Juan Karlos Labajo

Juan Karlos Labajo (born February 5, 2001), also known as JK or Karlos, is a Filipino-German singer. He is part of ABS-CBN's Star Magic and also a part of MCA Records and also known as being one of the best actors in his drama series entitled MMK (Maalaala Mo Kaya).

He auditioned for ABS-CBN's reality singing competition The Voice Kids. The series was broadcast in June and July 2014. Labajo was a finalist, finishing in third place. He subsequently made his first television appearance as an actor after he was cast in ABS-CBN's family drama series Hawak-Kamay the following month.

Personal life

Early life
Juan Karlos Labajo was born on February 5, 2001, in Berlin, Germany and raised in Consolacion, Cebu, Philippines to Filipino mother and German father.^[2] Her mother died when he was twelve years old, on November 17, 2013.^[3] He now lives with his uncle Jovanni in Manila. He and his uncle enjoy being together and contributing to the environment.^[4][5]

Education
Before he joined The Voice Kids, Labajo experienced bullying, especially in school.^[6] The bullies, who usually acted in groups, teased and punched him because of his looks.^[6] Although his Caucasian looks gave the impression that his family was well-off, they were, in fact, in debt and were forced to move often. To help out, Labajo collected and sold junk.^{[Note 1][2]} He later revealed that at the time he made the semi-finals of The Voice Kids, his grandmother Erlinda asked for financial support from Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III.^[3] Although the amount was only P100, he was still grateful for the governor's support.^[7]

Influences
Labajo stated that he wanted to have a career in the entertainment industry since he was very young because he wanted to leave a mark in the world. He was also influenced by his late mother, who hoped he would win a television singing contest.<ref name="TVK Top 4 Finalist

Career

The Voice Kids

Labajo performed his own rendition of an Adam Sandler song, "Grow Old With You", for ABS-CBN's The Voice Kids season 1 blind auditions, which was broadcast on June 7, 2014.^[8] Coaches Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo Mañalac both pressed their buttons to choose him for their teams. Geronimo praising his storytelling.^[9] The double selection gave Labajo the choice of coaches, and although Geronimo invited him to be a guest star at her upcoming concert, he ultimately picked Mañalac. His new coach called him "the funniest kid I have ever met".^[9]

Labajo advanced to the four-person finals after singing "Sway" during the live semi-finals held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila.^[4] In the public vote, he received the third-highest total of the semi-finalists, after Lyca Gairanod and Darren Espanto.^[10] During the first and second rounds of the finals, Labajo performed "Yesterday"^[11] and "Runaway Baby"^[12] by The Beatles and Bruno Mars respectively. Coach Lea Salonga said, "You have the looks, the charm, and the heart. With those three, you're guaranteed a future in this business."^[13] Mañalac gave him a similar comment: "I see a singer, an artist, and possibly an actor. I see someone who has the charisma to do it all."^[13] For the final round in the finals, Labajo sang a duet with Gary Valenciano, the upbeat song "Eto Na Naman".^[14] At the end of the competition, he once again came in third in the voting.^[15]

Hawak-Kamay and Star Magic

Labajo was cast in ABS-CBN's family drama series Hawak-Kamay. A preview on August 15, 2014, showed him with the show's cast.^[16] His fellow The Voice Kids finalist, Lyca Gairanod, joined him in the cast on August 22.^[17] Labajo, along with the other three finalists, officially became a part of Star Magic, ABS-CBN's training and management center, in mid-August.^[18]

Filmography

TV drama series

Reality and variety shows

Concert

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

• Official website