Much like the global K-pop wave in the early 2000s that originated in South Korea, another musical genre is gaining momentum, this time from the Philippines. P-pop or Pinoy pop is not new, especially in a country already known for its powerhouse musical talents. But in that very category, a deluge of polished boy bands and perfect pop princesses are riding the current wave of Filipino musical success globally.
Take SB19, the all-boy group who made their debut in 2018 after a three-year bootcamp. Members Josh, Pablo, Stell, Ken and Justin, who were picked following an extensive talent search, have already tasted international success with a place in the Billboard Charts as well an MTV Europe Music Awards nomination last year.
The five-piece performed at Expo 2020 Dubai last week much to the delight of their Middle Eastern fan base, which led to the hashtag #MarhabaSB19inDubai trending on Twitter.
Scroll through the gallery below for pictures from SB19's performance at Expo 2020 Dubai:
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Filipino boy band SB19 performed at Expo 2020 Dubai on March 16, 2022. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National -
The band, which consists of members Josh, Pablo, Stell, Ken and Justin, arrived in Dubai on Wednesday morning. -
The band put on a high-energy performance at the DEC Arena but fans reported technical difficulties on the night. -
Expo 2020 Dubai apologised for 'technical issues during the SB19 concert'. -
Dedicated fans turned out to see their favourite band perform live. -
The group are known by the nickname Mahalima by fans. -
Ahead of the concert, they tweeted: 'SB19 at EXPO 2020 Dubai. Mahalima says hi as they get ready for their performance.' -
#MarhabaSB19inDubai was trending on Twitter as the band made their arrival in the UAE. -
SB19 made their debut in 2018 and are known for hits 'Bazinga' and 'Mapa'. -
SB19 were the first Filipino and South-East Asian act to be nominated in the Billboard Music Awards. -
SB19 have a global OPM fanbase; OPM stands for original Pinoy music. -
Loyal SB19 fans at the Expo 2020 Dubai concert. -
The band performed at Expo 2020 Dubai during its last two weeks. -
Filipino actor, comedian and YouTuber Chad Kinis warmed the crowd up for SB19. -
Chad Kinis on stage at Expo 2020 Dubai. -
Filipino singer Zephanie Dimaranan also took to the stage. -
Zephanie Dimaranan is known by her stage name Zephanie. -
Zephanie was the winner of the first season of 'Idol Philippines'.
It's no surprise that SB19 were created by a newly formed Philippines branch of Korean entertainment agency ShowBT, from a country already adept at churning out K-pop stars such as BTS, currently one of the world's biggest groups.
Waiting in the wings to replicate SB19's growing clout is G22, a newly formed girl group launched in February. Created by Filipino talent agency CS Entertainment, the group, made up of four young singers, debuted their first single Bang! on February 25, followed by a music video a day later.
Who are G22?
Announced on February 18 as "P-pop's newest calibre" by their agency, the gun-themed G22, named after the Glock 22 pistol, is comprised of AJ (leader and main rapper), Jaz (main vocal), Bianca (main Dancer and sub-rapper) and Alfea (visual and lead vocal).
According to The Philippine Star, the quartet's debut followed more than a year of rigorous training and workshops. Leader AJ is the oldest of the foursome at 19, having tasted show business as a contestant on reality show The Voice of the Philippines, before she was scouted by CS Entertainment.
Jaz, the youngest member at 17, and Alfea, 18, were already managed by CS Entertainment before being groomed for the group, while Bianca, 18, was discovered on TikTok.
Each member brings a different vocal prowess to the group and have assigned identities: Jaz, is “sultry and elegant” while Bianca is “sexy swag”, AJ is “extreme swag” and Alfea is the “sweet cutie” of the gang, according to The Philippine Star newspaper.
All of them count SB19 as their "idols" in the music scene.
All things associated with the group are gun-themed — their fans are called "Bullets" and their debut song is Bang!.
Their name doesn't signify violence. Rather, it refers to their power and confidence as women, they said.
CS Entertainment vice president Jeff Vadillo called G22 "exciting and cutting edge".
"We want to be part of that wave which will push P-pop to the world stage," he said.
G22's debut follows the launch of another boy band VXON, pronounced Vision, also by CS Entertainment. The four-member group released their debut single, The Beast, in January. Their official music video has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube.
