Asia’s Pop Heartthrob Darren Espanto marks his 11th year in the music industry with the release of his latest full-length album Ikaw Pa Rin, his first under Star Music.
The 13-track LP includes five songs written by Darren himself: “Bibitaw Na,” “Hanggang Kailan,” “Ilang Beses,” “Iyo,” and “Paano Kung Tayo Na Lang?” which he co-wrote with Angela Ken.
The title track Ikaw Pa Rin is a collaboration with DJ M.O.D., capturing the theme of unwavering love through catchy melodies and the distinct styles of both artists. The two also teamed up on “ANNAB,” which features a music video starring Ashley del Mundo, now available on ABS-CBN Star Music’s YouTube channel.
Darren reimagines “Dati” with Belle Mariano, a duet they first performed at her BELOVED concert. Another standout collaboration is “Duyan,” performed with ABS-CBN Music head Jonathan Manalo, who co-wrote it with Robert Calma.
The album also includes PBB: Celebrity Collab Edition’s eviction theme “Paalam Muna Sandali” and the Chinese-Tagalog version of “Iyo,” first featured in Can’t Buy Me Love.
Rounding out the album are two more original tracks: “Di Makaramdam” and “Miss.” Darren rose to fame as the first runner-up of The Voice Kids Philippines Season 1 in 2014 and continues to evolve as one of the country’s top pop acts.