Darren Lyndon Espanto (born May 24, 2001) is a Filipino-Canadian singer, and actor.
He first joined a competition at the age of ten, where he won the Masters Finals of the Pinoy Singing Sensation competition in Edmonton.
Espanto was born in Calgary on May 24, 2001.
He is the first child of Filipino registered nurses Marinel Gonzales and Lyndon Espanto, who emigrated to Canada from Isabela.
Espanto also has a younger sister, Lynelle.
His parents taught him Filipino language, particularly Tagalog.
Espanto started singing at the age of three
. He was interested in singing from a young age, and his parents were supportive of his dreams.
As a toddler, Espanto serenaded to his parents with the tunes of Hakuna Matata from The Lion King, which led to his relatives discovering his singing potential and urging him to pursue and hone his raw talent.
2011
At age 10, Espanto won during the Main Edition Finals of the Pinoy Singing Sensation competition in Edmonton on August 20, 2011.
2012
He made his first television appearance at the same age when he joined YTV's reality television The Next Star in 2012; he became the youngest finalist in the history of the show to be included in the Top 6.
However, he rose to prominence after joining the first season of The Voice Kids Philippines.
In 2012, ten-year-old Espanto auditioned for the fifth season of YTV's reality television The Next Star, singing Bruno Mars' "Grenade".
One of the judges, Keshia Chanté, got emotional and told him that his voice was 'unbelievable' and 'controlled'.
Judge Mark Spicoluk, on the other hand, stated that he 'lacked stage presence'.
Nevertheless, after Chante asked him if he was ready, she and Tara Oram said yes, earning him the 'golden ticket'.
He continued to be selected onto its Top 6, singing pop songs such as Rihanna's "Only Girl (in the World)" and Maroon 5's "Payphone" among others.
He also had his own single and music video entitled "Gotta Give A Little Extra", as well as two other singles, "Now" and "Oh Oh Santa" with the other five finalists.
Ultimately, he lost to 14-year-old Brooklyn Roebuck, after singing his own single during the finals.
He was the youngest finalist in the history of the show to be included in the Top 6.
2013
In 2013, Espanto had his first series as a guest in YTV's Life with Boys.
2014
On June 1, 2014, Espanto became a part of ABS-CBN's Star Magic.
Since his appearances on the The Voice Kids Espanto has developed a successful music career based in the Philippines, and frequently performs internationally.
At age 12, Espanto attended Grade 6 at St. Jude Elementary in Calgary, before traveling to the Philippines in 2014 for The Voice Kids.
After passing the auditions, he returned to Canada to write his advanced test in St. Cyril School.
Afterwards, he returned to the Philippines.
Espanto, along with the other The Voice Kids finalists, received a ₱350,000 scholarship from Eton International School.
Upon moving to the Philippines, he went to Eton International School and later on took up homeschooling under The Homeschool of Asia Pacific, an affiliate of the Sanston Academy (Texas) where he completed his senior high school with honors.
In Grade 11, he was awarded with second honors.
In Grade 12, he graduated with first honors and received two special awards, i.e., the Achiever Award and the Excellence in Music and Arts Award.
During the auditions of the inaugural season of ABS-CBN's The Voice Kids that aired on June 1, 2014, Espanto performed Jessie J's "Domino", which he formerly sang during The Next Star at age 11.
Coaches Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo Mañalac both pressed their buttons for him, vocalizing that he 'can be groomed to be a recording artist, a total package'.
Although Espanto revealed that he was Mañalac's front act during one of his concerts in Canada, he still picked Geronimo stating that she could help him a lot in the music industry.
Espanto eventually advanced to the finals after singing Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time" during the live semi-finals held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila, Pasay.
He was the second one to receive the highest votes, after Lyca Gairanod.
Lea Salonga, one of the coaches commented that Espanto is a phenomenal while his mentor Geronimo stated that he was 'a winner and a complete package'.
He also sang "Somebody To Love" by Justin Bieber with some back up dancers, and Star Magic artists.
In the finale, during the first round which was a power ballad theme, Espanto performed Basil Valdez's song "Ngayon" where he received a standing ovation including from the three coaches.
Lea Salonga left a warning to older performers, saying: "To every person Darren idolized, this is a warning to all of you: this kid will outshine you someday".
Once again, Geronimo praised him and said that despite his talent, Espanto never showed superiority and instead listened to his coach.
