After a breakup, Sam Concepcion said you could either wallow in self-pity or move forward.
He chose the latter.
“You don’t want to dwell in the dark, because it won’t do you any good,” said the 23-year-old singer-actor, who called it quits with Jasmine Curtis-Smith in early 2015, after almost three years of dating. “I’m focused on bettering myself, my craft, which ultimately is what’s important.”
Everyone deals with emotions and difficult situations differently, Sam pointed out. In his case, he channeled his energy into working on his third full-length album, aptly titled “Bago,” which was launched recently.
“Eventually, you find yourself in a creative bubble, and everything’s seemingly possible. You’re like, ‘Yeah, let’s go do an album.’ And it just flows,” he told the Inquirer at a press conference, adding that he’s in no rush to enter a new romantic relationship. “I’m enjoying this time of growth and learning, which I need more of.”
But while he insisted that he’s in a “good place” at the moment, Sam couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised about the news that Jasmine is now seeing someone else—someone Sam actually knows. “I know the guy…a friend of a friend. I wouldn’t have thought that it would happen. But you get used to it,” he said. “He’s not a close friend, but he’s nice.”
More open
Sam, who’s part of the ongoing ABS-CBN drama series, “You’re My Home,” seemed more open to discussing details of his past relationship this time than he was a couple of months ago, at the height of the issue.
SAM Concepcion
“It took me quite some time before I was able to wrap my head around the situation,” admitted Sam, who has already gotten used to being prodded about his personal life, no matter how much he tries to separate it from his show biz career.
“You have to live with it; it’s just the way things are,” he said. “There’s always a time to talk—and a time not to.”
Heartbreak or sadness is just as good a musical inspiration as happiness—a creative currency of sorts, said Sam.
So, while some tracks in his latest album, like the R&B-inflected “1sang Daan,” features punchy, midtempo beats, the words usually tell a different story.
“I was coming from a place that’s very real, and the album will show that,” Sam, a product of a talent search, “Little Big Star,” related. “The music feels alive to me, as I was more hands-on here than I ever was. We didn’t just put together songs that I thought sounded good.”
Other standout songs in the eight-track album are “Kalsada,” a danceable electronic dance ditty, and the titular song, “Bago,” a ballad that exudes a retro soul vibe reminiscent of The Stylistics’ music.
It’s important, Sam said, to dabble in different styles of music to avoid getting boxed in a single genre.
“I guess my core and my voice will always be more suited to pop and R&B, which I’ve been doing for a while now. But I love exploring. If I want to highlight my vocals, I’ll do smooth R&B tunes. If I want to show personality and energy, I’ll do more dance ditties,” Sam said.
E-mail apolicarpio@inquirer.com.ph