Mark Carpio expands musical horizons

Mark Carpio expands his musical horizons now that he is with Viva. The balladeer introduced himself in the recording scene via a 2016 album that carried such hits as Hiling (with more than 60 million streams on Spotify, said Mark), Kay Tagal and Ako Na Lang Sana. He has also done covers like Ric Segreto’s Don’t Know What To Do (Don’t Know What To Say).

“Marami akong pi-ne-prepare na mga bago (I’m preparing a lot of new songs),” Mark piqued the interest of select media members who attended his recent virtual media call. “I will be releasing first Through The Years, a cover, originally (sung) by Kenny Rogers... I’m (also) preparing two more songs, medyo ang feels niya ay K-Drama… I’m also preparing another song. A lot (of artists) have been doing love songs but we rarely write songs about the first love that we encounter, which is from our parents.” Mark has indeed something up his sleeve that every listener can look forward to. His take on Kenny Rogers’ signature tune will commence this another turn in Mark’s music journey.

Prior to this latest career development, Mark was just a dreamer, who, making reference to his single Hiling (also the title of his debut album), wished and prayed for a singing-and-songwriting career.

Mark shared that he started his music career a bit late, at the age of 28. He prioritized his studies first and worked for a family business. Mark has Entrepreneurship, Real Estate Management and Master’s (in Business Administration) degrees under his belt. “But I started singing when I was four,” he recalled. “I learned how to write (songs) when I was 12. I’ve been doing it for a long time, I’ve been doing it on the side since then.”

Mark considered writing songs a journey. “Hindi naman lahat ng sinulat mo ay magandang kanta, hindi naman lahat ng sinulat mo ay relevant (Not all the songs you have penned are good and relevant),” said he, whose song-genre preference is eclectic and diverse (from guitar-oriented to pop and alternative). Mark was also part of an underground rock and roll band before he decided to go mainstream. The latter led him to try his hand at ballad, which has become his strength and core.

“I never expected to get where I am now,” said Mark, who just wanted his songs to be played on the radio and for listeners to enjoy them. It was a dream come true and it continues to be evolving to this day.

“Actually marami akong plano (I have many things that I would like to do),” said Mark. One of them is to write songs for the movies. “I’ve always dreamed of hearing my songs in a movie,” said Mark in a press statement. With Viva Records and Viva Artists Agency behind him, Mark is definitely on the right track and in the right company. “I’d like also to explore acting,” he said, “although it is something new. I also welcome other things that will make my career grow.” Mark added that he would also like to do collabs with artists like Sarah Geronimo and Janine Teñoso.

Although he has already made a mark, Mark never rests on his laurels and continues to embark on new musical endeavors.