From being the boy wonder who filled up the cavernous Mall of Asia Arena for his 14th birthday concert in 2015, Asia's Pop Heartthrob Darren Espanto is ready to celebrate his successful 10th year in showbiz in another big venue.

His anniversary concert, dubbed "Darren: D10,"  is happening on Saturday, June 1, at the Araneta Coliseum. He will have as his special guests the big names who influenced his career and are also his friends in the industry: Gary Valenciano, Sarah Geronimo, Ogie Alcasid, Vice Ganda, Erik Santos, and  Darren's contemporary in The Voice Kids' first season, grand winner Lyca Gairanod.

Now 23, the dapper Darren says his coming concert follows his evolution as an artist - from being a shy Fil-Canadian kid who tried his luck in The Voice Kids to being one of today's busiest artists who not only dances and sings but also hosts and acts.

He showed his maturity by being more hands-on in his career. "I'm a lot more involved in the creative process for my recent projects, single releases, music videos, and now my 10th-anniversary concert. What I appreciate about my team is that we're all very collaborative. Dati I didn't know much about what I wanted regarding my career or creativity, so parang sumusunod lang ako. Ngayon, hindi na ako natatakot magbigay ng ibang ideas or  ibahin yung direction  ng show. I would  say I have my voice now."

In a media conference for his concert held at Publiq GastroPub in Quezon City, Darren named five friends in showbiz who shaped him and the most valuable lessons he learned from them. Here's his full reply:

1. Sarah Geronimo - "One of the people I've met early on in my career, syempre sya po yung naging coach ko sa The Voice Kids. She always told me to sing from the heart. It might sound simple, pero nung bata ako, kanta lang ako ng kanta, medyo walang emotion masyado, kasi wala pa naman ako mga personal experiences and I really don't know how to deliver that kind of emotion. But when I learned to sing from the heart when I got older, it really made such a big difference in my performances."

2. Erik Santos - "Sabi niya: mag-release ka lang ng mag-release ng mga kanta, kasi that's what we're here for. It's something that you always dreamt of doing, now that you have the opportunity, ngayon mo ba babawasan yung ginagawa mong mga kanta? Syempre yung mindset ko minsan, sana mag-hit sana mag-hit. I realized na it's not about always having a hit single; it's about what you release, the quality of the single that you're offering to the people, and Malay mo, isa sa mga singles na yun mag-hit.So I'm really inspired by my coaches, Ate Sarah and Kuya Erik, because they just keep on releasing singles. They inspire the younger generation like myself  to keep on writing songs."

3. Regine Velasquez -  "Another tip from Mama Reg was to just keep on singing. Tinatanong niya, bakit hindi ka mag-concert, bakit hindi ka mag-show dito sa ganito, ganyan? Sabi ko, Mama Reg, parang nakapressure naman, kung lagi akong nag-co-concert. Sabi niya hindi, napi-pressure ka ba dahil gusto mong mapuno lagi yung mga venue, kailangan ba malaki lagi? Sabi niya, ako nga pumupunta ako sa mga bars nagba-bar tour ako, I do smaller shows, kasi gusto ko lang kumanta, and that's also a way to market yourself, not just to those who wanna watch shows in big venues, but also to people who are just chilling in bars, you know, that's also a way to reach that kind of audience."  

4. Martin Nievera - "Si Tito Martin naman, he gave me tips on longevity. Minsan kapag ASAP nakakausap namin si Tito Martin pag abroad, and then there are times when we open up na parang; I don't know how long I'm going to be able to last in this industry, and I wonder where this will take me. Sabi niya, no, keep doing what you do as long as it's your passion at the end of the day, and you follow what your parents say, which is always to stay humble, malayo ang mararating mo. Isa po yun sa mga tumatak sa akin, kasi I keep on putting this certain pressure on myself to be able to live up to people's expectations, that was me before and then, yun nga, sabi Tito Martin, just keep doing what you love, hayaan mo ko anong isipin nila, like don't care about what other people say, as long as you're enjoying what you're doing now, and wala kang tinatapakang mga tao."

5. Gary Valenciano - "Ang dami ko nang natutunan kay Tito Gary in terms of music, personal life. He's taught me so much in terms of music production, like when I visit him at his house kasi medyo magkalapit lang po bahay namin,  I get the chance to see him in his studio, in his element talaga. Sobra siyang hands on sa lahat ng ginagawa niya in terms of music production. Grabe siyang mag-produce ng sarili niyang vocals, he mixes his own vocals, he creates his own music... nakaka-inspire!" 

"I'm grateful kasi not everyone has the opportunity to be mentored by all of these icons po talaga," the Gen Z singer noted.

Darren performed with Mr. Pure Energy during his "One Last Time" concert, and the spectacular lighting technology used there will also be featured in "D10."

"Ito pong stage ko sa D10 is a lot different from my past concerts in terms of stage design and also the technology. My concert's lights will be used for the first time in the Philippines, so I'm excited. Isa yun sa mga kailangan po nilang abangan," he announced.