The local music scene is brimming with young talent, as seen by the likes of Darren Espanto. The 20-year-old singer and performer started his showbiz journey at a young age, and over the years, he's already achieved *so many* milestones in his career. Read on to learn more about this total performer!
Darren was born in Canada.
Darren was born on May 24, 2001 in Calgary, Canada where he also spent his childhood. Darren is the kuya of the family. He has one little sister, Lynelle, who is 11 years old. Darren and Lynelle are pretty close! She has appeared on Darren’s vlogs a couple of times over the years, and their most recent Sibling Tag video gives us a glimpse of their super cute bond with each other.
Darren started out as a The Voice Kids contestant.
Darren sang Jessie J's hit "Domino" for his audition on the first ever season of The Voice Kids in the Philippines. He wowed the crowd and the judges, particularly Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo. Ultimately, Darren joined Sarah's team and finished the competition in second place.
His journey as a performer didn't stop there. In fact, it was only the beginning! Darren is currently signed as a recording artist under MCA Music, and has released hits after hits, including songs like "Sasagipin Kita" and "Tama Na".
Darren is a full-package performer.
At this point, it is pretty evident that Darren truly is the full package as a performer—even The Voice coaches have recognized this ~fact~ years back. Not only has he proven himself as a powerful singer, but the 20-year-old is also suave when it comes to dancing. Catch his dance cover of "Dynamite" by BTS if you need proof!
And if flawlessly executing a choreography isn't enough, Darren proves that he also has what it takes to make his own moves. Check out this dance performance which he choreographed with his good friend, dancer AC Bonifacio (Another fun fact: He also edited the video himself!):
Darren is quite the student achiever in school.
On top of his knack for performing, Darren is also excelling in another field: academics. Darren finished his homeschool program at the Sanston Academy Homeschool of Asia Pacific where he graduated from high school with first honors. He also received several awards, including the Achiever Award and Excellence in Music and Arts. "I thought it was impossible to achieve this. Thankful that I did not doubt myself," he wrote in a celebratory Instagram post. His hard work certainly paid off!
Darren's first acting gig is with KathNiel.
Singing and dancing aren't the only things Darren can do. He also set out to try his hand at acting, and his first film project was with showbiz royalties Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, no less. Darren starred in the KathNiel-led film The Hows of Us where he played Yohan, the brother of Kathryn's character. The film ended up becoming the highest grossing film in 2018! Anyone else wishing for the comeback of actor Darren? Fingers crossed!
Darren has a cool group of celeb friends.
Darren is close friends with a couple of Gen Z industry personalities, including Kyline Alcantara, celebrity twins Mavy and Cassy Legaspi, Kyle Echarri, Leon Barretto, and AC Bonifacio, to name a few. You can tell that he is super close with them just by the cute moments they share on social media.
They are also super supportive of each other and their respective careers. In 2021, Kyline even starred in the music video for Darren’s song “Tama Na.” And when he had a virutal concert, Cassy was all out in promoting it on her own social media accounts. Awww!
Darren once went viral for his resemblance to Korean star Wi Ha Joon.
For Halloween 2021, Darren decided to dress up as Hwang Jun Ho, the police officer in the globally viral Korean series Squid Game, played by actor Wi Ha Joon. Clad in a red tracksuit similar to the ones used in the show, Darren completely nailed his Halloween costume, so much so that fans even pointed out his uncanny resemblance to the Korean actor. And if that wasn't enough, even Wi Ha Joon himself noticed Darren and liked his Instagram picture. Talk about success!
READ MORE:
Darren Espanto Puts In The Work To Be A Great Artist... And A Genuinely Good Guy
Darren Espanto Reveals How He Mentally Prepares For Concerts And Shoots
AC Bonifacio Choreographed This Dance Collab with Darren Espanto
Celebs (Including Wi Ha Joon Himself!) React to Darren Espanto's 'Squid Game' Costume
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