Roll Up, P-Pop!: The Future of the Filipino Music Industry

SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL

NOWADAYS, TEENAGERS ARE into music, whether Korean Pop, Original Pinoy Music, or other foreign songs. They are supporting these kinds of music since it inspires them to do well in their lives just like these three learners from Grade 11 Senior High School of University of Nueva Caceres who share their stories when they discovered Pinoy Pop (P-Pop) and why they admire them.

“P-Pop is a Filipino Pop Music genre similar to what is more popular today as K-Pop (Korean Pop). I think, for me, P-Pop is our country’s way to keep up with the music industry today knowing that a lot of people from the younger generations today are really into this type of music,” Sandara Ricafort, a Grade 11 P-Pop fan from GAS B, shared.

Since the 1960s, songs popularized by large commercial vocalists. Many people believe the advent of a superstar pop-rock group, the Eraserheads, in the early to mid-1990s to be a turning point in the OPM music scene. Following their triumph, a slew of significant bands rose to prominence but at the start of the 2000s, P-Pop fell and it was because Filipinos were introduced and focused more on foreign songs.

P-Pop groups rose again, in 2018, as MNL48 showed their talents to the people. This group was followed by SB19, BGYO, BINI, Alamat, and other groups. Know more about their journey, as they became the stars as they are today, performing in front of different people. SB19: Kings of P-Pop

MNL48: The First Idols

According to The Guidon, Manila 48 (MNL48) has 13 sister groups all over the world, including Japan. The hunt for members was broadcast on ABS-CBN to develop an existing audience, and the first audition for MNL48 was held on November 10, 2017, by Hallo Hallo Entertainment. Anne Curtis, Billy Crawford, Karylle, and Jhong Hilario hosted the segment on Its Showtime in early 2018 that determined the members of the group’s first generation.

Over the span of their three generations, MNL48 has a total of 110 original members. They have a general election every year, that is why, as of May 2021, MNL48 has 35 members and 10 trainees. These members have a golden rule, which is a love ban, where they are not allowed to touch or shake hands with the fans and even celebrities for them to focus on their careers.

People who support MNL48 are called “MNLoves” and some of their popular songs are Dalawang Pag-Ibig Niya, 365 Araw ng Eroplanong Papel, and River. This group is a recipient of the Huwarang Kabataan Award by PPOP Awards for Young Artists, and its 2nd Single, Pag-Ibig Fortune Cookie has garnered Gold and Platinum Record Awards from Star Music and Philippine Association of Record Industries.

SB19 is under ShowBT Philippines and composed by Josh, Stell, Sejun, Justin, and Ken. Josh, the group’s lead rapper, revealed in an interview on GMA’s i-Witness that they would train for nine hours every day, with only one day off a week. He also stated that they would practice a song and dance routine 30 times a day to reach 1,000 practices to show a commitment to excellence considering that no one paid them much attention in the early days of their career. “I like SB19 because they really have the talent and I can see that the quality of their music is really good. Each member of the group also has a very inspiring story and their journey to achieving their success now inspires me. I also wanted to support them because I can see their potential to represent Filipino music with the world,” Ricafort said.

The fandom name of SB19 is “A’tins” while few songs of the said group are Go Up, Alab, and MAPA. SB19 has a lot of awards but the recent nomination that made the Philippines proud is they got nominated for Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) together with other artists from different countries.

BGYO: Heartthrob Princes

Under ABS-CBN’s Star Hunt Academy, this five-member group officially debuted last January 29, 2021, as the South Korean MC Doctor and Direk Lauren Dyogi led them. Becoming the change, Going further, You and I showing the world what it means to be, Originally Filipino (BGYO)

The Future of the Filipino Music Industry

consists of Gelo Rivera, Akira Morishita, Nate Porcalla, JL Toreliza, and Mikki Claver. They had been training for approximately three years. According to one of their interviews, training was difficult especially because they were separated from their families due to the pandemic. Having them stay in one place served as their training ground as well as a way to know each other more. “The group that I stan is BGYO and Bini. I stan them because as I watch their training videos, I saw their dedication, perseverance, and hard work to become an idol”, Reign De Leon from Grade 11

ABM-A said. Their fandom name is ACEs and the songs that they released for the first three months of their career are The Light, He’s Into Her, Feel Good, Pilipinas, featuring KZ Tandingan, and

Runnin’ in collaboration with Keiko Necesario.

For this year, they debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart, announced by Star Music. ALAMAT: The Monster Rookies

BINI: P-Pop Princesses Same with BGYO, BINI is under ABSCBN’s Star Hunt Academy and is led by the

South Korean MC Doctor and Direk Lauren

Dyogi. They also trained in the same house and were separated from their families. This group is composed of eight members, namely: Jhoanna Robles, Aiah Arceta, Colet Vergara, Maloi Ricalde, Stacey Sevilleja, Mikha Lim, Gwen Apuli, and Sheena Catacutan.

BINI debuted their pre-debut single ‘Da Coconut Nut’ on It’s Showtime before making their official debut in June 2021. Everyone went crazy, prompting a barrage of praise for their stage presence and synchronization as they showcased their talent on national television. Since then, the number’s official Facebook post has gotten over two million views, with a Twitter fan post getting about a million views, as stated by ABS-CBN News. The fandom name of BINI is Bloom, with the infinity symbol replacing the Os as inspired by the group’s tagline “walo hanggang dulo”. Their songs released are just their pre-debut song, Da Coconut Nut, and their debut single, Born to Win. They were also nominated for Push Music Personality of the Year last 2020.

Under Viva Entertainment, ALAMAT began to demonstrate their capabilities by singing in several Philippine languages and expressing Filipino culture through their colorful clothing, rather than following the lead of other groups. Taneo, Mo, Jao, R-Ji, Valfer, Gami, Tomas, and Alas are now housed in a shared area where they are all trained for 12 hours a day. Together with their vocal instructor Zebedee Zuiga and dancing coach Jim Amen, they attend daily dance and singing courses, as well as acting seminars.

Another student, “Catherine”, not her real name, from Grade 11 GAS B stated that she discovered this group when she watched OPM and P-Pop songs on Youtube and after several videos, the song, ‘Kbye’ by Alamat played. By that, she started to admire this band since they support their fandom, as they express their thoughts and radiate positivity.

Alamat’s fandom name is “Magiliw” because it represents being loving or affectionate. Their debut song is Kbye that has Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Bikol, Waray, Hiligaynon, and Bisaya languages, according to ABS-CBN News. Also, PhilStar stated that this group recently charted on Billboard’s Next Big Sound, and is widely regarded as the fastest Filipino artist to reach the world music scene.

“P-Pop groups like SB19, BGYO, Bini, and Alamat represent the music of Filipino. We must support them because they are only spreading our music. If we can support other international artists, then why not support these P-Pop groups as well right? P-Pop music is created for the Filipinos. It’s always better to appreciate the things that we have or what we call ‘sariling atin’ because we should be the ones to support each other, not the other way around,” Ricafort explained as she was asked the importance of supporting P-Pop.

The five groups mentioned above are just a few of the many uprising groups in the Philippines. These groups are still developing which means that they are still training just to hone their skills in performing and being an idol or an inspiration to everyone. One way for them to grow is by us, getting a glimpse of their talents and giving them the love that they deserve. If we can support groups from different countries, then it is not difficult for us to recognize and support the true talents of the Filipinos.