Roa’s homecoming

As a 17-year-old boy, he is still young, but John Roa has shown and proven that his experience in the music industry has allowed him to transition to an adult—at least mentally and emotionally.

Last Dec. 8, he achieved another milestone as he had his homecoming concert entitled “This is Home” at The Stage of Elizabeth Mall.

After joining contests like “Pilipinas Got Talent,” “Talentadong Pinoy” and “Tawag ng Tanghalan,” he is up for more and has become more serious in pursuing his career in music. He has been in Manila for over a year chasing his dream.

Roa’s friends from Manila also flew to Cebu to support him by performing onstage. Among them were King Badger and Jelai Andres, Emcee Rhenn, Sachzna Laparan and Malaya Macaraeg.

The other guests performers include Jude Pastor, Loop PH, Yad Robal, Babing, Kenning, Chiefrockas and the DFC Allstars.

Roa performed songs from his favorite tracks from Justin Bieber, Original Pilipino Music hits, and some songs from his own album.

He and his fans became somewhat emotional when he asked his parents to stay on stage as he dedicated a song to them.

In an interview, he said that he struggled in Manila, adjusting to the people around him and living with his group without the physical presence of his parents. But he still took the risks to pursue his passion.

Roa is now embarking on a solo career after he left his group to have more freedom in expressing his kind of music.

Roa’s advice for aspiring artists is to “just keep on following your dreams. Be patient. Trust yourself. Trust in God and always, always never forget to look back where you came from and just don’t be afraid to take risks.”