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Since childhood, Ian Veneracion has been known as an actor.

This year, Ian is introducing another persona of his as a singer-songwriter, Stephn, which is derived from his real name, Stephen Ian Veneracion.

“I think mas ako pa ito kaysa sa Ian,” said Ian about introducing himself as Stephn.

He continued, “It's like a psychological hack. I think, in psychology, there's a thing called batman effect, where you take on a different persona. It's a part of you, na parang it puts at rest your normal pressures and stuff at the moment.

“It's a rest from your normal ego, which is very refreshing when creating music or any form of art. Parang it's always a fresh start. It's a role play pero it's you also. It's not a mask rather it's taking away your own mask.

“For me, it works very well when I'm creating stuff kasi, kami ni John [Apura, music producer], wala kaming hinahabol na peg, wala kaming hinahabol na 'sound like' o parang ganito, mala-ganito, ganyan. Kung ano lang yung dumating in that present moment, yun na 'yon.”

According to Ian, he had already been interested in music at a young age.

He shared, “Nung bata pa ako, basta yung LP player namin, doon ako lagi. After school, nursery pa lang, doon ako pumupunta.

Basta gusto ko yung psychedelic sounds ni Jimi Hendrix, for some reason. And John Lennon and Bob Dylan. I didn't even understand the poetry of Bob Dylan during that time.

And my favorite, yung classical—Tchaikovsky's Concerto in C. Chuck Mangione, 'Feel So Good.' Yun ang mga ko noon, mga five, six years old.”

Ian Veneracion with music producer, John Apura. Photo by: Nherz Almo

Ian admitted that he used to feel shy about showing his singing talent. He only gained the confidence when he had to do it for his role in the series A Love To Last, where he starred alongside Bea Alonzo.

The actor-singer recalled, “Dati nahihiya ako eh. Actually, nahihiya akong… tamad lang dati. And then it started very late when I did A Love to Last.

“And when they said I can play the piano [and] guitar, I said, for sure, no problem with that. Kasi, I've played the piano and the guitar ever since. Pero nung kakanta na, doon ako medyo nahihiya kasi I wouldn't sing even in front of my wife—ganun ako ka-shy sa kanta.

“'Tapos, wala, I had to pick up the role of Anton Nobrez. And when I'm Anton, parang kumakanta ako nang malaya at saka na-enjoy ko kumanta. Kaya na-enjoy ko na talaga, even after the takes and stuff.

“O nga, life is too short. Why am I not singing? I'm not pretending to be a singer. Not just because you're singing, you're a singer. Wala lang, anyone can sing. Kapag naggitara ka ba, may pressure na dapat na magpanggap kang gitarista ka talaga? Hindi. You can just express yourself.”

At this point, Ian also began to develop an interest in songwriting. Some of the songs he has written include “I Walk Alone,” “Searching for Stephn,” “Tryin,” and “Lights On,” which are part of the EP album Searching for Stephn.

“I realized I'm more of a storyteller when I sing, and I like writing lyrics,” Ian said.

“I love music from Sting, Pink Floyd, and more recently, MGMT. So ever since, parang late lang ako nag-start na ilabas yung CD ko. Kasi dati, I didn't want to come up with an album na masabi lang. Masyadong mataas ang respeto ko sa music.

“And I love the arts so much because my father's a painter. I've been exposed to the seriousness of art. Kaya sobrang pressure din siguro. Nakaka-pressure na parang hindi ka na bata na binigyan ka lang ng crayons.

“'Pag adult ka, marami nang pressure sa utak mo… So yun, back to being a child and just enjoying sound.”

For now, Ian is focused on further introducing his new persona, Stephn. Aside from his first release “I Walk Alone,” he has also released “Searching for Stephn.” Watch out for more releases on various streaming platforms.

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