Pepe Herrera’s mental health and healing journeys have led him back to his roots — singing.
“It’s now a blessing for me because my mental health journey, my healing journey have led me to go back some more to my singing roots. Yung matagal ko ng pinapangarap na makapag-sulat ng sarili kong kanta at ma-release siya sa Spotify, it happened. And all of that leads to my first-ever solo concert,” Pepe told reporters on the sidelines of TV5’s “Sing Galing: Sing-lebrity Edition” 2026 grand finals, which was attended by former contestants.
The actor-singer, who finished college at the University of Sto. Tomas Conservatory of Music, announced that his concert on April 21 will be held at the PETA Theater, produced by Backstage Manila. He is also recording an album under Music Monks.
PEPE + The Pillars’ newly dropped single Pause Muna is Pepe’s “love letter to everyone.”
“It’s very much related to my healing journey also,” he said.
In 2025, after departing from “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” Pepe took to social media to open up about his mental health struggles, revealing that he had battled depression and anxiety attacks since the age of 13.
In a past interview with The STAR, Pepe also opened up about the mental health struggles that forced him to step away from showbiz at the height of a thriving career — theater, film and television all at once — back in 2017.
“Simply put, burnout. I didn’t know at that time that it was a manic disorder already, that I felt invincible and I felt I could do everything. Nagpapatawa one moment, then I’ll stop and get angry the next. To the point where my loved ones became scared of me. It was already rage, screaming at the top of my lungs. I was like a volcano,” he recalled in the 2024 interview with this paper.
The breaking point came through an incident along EDSA where he was triggered by a traffic situation and lashed out at his handler who was trying to help fix it. It was one of several wake-up calls that made him realize he needed to step back from work.
He eventually decided to take a year-long break from showbiz, traveling to places like New Zealand, Hong Kong and Switzerland, where he focused on his health and healing, including meeting doctors and holistic healers who taught him how to practice self-love and self-care.
Pepe reflected back then: “Kailangan isipin because I have kids. Dalawa na. So taking care of myself, it’s also taking care of them because if I cannot take care of them if I’m sick.”
Meanwhile, Pepe was a contestant in the 2022 edition of “Sing Galing,” along with Joseph Bitangcol, Aljur Abrenica, and Patrick Quiroz, who won that year’s competition.
He said he felt grateful to be part of “Sing Galing,” which he described as one of the highlights of his singing career.
“In the past few years, not a lot of people know that I sing. Nakikita ko madalas sa comment section, ‘Ay kumakanta pala siya,’” he shared. “So this is my roots. It’s a reminder of the time when my roots were celebrated and this is also the first time sa ‘Sing Galing’ na nakaabot ako sa grand finals. So it’s a great honor and it’s a core memory.”
Former child actor CJ Navato was hailed as the grand winner of the 2026 edition of “Sing Galing.” He competed against Johannes Rissler (first runner-up), Alexa Miro, Jay Gonzaga, Sexbomb Monic and Nikki Valdez.