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Young as he may be, Carlo is unlike most of the stars in his league—for as others opt for the popular genre, he goes for the unconventional.
Looking deep into his soulful eyes, anyone can see that there is more to Carlo Aquino than his physical appeal and list of showbiz accomplishments. Young as he may be, Carlo is unlike most of the stars in his league—for as others opt for the popular genre, he goes for the unconventional. This going against the norm applies not just to his acting career, but also to his music. Text by Jessa Ericka C. Bien. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio and Xylen Geecel A. Punelas. For Carlo, life is music and music is life, and everything everywhere revolves around rhyme and rhythm. “Patay kasi ang buhay kapag walang musika, sa tingin ko ha,” he says intently. He then begins tapping his fingers on the table. “Ito, ‘yang ganyan, music na ‘yan eh. Itong pagsasalita mo, kahit hindi mo alam, music na ‘yan. May tono ‘yan eh.” As his existence revolves around sounds, Carlo admits he uses music to his advantage especially when taking on different roles. “Aaralin ko ‘yung role, tapos kung ano ‘yung bagay dun sa role na sound, dun ako humuhugot [ng emotions],” he shares. On influences and inspirations As a huge fan of reggae and alternative music, Carlo says he is greatly influenced by the legendary artists Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Steve Vai. He also listens to international contemporary hit makers like Incubus, Matchbox 20, and Vertical Horizon. Of course, he appreciates homegrown talents like Brownman Revival, Parokya ni Edgar, Bamboo and Rivermaya. “[Pero] wala na kasi si Rico, eh, [so] iba na ‘yung tunog nila. Siyempre iba na namang level of maturity,” he says, referring to Rivermaya. His admiration for beautiful music he expresses through his own band, Kollide—a fusion of different personalities whose common ground is their love for music. “Kasi may kanya-kanya kaming trabaho talaga, so nahihirapan kaming mag-schedule ng gig, ng practice. Parang nagka-clash kami dun, so ‘yun ang naisip namin,” he says. Carlo and his bandmates stick with the unusual as they spell their band name with a ‘k’ instead of the usual ‘c.’ “Para maiba lang,” he reasons with a smile. Throughout his more than six years with Kollide, Carlo has enjoyed composing and performing his own songs. Writing music ever since he was about 11, the young artist feels a musical piece is defined as beautiful when taken as a whole. “[Kunin mo] ‘yung kabuuan. Kasi minsan may magandang tono, [pero] hindi naman ganun kaganda ‘yung lyrics. Kahit naman minsan paulit-ulit lang ‘yung lyrics basta maganda ‘yung sinasabi mo,” he observes. As a composer, Carlo discloses that he draws inspiration from the lives of other people, and sometimes from his own personal experiences. His compositions though, do not sound much like reggae, as it takes on the combination of two other genres: “May pagka-alternative siya saka pop. Hindi maingay. Sakto lang, ‘yung masarap pa ring pakinggan.” Different loves Carlo explains why he has such deep affection for his music. “[Ang] maganda kasi sa musika, halimbawa nagpe-perform ka, nakikita ka nila, nakikita nila ako as ako, si Carlo Aquino. Hindi katulad kapag nakikita nila ako sa TV, nakikita nila ‘yung role, so parang in a way, ina-admire nila ‘yung role ko, hindi ako,” he says. As much as he loves music, though, you cannot make Carlo choose between acting and singing, as both fields give him a different sense of completeness: “Magkaiba kasi ‘yung fulfillment na nararamdaman ko, eh. Syempre, first love ko rin ang acting.” The actor-musician is even aware of the biases other people might have against him as he strives to make a name in the music industry. “Mahirap talaga, lalo na ako, galing akong artista tapos nag-musika ako. [Baka isipin lang] na trying hard ako, ganun, pero hindi mo naman maaalis ‘yun,” he acknowledges. Despite these challenges, Carlo remains confident of his musicality. “Ako naman, I will continue composing, writing songs hanggang sana, hopefully, eventually, may magustuhan silang kanta tapos makuha ko rin ‘yung respeto nila.” Can’t get enough of Carlo? Then catch him as Ernie in Maging Akin Ka Lamang, weekday afternoons on GMA. You can also tell other Carlo fans what you think about this heartthrob in the iGMA forums.