Sam Concepcion: There’s so much more to do after 16 years in showbiz

As an artist who wears many hats, Sam Concepcion believes he still hasn’t reached the peak of his career and he still wants to achieve more — may it be in the movies, music or theater.

“I’m in many different lanes. (I think) you can measure that (success) in different ways,” he said in a virtual call. “But if one would say that I haven’t reached my peak, I think that’s a good thing. Because then, if I have reached my peak, wala na akong ibang kailangan gawin or you know there’s nowhere else to go. And I really feel there’s so much more to do. I have so much more to learn and to experience. And so, I’m in a best position I’ve ever been para sa akin.”

Sam started in show business when he emerged as the grand winner of ABS-CBN’s Little Big Star in 2006.

He recently renewed his contract with Viva Artists Agency (VAA). The 30-year-old actor-singer appeared in the movie Miss Granny and was the lead actor in the film Indak opposite Nadine Lustre. He is set to star in HBO Asia’s fantasy series Halfworlds.

Last year, he bagged the Male Pop Artist of the Year award at the 13th PMPC Star Awards for Music for his single Loved You Better alongside Iñigo Pascual for his single Lost. He previously shared the stage with Billy Crawford and James Reid for The CR3W concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and played the lead role in the musical Joseph the Dreamer.

Having been in the industry for 16 years now, there are still things he wants to do like staging more concerts when it comes to his music and taking on meaty roles when it comes to acting. In his words, he enjoys being a versatile artist, “And so, as much as I can, I’ve never really parang (gone) to just one lane. Kasi feeling ko hindi ako ganung type of artist.”

“The challenge for me (is) when to portion time kung ano man yun. (Like) when will I make movies? When will I make songs? Or when will I do theater? So that’s a challenge for me every year na kung paano i-da-dive or how we will juggle different things. But I don’t think I will ever find myself doing just one thing,” he added.

Sam is also not closing doors on doing sexy roles. “If it’s tastefully done, if it’s a good material then, you know, I’m also still an actor and I’m willing to act,” he said.

He is also willing to try a dancing competition, like Billy. “Yeah, why not? That would be an interesting challenge,” he remarked.

On how he’s able to keep a loyal fanbase, Sam shared, “If you stay true to what you do and make excellence a habit, and you deliver what you do with passion, the people will love with what you do, regardless.

“And so it’s not so much trying to hold on to, you know, people trying to love you but really it’s what you give that you get back. And so I believe that if I just keep doing that, it will bear good fruit so yun lang. Galingan lang natin every time.”

Sam decided to stay with VAA because it has been a “very productive” move for him. “I like staying where I will grow. And I really did feel that nung nandito ako sa Viva despite na most of my years kinain ng pandemic years,” he explained.

“As in kakalipat ko lang nun, I think it was 2019 when I did Indak and The CR3W (concert) and Para sa Broken Hearted (film). And then kinain na ng pandemic years yung time ko with Viva.”

“And despite all of that, you know, there was plenty of work that was done, movies that were made and songs that were released. I have no doubt that this is where I’m supposed to be,” he declared.