Filipino Chinese Daren Dyhengco is dipping his toes in local music scene. The Vancouver-based singer and actor is bannering a concert at the Music Museum tomorrow night. Titled Daren D. Live in Concert, the solo show is his first major performance in the Philippines after being discovered in a charity show held in the same venue back in January this year.
Born in San Juan City, Daren studied at Xavier School and continued his education at the Burnett School in Canada when his family migrated to the North American country when he was 16.
“That’s why I’m good at Tagalog,” the 26-year-old beamed during an interview with Manila Standard.
It was at Burnett where Daren became more interested in singing. He had played several roles in musicals and plays, which helped him hone his skills.
“After high school, I auditioned in a North American competition. It’s in 2011 and it was called iPop. I became one of the representatives from Vancouver and we competed in LA. I placed third. Since then tuloy-tuloy na,” the singer, who graduated from Capilano University’s Musical Theater Program in North Vancouver, said.
Daren, who lists Sam Smith, Shawn Mendez, Ed Sheehan, Jonas Brothers, and Maroon 5 as the music artists he listens to, admitted that he’s not from a musical family but it was his grandmother who kind of influenced him to become a singer.
“My grandmother wanted to be a singer when she was young but she wasn’t able to realize that dream, and my mom exposed me to musicals. I think that’s how I started my passion for music,” he shared.
While releasing a single is in the pipeline, Daren plans to kick off his career in music by staging live performances first. And for his show, the audience can expect a lot of “90s hits to today’s top hits, and there will be some dancing, too.”
Daren D. Live in Concert is produced by M.A.C.V. Enterprises, Inc. (owned and managed by Roselle Nava’s aunt Josylin Nava Pacheco).