Filipino boy band SB19 announce Dubai stop on world tour

The group is performing at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium in November

Filipino boy band SB19 are about to embark on a tour of the US and Canada. Photo: Sony Music Middle East

The band consists of members Josh, Pablo, Stell, Ken and Justin. Photo: SB19 & ShowBT Philippines Corp

The band en route to Dubai for a concert in 2022. Photo: SB19 Official

The SB19 performing at Dubai World Trade Centre last year. Ruel Pableo for The National

They made their music debut in 2018 with the track Tilaluha. Photo: Sony Music Philippines

The group found success with their second single Go Up. Photo: ShowBT

SB19 have founded their own label called 1Z Entertainment. Photo: SB19 & ShowBT Philippines Corp

Popular Filipino boy band SB19 will perform in Dubai on November 24 as part of the Asian leg of their Pagtatag world tour.

The concert will take place at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium in Oud Metha, the quintet said in a live video.

The boy band, made up of Pablo, Stell, Ken, Justin and Josh, concluded the first few stints of their world tour in August, where they performed in major cities such as Manila, New York and Vancouver. The next phase is focused in greater Asia, with performances in Singapore, Thailand and the UAE.

More cities will be announced soon, the group said in the 42-minute video on their official YouTube account.

The group has been making headlines in recent months for breaking into international music charts with their take on Philippine pop or P-pop. In May, they cracked the Billboard World Digital Sales top 10 chart with their song Gento. They are the first Filipino act to be nominated in the Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist and the first South-East Asian act to enter the top 19 Billboard's Social 50 charts.

Their songs, as well as their overall style, are reminiscent of K-pop, which has dominated the music world. Fans in Dubai can expect SB19 to perform their hits such as Go Up, Mapa and Bazinga.

This is not the first time the group is performing in the UAE, home to one of the biggest Filipino expat populations in the world. They marked their first live performance abroad in March last year when they performed at Expo 2020 Dubai. They returned to Dubai in October as part of their WYAT tour.

A history of SB19

They formed in 2016 after participating in a talent contest held by ShowBT Philippines, a subsidiary of the South Korean company ShowBT.

The members were originally selected to be performers for company events, but former ShowBT chief executive Jung Sung-han saw their potential and decided to instead turn them into a boy band.

SB19 perform at the Dubai World Trade Centre in 2022. Ruel Pableo / The National

They have since amassed a huge following, particularly among those who are already fond of K-pop. In an earlier interview with The National, Pablo, the group's leader, said their “transition of us from being 'nobodies' to being well-known was fast”.

“We never expected that we will be able to come this far in our careers,” added fellow member Ken.

The group recognises its K-pop influence, which is obvious in their energetic choreography and colourful style. But they said they are also inspired by Filipino and Western acts.

“I think the main thing that we got from K-pop is the inspiration to train in order to become better artists,” Pablo said.

In June, the group announced they had left ShowBT and founded their own label 1Z Entertainment, which they also explained in the live video posted on Sunday. They aim to support other Filipino artists and make local music more recognised globally.

Tickets to the November have yet to go on sale.