was up to her to teach her older brother what the “cool” dance moves in the app are now.
“Growing up, me and my siblings were always close. Niana, however, is my partner in crime,” describes Ranz. “She’s one of the very few people who know me really well and we just get each other so well even outside of dancing and vlogging.”
Pink oversized puffer jacket by WILBUR LANG, White cutout sweater by H&M, Off-white baggy pants by NINA AMONCIO, Silver chains by MAZEE PH
What you see is what you get if you watch Ranz and Niana’s videos together. Having done this for nearly 10 years, Ranz and Niana pretty much grew up right in front of our eyes and their dynamic hasn’t changed since.
ON RANZ Brown faux fur coat by H&M, Sweater and joggers by APPRECIATE Y’ALL, Black combat boots by PALLADIUM. ON NIANA Cow print faur fur coat by H&M, Sweater by APPRECIATE Y’ALL, Flared pants by FOREVER21, All jewelry by MAZEE PH
“When she was little, she would always ride my back, but now we can’t do those things anymore,” Ranz reminisces. “So instead, we bond through video games, movie nights, food trip nights, and spending time with the family.”
Niana jokingly adds, “I used to think my brother was a very tall guy since I was too small before and I used to look up every time I talked to him. But now I think I’ll be taller than him soon, just kidding!”
ON RANZ Silver puffer jacket by FOREVER 21, White tee by THE HUNDREDS, Gray cargo pants by ELHAUS both at THE NINES, Silver chains by MAZEE PH, Black combat boots by PALLADIUM. ON NIANA White puffer jacket by FOREVER21, White cutout sweater by H&M, Off-white baggy pants by NINA AMONCIO, Silver chains by MAZEE PH
Like any normal brother and sister though, the two naturally get into minor fights sometimes. Niana details, “since I’m younger, I usually say sorry to kuya and annoy him until he starts noticing me again and we would end up laughing and forgetting that we even had a fight.”
HOW RANZ AND NIANA CREATED A GENERATION OF HOPEFUL CONTENT CREATORS
Cow print faur fur coat by H&M, Sweater by APPRECIATE Y’ALL, Flared pants by FOREVER21, All jewelry by MAZEE PH
Decades ago, if you asked any kid what they would like to be when they grow up, they would say doctor, pilot, or astronaut. Now, if you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, a lot would want to become a YouTuber like Niana or Ryan’s Toy Review aka Ryan’s World.
In May and June of last year, TikTok was the most-downloaded app in the world, snowballing Niana into fame on the app. She now has 21.6 million followers on TikTok–the most followed in the Philippines–with a generation of kids wanting to follow in her footsteps.
“I don’t really see myself as a star, but I just want to use this opportunity to continue motivating others,” Niana says about how she feels being in a spotlight. “I feel like I am on a mission to give hope and to inspire others that, at a young age, there is so much you can do if you love what you are doing.”
Knit bucket hat by ILYANG ILYANG, Orange zip-up pullover by FOREVER21, Patchwork pants by LEON ARCHIVES
As for Ranz, he’s been in the spotlight for quite some time. When he was Niana’s age, he was already starting content on YouTube while being part of a boy group. His group, Chicser, would go on mall tours, performing for screaming fans while dancing and singing to their original songs. “The experience of being a part of Chicser paved the way for me to really get to know the life of being in the spotlight,” recalls Ranz. He adds, “It helped me hone my talent even more…and it helped me gain some loyal fans.”
Silver puffer jacket by FOREVER 21, White tee by THE HUNDREDS, Silver chains by MAZEE PH
This pandemic challenged the dancing duo to put their content into perspective. With the lockdown in order, they were forced to step back and think of content that would benefit their followers while staying at home.
Ranz says, “Given that we are facing a pandemic, what we do is we connect with our followers through our social media accounts. There’s the occasional live stream on Instagram, through Facebook groups so we can talk to them, interact a little bit, things like that.”
