Swirtty was born in Echelon Tower Malate, Manila to Aladino and Melinda Nibley and lived most of her life in
Quezon City. Nibley is the only child of Aladino and Melinda. She has a very diverse background, her family hails from a multiracial clan, she's half
Filipino, part Japanese, Vietnamese, Scottish, Spanish, and
White American. Her grandfather is Scottish-American and her grandmother is Filipino, Spanish and Vietnamese. She was raised as a
Roman Catholic. Her father was such a big fan of
Vilma Santos that he named his only child after the star mayor's son
Luis Manzano (also known as Lucky Manzano); she was baptized Swirtty Mae Nibley. Her father must have been totally
star-struck as he trained his daughter to sing, starting at age 3. Swirtty's parents separated when she was three, however, they remained on good terms, after which she was raised by her father and grandfather. During her childhood, Swirtty performed at
Manila Hotel,
Manila Pavilion and
Holiday Inn Manila. While at Trinity High School, she was a Rotary Club member. When Nibley was in high school, she and her father Aladino traveled to Tutuban Center every Tuesday and Thursday. She was cast in CU@E ETV39. She joined the television series until its cancellation in 2001. She graduated from Trinity High School in 2003. The youngest and the 6th grand finalist of the
Born Diva TV series, said she could sing as many as 20 songs every day when she reached her teens. She pursued her college at
Trinity University of Asia and finish Mass Communication major in Broadcast Journalism. While studying she also worked part-time at Trinity as a student assistant. ==Personal life and career==