Carlo Aquino plans to take his music mainstream
Harry Styles of the Philippines? Well, that’s what some of Carlo Aquino’s fans dub him nowadays. We can’t deny it though based on the in-demand leading man’s styling during his recent US tour with ABS-CBN’s talent management group Star Magic.
Carlo embraces the nouveau retro and pattern attention-grabbing ensemble, which makes his persona stand out.
“Grabe naman! Actually, may stylist ako! (I have a stylist!),” he said. “Si Abby Paulino, tinutulungan niya ako pero syempre sinusuot ko rin kung saan ako kumportable (Abby Paulino helps me out but of course, I wear something comfortable).”
We had to interview Carlo via Zoom since we were in quarantine. We noticed that the actor’s HD set-up was moody and music-driven with the iconic Beatles poster displayed right beside him. This led us to talk about his plans in music and his willingness to go off camera just to push his songs out there.
If Harry went from singing to acting, Carlo did the opposite. He even went as far as discussing plans with ABS-CBN Music creative director Jonathan Manalo to show his interest in music.
He shared, “Now, may mga sinusulat akong bagong kanta (I’m writing new songs). Kinakausap ko si Sir Jonathan (Manalo). Iyan iyong kinanta ko sa Star Magic tour na Tulong na sana ma-release! (Tulong is the song I performed during the Star Magic tour and hopefully, it will be released). Sana sa series ng DonBelle o KathNiel!”
It is just ironic right now that even though Carlo went through a separation this year, he still writes songs about love and remains inspired. But he also clarified that it did not mean that his writings were based on first-hand accounts.
“Iyong mga stories sa kaibigan, iyong Tulong nasulat ko iyon dahil sa movie na shi-noot namin ni Lovi. Magkaibigan sila na unti-unting nahuhulog iyong loob sa isa’t-isa,” recalled the actor.
He also takes inspiration from The Bee Gees, Hanson, Matchbox Twenty, Incubus and The Moffats. “Sila talaga pinapakinggan ko at kaya ako natuto magsulat,” he said.
He also noted the improved landscape of showbiz, which allows artists to express themselves more and does not just label them and put them in a box.
However, Carlo promises fans that his acting will not take a backseat. He’s very thankful that from being a family drama regular, six years ago, Star Magic gambled. He has been a leading man with no less than five romance-themed films within the last two years. The latest of which is Expensive Candy with Julia Barretto.
The story is about finding love in the most unexpected places and betting everything you have to fight for it. Carlo plays Renato “Toto” Camaya, a high school teacher, who falls in love at first sight with a hooker named Candy (Julia) after a night of paying to be with her.
Expensive Candy is the first team-up of Carlo and Julia, and the movie displays their onscreen chemistry, from intimate scenes to note-worthy exchanges of lines. Julia was even all praises when it came to her overall acting experience with Carlo, to which he laid down his priorities when doing the demanding scenes.
“Tinatanong ko iyong leading lady, in this case si Juju (Julia’s nickname), kung saan siya kumportable, sa direction na gusto ng director kasi mas maganda kumportable iyong babae (I would ask my leading lady, in this case it was Julia, if she was comfortable with the director’s direction. It’s better if she feels comfortable),” Carlo said.
“Iyon ang main goal ko talaga dahil if comfortable iyong babae, susunod na iyong buong eksena.”
Expensive Candy will start screening in theaters on Sept. 14. Carlo has other films, too, with Maris Racal, Star Magic’s up-and-coming Eisel Serrano and Barbie Imperial. He is in Thailand right now for a yet to be announced project but he is also going back to the US these ber months for more live shows.
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