ON RANZ Silver puffer jacket by FOREVER 21, White tee by THE HUNDREDS, Gray cargo pants by ELHAUS both at THE NINES, Silver chains by MAZEE PH, Black combat boots by PALLADIUM. ON NIANA White puffer jacket by FOREVER21, White cutout sweater by H&M, Off-white baggy pants by NINA AMONCIO, Silver chains by MAZEE PH
The older sibling of the duo said that it all boils down to the intent of their videos. He says, “We started this in order to create content to entertain people. But as time passed by, we realized that people can relate to us on a personal level that can impact them in a unique way. So, knowing this, we aim to keep content positive and encouraging so that people are inspired to pursue whatever goals they have aside from Youtube [and be] able to achieve it.”
When asked about what they want to achieve in the future, the siblings are starry-eyed at the endless possibilities.
Ranz says, “If there’s something I want to do in the future, it’s directing a superhero movie. So career-wise, I see myself as a director.” Meanwhile, Niana shares, “I actually want to learn how to sing, I wanted to learn that for a while now. I also want to learn some new dance moves because learning never stops.”
ON RANZ Black oversized puffer jacket by WILBUR LANG, White tee by THE HUNDREDS, Gray cargo pants by ELHAUS both at THE NINES, Silver chains by MAZEE PH, Black combat boots by PALLADIUM. ON NIANA Pink oversized puffer jacket by WILBUR LANG, White cutout sweater by H&M, Off-white baggy pants by NINA AMONCIO, Silver chains by MAZEE PH
There’s something astral attached to this sibling duo now. Niana is a teenage girl today and she’ll be a teenage girl tomorrow, but they have also created a longstanding blueprint for self-made success for a generation, rooted in their close connection as a Guerrero family, plus realizations taught by the pandemic.
She says, “I learned that material things are not important, it’s more about your character as a person and how you want to be remembered.” While Ranz continues, “Everything can disappear in an instant. I learned how to be grateful and to keep the simple things in life because it’s something that not even money can buy.”
At 14 years old, Niana Guerrero has become one of the biggest Filipino social media stars.
You’ve seen her on your For You page, Facebook discover, and Instagram’s explore page. And of course, her biggest platform, YouTube—with 12.7 million followers and over 30 million views every video, she’s taking the world by storm with her siblings.
As one of, if not the most followed personality in this new generation, it’s no surprise that she is recognized everywhere. Heck, even my six-year-old cousin watches Niana’s best dance compilations on YouTube every day. Niana grew up in front of the camera, too. So, she isn’t just some internet sensation we’ll forget about in 10 years, because she’s been doing this for seven years and counting.
So, what exactly made Niana Guerrero known to this generation? We rounded up her best moments so you can see the talent yourself.
KILL THIS LOVE DANCE CHALLENGE
You have to see Niana Guerrero and her little sister Natalia dance to Kill This Love by BLACKPINK. With nearly 38 million views on YouTube, it’s safe to say that dancing runs in the family.
WHEN DESPACITO COMES ON
Way back in 2017, when everyone was blasting Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Justin Bieber, Ranz and Niana made a little comedy skit that was just too adorable not to like. Since then, this brother-sister duo has been taking over Facebook and YouTube. This video has over 57 million views.
SPICY NOODLE CHALLENGE
At some point, we were all curious about the Samyang spicy noodles from Korea. The spicy noodle challenge was a sure hit on the internet and of course Ranz and Niana had to give it a little twist. Watch to find out how Ranz pranked Niana in the video above.
Niana’s most viewed TikTok post is her perfectly timed Papi Chulo walk. 44.2 million people viewed this video, and you gotta admit: it’s pretty impressive.
Niana has been dancing in front of the camera since she was seven years old and each time she steps out to bust a move, she’s sure to wow the audience. Just take this TikTok video as an example of her undeniable talent.
BUYING EVERYTHING THEY SELL
We could go on and on about how Niana and her siblings can dance, but we can’t forget that they also have a heart of gold. Check out this social experiment Ranz and Niana did as they immerse themselves in the streets to help out the kind vendors in need.
