Balladeer Daren Dyhengco on biding his time, seizing the moment
Canada-based Daren Dyhengco’s musical journey began with a promise some years ago, only to be put on hold when the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a standstill. But now that everything has gone back to normal, the Filipino-Chinese artist has found his rhythm again, returning to a passion that he never stopped loving.
Daren sat down with INQUIRER Entertainment and two other writers recently, and what everyone saw was a man who has not lost his excitement for the next chapter of his career. But, looking back on the past years made him realize that while his musical career took a pause, he has come full circle.
READ: Canadian-based Daren Dyhengco wants to make a name in PH
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“It was sad [when pandemic happened], kase syempre excited na e. Ang daming mga nangyari,” he said. “But I believe in the saying that if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Pag hindi mo pa time, hindi mo pa talaga time.”
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Indeed, time was a key element in Daren’s card. Much as he wanted to pursue his music career — he was already recording, performing in some shows, and even held a concert in 2019 —the timing was not right. Rising COVID-19 numbers in the Philippines and the seeming shutdown of most entertainment hubs prompted him to go to his home in Vancouver to cool his heels.
There in that foreign land, the now 33-year old crooner learned patience. He took the time to work on himself and find out what he really wanted to do while biding his time for the new normal to arrive.
During this period, the chinito balladeer took up more voice lessons and even became a personal trainer to make himself physically fit.
“It’s a blessing in disguise na umuwi ako because I learned so much throughout my time there from 2019 till now… I’ve also invested sa sarili ko, lessons, classes. So learning curve talaga siya,” he said.
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“I took [voice] lessons. I took classes. I became a personal trainer. So nung 2019 medyo chubby-chubby pa ako. And then I kind of want to work on my image din. Kasi siyempre it’s very important as an artist, it’s very important to look a certain way,” he said.
And then the offers came in Canada. He starred in a number of stage musicals and theater productions, and even became the lead in some of them.
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These offers gave him a sense of fulfillment, especially if he is in the lead, as he got them on his own merit since there were only a few Asian men being cast on a western stage in Canada and with opportunity to work in the United States. He was flourishing.
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Daren acted in various stages across Canada and he is fortunate to have landed roles in two Filipino-Canadian original musicals — the “Prison Dancer,” and “Mabuhay the Musical.”
“Because I’ve had those experiences, mas parang na-realize ko na pwede pala, pwede ko pala gawin ito sa Philippines din, tapos sa Canada,” he said.
Fast forward to the present, Daren is ready to resume where he left off in the Philippines. He has done his assignment, worked on the visual aspects of himself, and touched bases with his previous contacts in the local industry. He even recently performed at the 58th Mutya ng Pilipinas grand coronation night.
On October 30, Daren is set to hold his comeback concert called “Music and Dreams,” at the Music Museum, with friend Roselle Nava and musical veteran Maan Dionisio as his guests. He said this is his way of retracing his steps as an artist and to show what he has worked on these past years away from the limelight.
One of the highlights of his show would be the release of his song written by Vehnee Saturno — a song about taking a leap of faith and finding assurance.
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“It’s kinda like a message from God na tama yung ginagawa ko, that I am on the right track. Kase marami akong questions dati e. Like, tama ba itong gagawin ko? Is my future gonna be good here? Because I’m so comfortable in Vancouver…. It’s scary, pero, I think it was a good decision,” he said.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.