The ‘blessing and curse’—but mostly blessing—of being an OPM icon’s son
When someone is born to a celebrated artist, they either follow in their footsteps as if it were a foregone conclusion, or deliberately go another direction. Theater actor and singer David Ezra falls in the latter.
From as early as he can remember, he has been hearing the voice of his mother, the OPM icon Dulce. Growing up, he would tag along to her shows, and without fail, people would ask the same questions: “Can you sing like her? What’s it like to be the son of someone like Dulce?”
And without fail, he would answer that, honestly, “it’s both a blessing and a curse.”
“It was always like that. I feel like it’s the same for every child of a famous artist. May ganung fear na, my God, ang hirap naman. Dulce is Dulce. Narinig niyo naman kumanta nanay ko,” he says in a recent roundtable interview. “When you’re young and exposed to that, aatras ka eh, natatakot ka.”
Rockstar dream
Can he sing like his mother, you may ask? How about he doesn’t sing at all? Instead, he spent most of his teenage years being an instrumentalist—piano, drums, guitar. In college, he doubled on electric guitar, grew his hair long, and formed an underground rock band that played Razorback and P.O.T. songs.
That was the dream. Or so he thought. One evening, after watching Ezra play in a smoke-filled, beer-soaked bar, Dulce congratulated her son. “Grabe, ang galing-galing mo talagang tumugtog,” she said. “Pero alam mo, ang gift mo talaga is singing.”
It was something she had always held in her heart, but she never insisted, Ezra says. Still, somehow, he ended up majoring in voice at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music. “Kusa na lang nangyari,” he says.
The thing was—aside from his conscious choice not to sing—he didn’t really know exactly how to use his voice. Like his mother, he has always had a big, booming sound that he felt didn’t fit the R&B hits and pop balladry of the Jay-Rs and Christian Bautistas of his generation. And despite being a classically trained tenor, “takot akong kumanta,” he admits.
The stage beckons
But that all changed in college after Ezra was asked to join musical revues of Broadway hits like “Miss Saigon,” where he played Chris. That was the first time he felt the thrill of applause and a standing ovation. Professors and fellow students told him his voice was “one of a kind”—“puwedeng pang-international.”
It was just what he needed to hear. It gave him the confidence—and the push—to pursue theater. In 2009, he became part of Repertory Philippines’ “Sweeney Todd,” and in 2015, he starred in “Mabining Mandirigma.” He went on to land lead roles in “Aurelio Sedisyon,” “Binondo: A Tsinoy Musical,” and “Huling El Bimbo”—the latter two earning him a reputation as a romantic lead onstage.
“I didn’t realize that my kind of voice would allow me to do those kinds of shows,” says Ezra, who was also invited to sing at high-profile state events, including the 2017 ASEAN Gala Dinner attended by world leaders. “I didn’t think I would be able to perform in front of those people.”
That he ended up in theater was a surprise to him, let alone film. In 2024, Ezra made his cinematic debut in the musical film “Isang Himala”—an entry to the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF)—where he reprised the role of the filmmaker Orly from the stage revival “Himala: Isang Musikal.”
His performance there earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the MMFF and the Gawad Urian.
From stage to screen
While theater has been his home for the past 16 years, his experience in film has opened Ezra’s eyes to what else may lie beyond the stage. Now, managed by fellow theater veteran Carla Guevara Laforteza, supported by Viva Artists Agency, he’s finally ready to further broaden his horizons.
“It’s a new avenue for me. I want to know more about what it’s like to work in front of the camera. This will be beneficial to me as an actor and help me hone my craft,” Ezra says.
And since he’s already known for romantic and dramatic roles in theater, he might as well bring that experience to the big screen. While young heartthrobs abound today, the pool of male leads in their mid to late 30s is smaller. His management feels he has the potential to occupy that space and take on projects similar to those of JC Santos or Carlo Aquino.
“I have been doing romantic leads in theater—‘iyakan habang kumakanta. That has been my forte for the longest time. I think making the transition will be comfortable,” he says, adding that he eventually wants to grow into a reliable, versatile character actor in the same vein as John Arcilla. “I would love to try villain roles, too.”
After the ongoing restaging of “Mabining Mandirigma,” where he’s reprising his role as Emilio Aguinaldo, Ezra plans to start focusing on his career expansion.
Now, looking at how things have turned out and continue to take shape, he can’t help but think that mother really does know best. “Mapupunta rin pala ako sa pagkanta at pag-arte kahit nilayuan ko siya consciously,” he says.
“This is the Lord’s blessing and maybe the universe’s way of saying that this is my destiny.”
