One flight to the Philippines when she was 14 years old changed Shanaia Gomez’s life forever, and it’s been a ride she’s taking head-on.
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Picture this: you’re 14 years old and have dreams of being on the stage. From performing, singing, and even acting, you’ve done it all. Then, you’re offered a chance to travel across the world to follow your dreams. While this might seem like a pitch for an episode of MMK, that’s exactly what happened to Gen Z actress, singer, and host Shanaia Gomez.
SHANAIA MAKES HER MOVE
Growing up, Shanaia always knew that a career in front of the camera was a possible dream. But for a chance to make her dreams a reality, she had to leave her life behind and move to the Philippines. It was a decision that naturally didn’t come easy. “It’s just as difficult as you think it would be,” Shanaia tells NYLON Manila on moving to the Philippines at 14 years old. It was a gamble, no doubt, considering that it wasn’t guaranteed that Shanaia would make it in the country she was so new to.
She put in the work though, and soon, the 22-year-old personality found her spotlight. These days, her resume extends from doing commercials, acting, and hosting events, such as the UA&P stop of the NYLON Manila Career Fair 2025. She’s also a rising musician (diva has pipes) with her recent releases being Tried To Tell You, State of Mind, Cloud 9, and Slow Dancing.
But still in her early 20s, Shanaia is going through this chapter of her life with an eye toward discovery and exploration. “I’m still discovering so much about myself,” she admits. “I’m still trying to find my spot in the industry. So I feel like it’s difficult, but now is the time for it to be difficult for me. Now is the time for me to discover which one I want to do.”
While Shanaia has her foot in quite a few fields, she feels that there are still a lot more paths she’s willing to take. “I feel like right now I’m at that point, I’m trying everything and really seeing what I shine the best at and what I’m the most passionate about doing.”
And given that Shanaia has been living on her own for quite a while now, she’s also had her fair share of adulting experiences that come with the lifestyle. Paying bills and planning how to spend your money? Shanaia’s been there. But it’s also in these moments that Shanaia has learned that life doesn’t always have to be stressful. “When we’re young, we worry a lot. It’s not something that necessarily goes away when we’re older. But one thing that I really realized is, if you can’t change it, don’t stress about it.”
Read the rest of our interview with Shanaia Gomez below as she shares her journey to her current career, what’s she learned from adulting, and more.
When you were 14, you moved to the Philippines to pursue your dreams. What was that experience like?
It’s just as difficult as you think it would be. At 14, you’re dealing with so much, right? You’re dealing with trying to figure out your friends. At 14, you feel like your friends are your world, right? So I see my friends enjoying back home in Canada without me while I’m in the Philippines, like wala pa akong friends or kilala kasi. And then, of course, I’m dealing with being without my family. So that was also really difficult.
Not only did I move to a new country alone, I moved without any family. So what am I doing here? Then, of course, you have to deal with na hindi man sigurado yung career mo dito. Everything’s really a gamble. So it was all of those things very sabay-sabay. So it’s really difficult, but I feel like the trust that my parents had for me, they’re very much like, “we only hope you believe in yourself as much as we believe in you”, that kept me going.
Everytime I did a commercial or a job, I really did enjoy it. It was so fun for me to be in front of the camera. There was no denying that’s what my heart wanted.
Did you always want to work in front of the camera?
When I was in Canada, I was doing all those things. I was in a girl group, I would perform, I did pageants here and there. It was something that I knew that I wanted to do. But at 14, when they asked, “Do you want to move to the Philippines to pursue that”, you actually have no idea kung gaano kabigat that actually is to pick up your whole life and to move to a different country. But I guess that’s also why my parents were okay with it, because they also knew that it was something that I was wanting and been doing my whole life.
From acting, music, hosting, and more, you have your hand in a lot of fields. How do you balance your career?
I’m still quite new in the industry, right? I’m still discovering so much about myself. I’m still trying to find my spot in the industry. So I feel like it’s difficult, but now is the time for it to be difficult for me. Now is the time for me to discover which one I want to do. How would I know if I like hosting more than acting if I don’t experience both?
So it’s the same thing. It’s like, how can I say I don’t like modeling if I’ve never tried modeling, you know? So it’s the same thing with everything in life. Same thing when you’re a kid. I feel like right now I’m at that point, I’m trying everything and really seeing what I shine the best at and what I’m the most passionate about doing.
What’s the biggest lesson or takeaway you’ve gotten from your adulting chapter?
So much. You discover so much. When we’re young, we worry a lot. It’s not something that necessarily goes away when we’re older. But one thing that I really realized is, if you can’t change it, don’t stress about it. You know, like, if you’re stressed about something, think of a solution. If there’s a solution, edi do the solution.
Kung walang solution, why are you stressing about something you can’t change, right? And I think one thing that I really learned also is not to take life and yourself so seriously. But bills wise and adulting wise, if you can, easier said than done, but like, might as well just plan everything. I’m such a planner. Just plan it out. Like, if you have extra money, might as well put it towards your adulting bills.
If you could talk to your younger self before she moved to the Philippines, what would you like to tell her?
I would tell her to focus on the bigger picture. I would tell her, at the end of the day, no matter what, everything will be okay. And every life problem that you’ve had, and for anyone, no matter what life problem you’ve had, things have always turned out okay in the end. You always figure it out in the end. So I wish that’s one thing I could tell her na parang, just be patient and just trust your gut, because everything will turn out okay. And focus on the bigger picture. Focus on the bigger picture for yourself. What do you want for yourself? Just trust, because whatever is meant to happen will happen.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity
Photos by Kieran Punay
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