Catriona Gray: Pursuit of art should be fueled by feeling, not numbers

MANILA, Philippines – Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has been the Arts ambassador for the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for seven years and counting now. And if there’s anything she’s learned throughout her stint, it’s that art should be about how it makes you feel.

It’s Gray’s resounding call to all artists out there. Art should feel personal, and its worth should never be determined by how much attention it gets from onlookers.

“I think [for] everyone in this room today, whether you’re an artist or not, there’s a pivotal moment in your life that you witnessed a performance, a song, spoken word, or a film that really spoke to you. Maybe it encouraged you in what you’re going through. Maybe as an artist, it made you feel like this type of art can exist, or maybe it made you feel something. Sometimes that is enough for us to be encouraged in our pursuit of art,” Gray said during the press conference for the 2026 National Arts Month.

The 32-year-old beauty queen is approaching her music career with the same mindset.

“I’m not attacking my music in a way that I want this to be number one. I really just want to create a body of art,” said Gray.

Gray’s identity as a singer was first marked by her advocacy of providing Filipino children with access to quality education — something we saw in her debut single “We’re In This Together.”

Her next single, “R.Y.F (Raise Your Flag)” then served as an anthem for standing for what you believe in. It was inspired by her historic win at the 2018 Miss Universe in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Gray shared that she’s working on putting out new music this year, with several collaborations with other artists lined up. Who these other creatives are will remain a secret for now, the Filipina-Australian said.

What Gray can share, however, is that her music is taking a new shape — with her upcoming songs somehow serving as a timeline of her most pivotal personal experiences.

“Some of them are reminiscent of my journey in adulthood or even through love, life experience. Even like looking at myself, at my younger self, like who I am now. So it’s a little bit more retrospective,” she said on the sidelines of the National Arts Month press conference.

The 2026 National Arts Month will happen all throughout February, taking on the theme of “Ani ng Sining: Katotohanan at Giting.” It will spotlight art in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao across seven disciplines: literary arts, film, music, architecture, visual arts, dance, and dramatic arts. – Rappler.com