Go UP: The Emergence of P-POP

BY JENNIS MAGHIRANG

From nobody to somebody, from dreamer to believer. Trained, dressed, and with the looks of a Korean idol, the first ever all-Filipino boy group which is a product of a Korean entertainment company, ShowBT Entertainment, SB19 is a real show-stopper in the Filipino pop music industry.

The five-member boy group consists of Sejun (John Paulo Nase) the group’s leader, Josh (Josh Cullen Santos) lead rapper and dancer, Stell (Stellevestr Ajero) main vocalist and lead dancer, Ken (Felip Jhon Susob) main dancer and vocalist, and Justin (Justin De Dios) visual and vocalist. SB19 surely looks like your usual fan-crazed K-pop group not to mention their musical style which very much resembles Korean culture but the boys made it clear from the very start that they want to create a new genre of Philippine Pop Music (P-pop) and not be a carbon copy of a K-pop group. Sejun proudly talked about their group name -- SB means sound break while 19 symbolized youthful generation and at the same time, it also represents the combination of the country codes of the Philippines and Korea.

On October 26, 2018, SB19 successfully debuted their song “Tilaluha” and they made their huge comeback on July 2019 with their

single “Go Up” which made them bloom and gain number of fans not just in the Philippines but from other countries as well. Because of the massive support they received, the group ap- peared on many local TV shows, guesting, and mall shows.

However, before the spotlight shined on them, they walked on a rocky road. Each one of them gave up on something to pursue their dreams. Justin and Ken were students but choose to stop, Josh and Stell were an established dance group but they quit, and Sejun was working as a data analysis but decided to take a different path. These five young men took a risk for their dreams. They left Philippines and flee to Korea for the unclear future bringing with them their goal, talent, patience and dedication.

As the Korean wave or hallu is warmly welcomed here in the Philippines, K-pop be- come one of the most popular music genre in the country but SB19 broke borders as they in- troduced themselves. Filipinos and other foreign people were moved with the group’s new music and started wondering who they are. SB19 is now making their own name and continues to introduce P-pop around the globe. Image courtesy of google.com