A break-up can do something awesome for one-half of the former couple (or even for both of them).
Some showbiz-loving rascals are saying that breaking up with girlfriend Cassy Legaspi and writing a song about the resulting pain and sorrow are what Darren Espanto should pull off to make him re-overtake ex-friend Juan Karlos Labajo, who is now miles ahead of him in public adulation. Both began their showbiz lives as finalists in ABS-CBN’s The Voice Kids in 2014.
Labajo’s “Ere” is the pop anthem of 2023, even if it was released only in September. Before “Ere” kicked in, the stunning tisoy from Cebu was a half-forgotten singer who had become more known as an actor in the ABS-CBN series Senior High, where all cast members are practically overshadowed by the coltish Andrea Brillantes and her messed-up affair with the cager and occasional actor Ricci Rivero.
But with “Ere,” Labajo reclaimed his position in Pinoy pop music, years after his monster hit “Buwan.” He grandiosely dramatizes in Ere’s video on his Instagram the pain and sorrow he went through when he and model-host-beauty queen Maureen Wroblewitz broke up in 2022. Labajo unleashes in the video the theatrical energies of a street “senaculo” actor he must have become familiar with during his childhood years in Cebu.
Sung lamentations
“Ere” is but the launching single of an entire album of sung lamentations titled Sad Songs and Bullsh*ts Part 1. “Ere” has been irreversibly charting internationally since its release in September 2023.
“The album started out as a compilation of all the love songs that I made for someone whom I gave so much of myself to,” Labajo wrote on Instagram.
“Eventually, things didn’t turn out the way I hoped for. The songs started to not make any sense. All the songs for love turned into songs for sadness,” he added.
By October this year, “Ere” had made history as the first Filipino song to enter Spotify’s global chart. The song debuted at the No. 177 spot with 1.22 million streams, then leapt to the No. 58 spot on the Spotify Top Songs Global.
“Ere” also broke the all-time record for the biggest single-day stream on Spotify Philippines with 1.39 million streams, surpassing American popstar Taylor Swift’s “Mine.”
The singer-songwriter-actor also placed ninth in Google’s Top Searches in 2023 in the male personalities category.
Labajo now talks about the breakup gleefully, almost proudly.
Talking about where “Ere” came from, he recently told ABS-CBN News: “Kung hindi obvious, ewan ko na lang! I’m not really hiding anything. It’s a super given thing that the whole thing was for a breakup. “Ere’”is one of the songs that I made for my relationship that ended, so that’s it.
Wroblewitz has not openly reacted to her ex’s admission. She has a new boyfriend whom she refers to in her social media posts as “love”, but whose name is Noah Steinbuch, also a model. Last 31 October, she posted a video of their first Halloween together, dressed up as characters from the iconic Keanu Reeves movie The Matrix.
‘Bibitaw Na’
Espanto, for his part, actually did well in 2023, though not as sensationally as Labajo did. Espanto also released a single in September, “Bibitaw Na,” his first with
ABS-CBN Star Music (while that of Labajo was released by another company though both singer-actors do shows on ABS-CBN).
“Bibitaw Na” is an anthem for those who have healed from past relationships with a toxic environment. It’s about moving forward and having the sense of release from all the negativity they endured in the past,” announced Espanto on ABS-CBN News.
The upbeat track was written by the pop heartthrob and produced by ABS-CBN Music creative director Jonathan Manalo.
The singer-actor who was born and raised in Canada is in the cast of When I Met You in Tokyo, the entry of Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon in the ongoing Metro Manila Film Festival
In October, Espanto announced that he would start using just “Darren” as his showbiz name.
The breakup that Darren must have become familiar with is between Cassy’s twin actor brother, Mavy Legaspi, and fellow GMA 7 Sparkle star Kyline Alcantara.
It’s mostly the male idols in failed love affairs who end up with lackluster careers afterwards. Kathryn Bernardo and Kim Chiu are sizzling in their latest film and TV involvements, while Daniel Padilla and Xian Lim practically wallowed in the background for most of 2023.