Singer-songwriter Juan Karlos “JK” Labajo recently opened up about a deeply emotional chapter in his life — the moment he tried to reconnect with his estranged father during the pandemic, only to be blocked on WhatsApp.
In a sit-down interview with Karen Davila, JK recalled how he initiated a public search for his German father, Oliver Stolz, whom he never really knew. “I remember posting about it sa Instagram, Instagram stories. ’Hey, this is me. Hi fans. Nga pala, I’m looking for my dad, here’s the only thing I know, here’s a picture of him, wanna look for him,’” he shared.
The search gained traction after a fan’s son from Pampanga offered to help. “We got deep into this whole investigation […] He was able to find my dad’s number,” Labajo recounted.
Hopeful, JK sent a heartfelt message to his father through WhatsApp. “‘Hello, my name is Juan Karlos… I’m the son of Maylinda Labajo. Just wanted to message you, I have a lot of questions I wanna ask… I’m not reaching out for any kind of financial support, but I also just want to let you know that my mom passed [away] like back in 2013 ‘cause of cancer. Just in case you didn’t know.’”
But what followed was something he wasn’t prepared for.
“Few hours later, it was seen. Little bit after that, I was blocked on WhatsApp… It felt like the world fell upon me. It really did,” JK said, holding back emotion. He admitted he made further efforts to reach out, including phone calls, but got no response. “I tried reaching out a little bit more after that. I tried calling, but wala.”
JK, who lost his mother when he was just 12, was raised by his uncle and grandmother after her passing. In previous interviews, he shared that the search for his father wasn’t driven by personal need but rather to fulfill his mother’s wish to reconnect. “I’m not hurt or sad that I didn’t have my dad growing up because I had the love of my grandma, aunt, and my mother,” he said.
Now 23, the OPM artist has since accepted the painful truth and has chosen to move forward with the love and support of the people who never left his side.
