AFTER seven years in the music industry, singer Darren Espanto is ready to take on a more mature look and music style that will be showcased in his comeback concert.
According to an article in the Philippine Star, the former 2014 Voice Kids runner-up is all set to show that he has grown up from the shy 13-year-old child performer who captivated the hearts and admiration of many folks.
“All the songs that I used to sing were, I dunno how to describe them, but mas pambata. And now, the songs that I sing are songs that I wanna perform, you know, and I wanna give my own spin on (them). My look, my physical appearance and stuff like that (are) a lot more mature po and my sound as well,” Darren was quoted as saying.
Of course, he understands that people may not readily take to him as he exhibits his maturity (as evidenced in recent Instagram photos) but he says he is not affected by negative comments in his social media.
“Alam niyo po talaga, isa ako sa mga tao na hindi talaga naaapektuhan sa mga bashers at sinasabi ng haters,” he shared. “Seriously, medyo nawi-weirdohan sa akin ‘yung pamilya ko or people close to me. (They would tell me,) ‘Grabe yung personality mo ‘no? Kaya mong magbasa ng comments mo sa Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.”
He added: “There’s constructive criticism and there’s just criticism. You have to find out how you’re going to be able to react to those comments. Ako, kaya ko siyang basahin na walang reaction kasi kung alam mo namang hindi totoo, bakit ka magpapadala doon?”
He disclosed that his recent photos showcasing his transformation and change in career direction has garnered nods of approval and positive reactions in social media. He also did not want to box himself into a corner and wants to explore new genres.
“You know, I’m still trying to explore other genres as much as I can po talaga. Ayoko pong i-box (ang) sarili ko sa isa lang (na genre). But my team and I thought that this would be the perfect time po talaga na medyo mag-rebrand and mag-iba ng sound and look kasi isang taon na rin po akong hindi nakita ng mga Kapamilya natin on stage,” he explained.
“I’m out of my teenage years, you know, sa decade na yun sa buhay ko po,” he continued. “So, I’m not a teen anymore. It’s part of growing up not just as a person but as an artist din po.”
In the same interview, Darren revealed that he lost his falsetto when he reached 17 years old. He started taking voice lessons with different coaches who helped him.
His growth spurt also surprised him.
“When I was going through puberty, ‘yung height ko po… bigla akong tumangkad. Ewan ko rin po kung saan nanggaling kasi no one’s tall in my family. So, I guess that’s one surprising thing for all of us. Unexpected din, kind of weird. ‘Saan nanggaling yung height mo?’ Yun pong isang comment parati ng pamilya ko,” he said.
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Photo from Instagram/@claudia
And here’s news on another young singer, Claudia Barretto, who is the daughter of Marjorie Barretto and Dennis Padilla, and sister to actress Julia Barretto.
Claudia revealed recently in a PEP.ph article that if she and sis Julia were to make a film project together in the future, she would prefer it to be a short film.
“Honestly, as of now, I think what I would be open to doing is maybe like a short film, and I would want to play myself. I would want it to have something to do with my music. I would want to be the star of the story that I’m narrating,” the singer was quoted as saying.
And if she were to venture into acting, she would thoroughly prepare herself.
“I guess if it’s something that I eventually venture out into, it would be something that I should be prepared for. And if that is something that I think I will be doing, then I will prepare. I will be prepared,” she said.
While her other interests lie in directing and scripwriting, her music career is her main concentration at this time. She took voice and dance lessons to prepare herself further even as she worked on her music the past few months.
“I’ve had the freedom to work on new music the past few months. So, I actually have a lot of songs that I will be rolling out in the next couple of months because that’s what I’ve been working on,” she said, while revealing that her new single, “Nothing To Do,” is a collaboration with rapper Curtis Smith.
“The song is called ‘Nothing To Do’ because it’s about quite literally nothing to do, but having a very special experience with a significant other regardless of having something to do, having nothing to do like it’s kind of what we wanted to reflect with the song. You could be doing completely nothing, but if you’re with the right person, it’s an experience,” Claudia explained when asked about the song’s message.
When asked about her lovelife, the singer begged off, preferring to keep those things to herself.
“Oh my goodness. I am very private so let’s just keep it at that,” she answered.
