“A more mature Darren.”
This is what the supporters of Asia’s Pop Heartthrob Darren Espanto can expect from him as he enters a new era in the music industry.
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“‘Yung musicality po nag-iba na siya, from my first single ‘In Love Ako Sayo,’ ngayon nandito na tayo. ‘Pag narinig niyo po ‘yung album na ito, it’s a very different side of Darren. It’s a new era, like I said, and it’s a more mature sound,” he told PUSH ABS-CBN in an interview on Friday, July 4.
The singer-songwriter also added that he reached the point where he knows exactly what he wants with his music.
“Mas alam ko na po ‘yung gusto kong i-release na music, mas alam ko na ‘yung gusto kong maging tunog ni Darren,” he said.
In celebration of his 11th anniversary in the industry, Darren dropped a 13-track album titled “Ikaw Pa Rin,” which includes PBB Celebrity Collab Edition’s eviction song “Paalam Muna Sandali.”
Other songs featured in the album include “Bibitaw Na,” “Hanggang Kailan,” “Paano Kung Tayo Nalang?” “Dati,” “Ilang Beses,” “Iyo,” “ANNAB,” “Di Makaramdam,” “Miss,” “Duyan,” “Iyo” (Chinese-Tagalog Version), and the title track “Ikaw Pa Rin."
Fans had to wait eight long years for Darren’s new album to come out.
“Hindi rin po namin namalayan na andami nang taon na nakalipas,” he clarified. “We didn’t intentionally mean to make it this long before I released another album. Throughout the years since my last album in 2017, andami rin po kasing special projects like for Disney and ASEAN.”
READ: Darren celebrates 11th anniversary with new album "Ikaw Pa Rin"
As he embarked on his new era, Darren has learned to be more involved in the creative process of making songs.
“In terms of musicality, mas hindi na po ako takot mag-experiment. Mas verbal na po ako with my team. Dati oo nang oo lang po ako sa mga demo na binibigay [para sa] mga album ko, but now I’m more hands on,” he told reporters.
For him, being a musician is a continuous learning process.
“I feel like I just continue to grow in the music industry, and I never stop learning as well. That’s why I feel like with every release, there’s more maturity that comes with it. There’s more lessons, there’s more learnings, there’s more growth,” he told reporters.