Ben Madilynn
Singer Darren Espanto did not hold back after a netizen criticized his vocal abilities following a recent performance of BTS J-Hope’s “Mona Lisa” on ASAP Natin ‘To.
The performance, which also featured fellow artists Kyle Echarri and Iñigo Pascual, was met with mixed reactions online. One post in particular caught Darren’s attention:
“Dare I say… people who can’t sing need to stop covering his songs. Seriously,” the X user wrote, comparing the Filipino trio’s rendition to the BTS member’s original.
Hi, @sieeoun. Please consider watching my other vocal performances cuz one thing I won’t take is someone telling me I “CAN’T SING” 😂 Attached here are a few of ‘em:https://t.co/3vjILznFm3https://t.co/L0mDmfi8Eghttps://t.co/Q9HvACRpr1 https://t.co/8l8mIzRDex
— Darren (@Espanto2001) May 16, 2025
In response, Darren directly addressed the comment in a repost on Friday, defending his craft and attaching links to several of his notable vocal performances.
“Please consider watching my other vocal performances cuz one thing I won’t take is someone telling me I ‘CAN’T SING’,” he wrote, listing clips from his powerful renditions of “This Is Me,” “Con Te Partirò,” “Phantom of the Opera,” as well as “Chandelier,” and “Bibitaw Na.”
The original post has since been made private, following the online backlash from Darren’s supporters.
Darren first gained public recognition as the first runner-up in the inaugural season of The Voice Kids Philippines in 2014.
Source: Darren Espanto claps back at basher who claimed he ‘can’t sing’
