Darren shares with PARCINQ his new undertakings in the music scene and a few more exclusive contents about what he has been up to recently while preparing for his most-awaited comeback this month.
Known for belting Jessie J's 'Domino,' which literally turned heads, child prodigy Darren Espanto is making a comeback. His musical success, highlighted by his The Voice Kids career, is now taking a shift. Six months since the release of his 'Believe in Christmas' single, Darren releases his latest single, 'Tama Na,' hinting that he is ready to take on a more mature career veering away from his usual child-like, playful color.
In his new journey into music, he explores his potential as he takes a lot of inspiration from local music legends: Gary V, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Alcasid, Lani Misalucha, and of course, Sarah Geronimo, his 'ate coach' whom he has worked with but wasn't able to produce a song out of work.
“Those are people I've worked with on stage and have done performances with but not really collaborated on an actual track."
During the interview, he also had a little fanboy moment as he gushed over global music artists: Jessie J, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, and Bruno Mars. He wants his career to reflect their timelessness and growth in the industry.
“I’ve always wanted to work with Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Jessie J., and Ariana Grande. Those are people I’ve looked up to ever since I was a kid. Wala pa po ako sa The Voice Kids, they were already releasing tracks that I would listen to. I get so inspired by their musicality and their artistry. Over the years, makikita mo rin yung growth nila as an artist and as a person, yung maturity. The Weeknd and Bruno Mars are very similar. Instead of making their sound more modern, they both take it back to songs our parents listen to from 70s, 80s, 90s. [With] Jessie J, really bow down to her vocals. Her songs are so inspirational. After listening to her songs, you feel like a badass. I wish more people knew how great she is. With Ariana Grande, with each era, she has this different look, different sound, and the whole album just completes it.”
As he turned 20 last month, he opened up about his wish that the pandemic would be over and finally see his supporters face to face. Along with his family and friends, he is mainly inspired by his Darrenatics, who have been with him for seven long years, from making his debut in The Voice and until now that he is preparing himself for an edgier vibe in his comeback concert, finally happening on June 19 (Saturday) with a rerun on June 20 (Sunday). He dedicates his upcoming digital concert "Home Run" to all the people who've been with him for years in the industry and are ready to take on this new path with Darren. He has felt the need to be more intimate towards them after the support he's getting throughout the years.
“Because if they weren’t there to support me in the first place, I wouldn’t make it this far. I wouldn’t make it in the industry, 7 years later. I just feel so blessed and grateful to all their efforts. I just can’t thank them enough minsan talaga zombie mode na rin sila, kasi they just stay up all night voting or streaming or tweeting. I’m just really grateful for them. I really miss seeing their faces in person.”
Now that he is gearing for a fresh take in his career, Darren is keeping himself busy with TV appearances as well as relearning other skills that we could all look forward to. He was into piano as a kid and wants to take piano lessons once again which could help him produce his own songs and perform more. Interestingly, he also played the alto saxophone back in highschool which not a lot of artists can play.
Tickets for Darren Home Run: The Comeback Concert are still available for purchase via KTX.ph, iWantTFC, and TFC IPTV.
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Want to know more about what Darren has been up to lately? Check out and learn about his ‘Most Recent’ here:
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