Darren Espanto shared the story behind for his collaboration with Belle Mariano for the reimagined version of the OPM hit "Dati."
The song was originally performed by Sam Concepcion and Tippy Dos Santos.
"I didn't expect it at first because it was just a duet that we had to do for [Belle's] concert so ginawa namin 'yung 'Dati' as a live performance. Then everyone wanted for us to do it again on ASAP naman so we did it on ASAP Milan," he recounted.
They then received requests to do a studio version of their "Dati" duet. "Everyone wanted a studio version of 'Dati' by Belle and Darren so then Star Music asked us if we were okay to do our own version, so sakto 10th anniversary ng 'Dati' nun," he relayed.
READ: Darren Espanto embraces ‘new era’ as he marks his 11th year in showbiz
On his experience working with Belle, Darren was all praises for the actress-singer. "Si Belle sobrang dali kausap. She's so game with anything and I am so glad and I am so grateful to have a friend like her na sobrang daling katrabaho, ang dali kausap and ayun nga, genuine din," he shared.
He added: "It was a lot of fun being able to re-record such an iconic song that everyone nows tsaka 'yun to have the go signal from sina Sam and also kuya Thyro Alfaro (composer)."
Their "Dati" version became part of Darren's latest album "Ikaw Pa Rin" which was released in July to mark his 11th anniversary in the entertainment industry.
The album contains 13 tracks. Other songs in the album include "Bibitaw Na," "Hanggang Kailan," "Ilang Beses," "Iyo," and "Paano Kung Tayo Na Lang?" and "Ikaw Pa Rin," among others.
READ: Darren celebrates 11th anniversary with new album "Ikaw Pa Rin"
As per a previous report by MYX Global, Darren highlighted that the album showcases his growth as a musician. "I used to be someone who didn’t want to sing his original songs [...] but as an artist you're supposed to produce your own songs and content—I have that in my mind now,” he remarked.
He relayed that he wrote some of the tracks in the album. "I really like the songs on this album kasi ako ‘yung nagsulat nung ibang kanta,” he shared.