Having been a choir member in school, Derrick Monasterio dreamed of having a recording album since he entered showbiz. That dream became a reality this month as the “Hanggang Makita Kang Muli” star released his self-titled debut album from GMA Records.

Here are the excerpts of our interview with Derrick during his album blogcon on Thursday, April 14, 2016, at the 17th Floor of GMA Network Center in Quezon City:

On the Concept of the Album:

“‘Yung album na ‘to, pino-focus siyempre yung strength ko which is ballad, meron ding makikita na bagong ako so medyo may pagka-rock din siya tapos may duet…”

On His Improvement as a Singer:

“Kapag kumakanta po ako dati walang emotion e, ngayon feeling ko nailagay ko ‘yung emosyon. ‘Yung tipong habang kinakanta mo umiiyak ka habang nirerecord mo, mga ganung level. Nagka-moment ako dun sa ‘Give Me One More Chance’ track no. 3 kasi it’s all about ano e, ano siya parang nag-break kayo tapos nahingi ka ng isa pang chance kasi alam mong mahal mo pa siya parang ganun.”

On Juggling Several Projects this Year:

“I’ve never been this tired at this point of my life, nakakapagod din ng maraming ginagawa pero at the end of the day fulfilling naman lalo na kapag nakikita ko ‘yung mga comments ng mga tao. Maganda kasi ang project na binigay sa amin maganda po e, maganda talaga like legit, hindi siya typical. Nakikita ko po ‘yung push nila sa akin so I’m happy. People around me, ‘yung manager ko, family ko, total support sila.”

On His First Love:

“Singing is my first love. When I was young, I’m part of the choir so singing talaga ‘yung roots ko at ‘yun yung isa sa mga gusto kong ma-achieve. At isang malaking factor din talaga ‘yung pagsali ko sa singing contests sa school para mahasa ako sa pagkanta.”

The carrier single of Derrick’s EP is “Give Me One More Chance,” written by the award-winning composer Toto Sorioso. The album has two revivals–“Kailangan Kita”–which was given by Ogie Alcaside to Derrick for free, and “Kailangan Ko, Kailangan Mo,” a duet with GMA’s “Bet ng Bayan” winner Hannah Precillas. Among the original songs in the album are “Reyna” by Vehnee Saturno, “Batobalani” by Glen, and “Ang Aking Puso,” a duet with Julie Anne San Jose and composed by no less than the King of Soul, Janno Gibbs.

Derrick’s EP is now available in Astroplus, Astro Vision, The Landmark, and SM Music and Video record outlets nationwide. The digital version may be downloaded via iTunes, Amazon Music, eMusic and Qobuz.

Watch out for the music video of “Give Me One More Chance” to be launched soon on GMA Records’ YouTube channel “GMA Recoords Official.”

Here are some videos from our interview with Derrick:

Derrick Monasterio – “Give Me One More Chance” – Album Pictorial BTS

Derrick Monasterio Talks About His Self-Titled Debut Album

Derrick Monasterio Sings Few Lines from ‘Kailangan Kita’ and ‘BatoBalani’:

Derrick Monasterio Samples ‘Kailangan Mo, Kailangan Ko’ and ‘Paano Nga Ba?’:

One of Derrick Monasterio’s Dream is to Hear His Voice on Radio:

Derrick Monasterio Rates Himself 9.5/10 as a Singer:

Derrick Monasterio Doesn’t Mind if His Album Doesn’t Sell Well: