JK emerges from his shell

Of all the contestants on the premiere season of The Voice Kids, he seems to have changed and grown the most.

When Juan Karlos Labajo — called JK for short — first set foot on the Resorts World stage, his talent was already evident, but he seemed a bit tentative and nervous. Following the competition, and as he grew older, he slowly emerged from his shell and became more sure of himself. His third place finish in the show opened doors for him that he never thought would happen. In a little over a year, JK has recorded an album, did tours and concerts, and even landed a recurring role on the primetime drama Pangako Sa ‘Yo (with Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo) which transformed him into a certified teen heartthrob.

But his biggest achievement to date is recording and releasing a solo album, titled JK. The album, which is under the MCA label, contains songs written by a mostly new breed of composers, like Jensen Gomez (This Gravity), Brad Go (Maybe Love) and Kennard Faraon (Para Sa ‘Yo, This Song Is For You and Summer Time Love). The songs reflect JK’s maturing taste in music, which is more into jazz and mellow genres preferred by adults rather than children his age.

The carrier single is now enjoying heavy airplay on the country’s top radio stations. Of all the cuts on the album, however, the one most special to JK is Di Ka Man Lang Nagpaalam which he dedicates to his late mother.

It was his mom’s wish for JK to join The Voice Kids, but she passed on before she even got the chance to watch him compete. This just made JK more determined to get to the final, with his grandmother and uncle guiding him every step of the way. Even if the competition was tough, he knew that his mom was also there, guiding him.

Now that his career is going full steam ahead, JK can’t contain his happiness. He’s too happy, even, to entertain thoughts of competing with his co-finalists on The Voice Kids, particularly Darren Espanto, who has also released his own solo album and even had a successful birthday concert at the huge Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena. JK is happy for Darren, but emphasized they’re not in competition with each other; rather, since Day One of the contest, they have supported each other. Right now, he says, what’s more important is blazing his own trail through showbiz. He is very happy over all the breaks he is getting, and that leaves no room at all for being envious of the others’ achievements. In fact, he shares their joy while celebrating his own. “Hindi ko maipaliwanag ang happiness,” he says. As he moves further up the showbiz ladder, he clings to a piece of advice that his The Voice Kids coach Bamboo gave him, which is “ang maging humble po at masunurin sa payo.”

At the same time — and in the midst of all the success he’s currently enjoying — JK admits he misses his mom. It doesn’t make his achievements any less important, although they are bittersweet because the person he could have shared them with is no longer around. He wishes he could see her again. “Sana may visiting hours ang Heaven para pwede ako bumisita sa kanya at ma-hug at ma-kiss ko siya, tapos sasabihin ko, ‘I love you.’”

Right now, JK’s dream, aside from furthering his performing career, is to reach out and help those who need it. “Dream ko po na makatulong sa cancer patients at pumunta sa home for the aged,” he says. “Gusto ko na mapasaya sila sa aking talent at mag-share po ako ng aking mga blessings sa kanila.”