Monsters. Beasts. These are adjectives that many casually apply to the five-member mega boy band, SB19. But these words do not evoke Godzilla or any of those movie monsters out to destroy the world, or scare people to run for their lives. On the contrary, people from all walks of life, ages, and nationalities from different parts of the world are getting hooked into what this all-Filipino musical act offers.
What do they offer?
SB19 is known and recognized for their well-written songs with deep meanings and messages, performed with superbly blended vocals of various ranges and depth, with rap parts in various speeds thrown in the mix, well-produced, high-impact music videos with stunning visuals and top-notch choreography.
Their performance, be it in a music video. a live concert or an appearance at the Wish Bus, is considered flawless. That is why they are called vocal or live monsters by their adoring fans called A’Tins (pronounced as “18”). They are also praised for their humility. good manners and quick wit during interviews and interactions with their fandom called A’Tin and non-Filipino fans as well.
P-Pop Debut
Since their October 26, 2018 debut, SB19 was able to rack up achievements, many of them a first for a Filipino musical act in the global arena.
They were the first all Filipino boy group trained under a Korean entertainment company, undergoing the same rigorous training that K-Pop idols go through. But the similarity stops here, since SB19 has always created and promoted Filipino music as part of the genre Pinoy pop (P-Pop).
And They Went Viral...
They almost disbanded when their initial single, a ballad “Tilaluha” received underwhelming response.
But someone uploaded the dance practice video of their second song called “Go Up” that proved to be a career defining moment for this group. Its catchy melody and lyrics, matched with the synchronized dance steps and the vocal harmonization, quickly went viral.
After this, things indeed began to go up for the group. In a short span of time, they accomplished a lot of career-defining feats.
Better than 'Butter'
SB19 entered the Billboard year-end Social 50 chart at No. 6 on December 6, 2020, making them the first Southeast Asian musical group to be included in the Top 10 of the this annual chart.
They became the first Filipino artist to be nominated in the Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist along with BTS, Blackpink, Arianna Grande, and Seventeen on April 29, 2021.
In November of the same year, their song “Bazinga” entered the Billboard Hot Trending Songs at No. 14, making SB19 the first Filipino artist to debut a track on this chart.
But the record breaking feat came the following month. “Bazinga” reached No. 1 on the Hot Trending Songs and later became the song with the most weeks at number one on the chart, surpassing the six weeks run of BTS’ “Butter.”
Youth Ambassadors
Before 2021 ended, SB19 were named as the new Youth and Sentro Rizal ambassador by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. A befitting role for the group since they have always been vocal about their deliberate effort to promote Filipino culture through their music and to help the economy of the country.
The five-member band composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin, continues to break new ground not only in the country but internationally as well.
Gone Global
In the third quarter of 2022, SB19 embarked on a global tour called WYAT (Where You At), which is the title of the carrier single of their Pagsibol EP. They held well-received concerts in the USA, UAE and Singapore after a series of kick-off concerts in Manila, Quezon City, Cebu, Davao.
This is part of the group’s objective to globally promote Filipino music and P-Pop. As a result, SB19 is gaining popularity and fans from around the world. Foreigners got exposed to their music and enjoy them even if most of their songs are in Filipino. Some even attended their concerts to watch them perform, vibe to their music, and interact with them.
This year, the group is on their Pagtatag World Tour which began in June 24th with a kick-off concert in Quezon City, Bacolod and Davao, with stops in Chicago, Arlington, Redwood City, Anaheim, New York, and Washington DC in the USA and Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Edmonton in Canada on their itinerary, where they will also be singing their current hits like “Gento”, “I Want You”, Crimzone, etc. from the Pagtatag EP.
They are currently on the Canadian leg of their tour.
It seems SB19 is truly on a mission to showcase Filipino music through their widely recognized and praised world-class performance.
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