If you’ve been on Facebook in the last few weeks, which you probably have, then you might’ve seen this video going around of a boy group dancing completely in sync with each other in an all-white room. For some of you who might not have read the caption then you might’ve just thought it to be another one of those K-Pop groups but guess what? It’s P-Pop!
P-Pop, or Pinoy pop, is exactly as what you think it would be, and a group that I think is really worth checking out is SB19, the boy band that’s been getting a lot of attention for their dance practice video that’s gone viral.
Before I get into things, I’d like to add in a little disclaimer: I’m not an expert on the music industry. I’m just a big fan of K-Pop.
With that being said, here are some fun facts on SB19 that might get you into them:
- They’re all Filipino. ‘Nuff said.
- They were trained under a Korean entertainment company.
- All the members wrote their latest track, Go Up.
Recently, the group’s been interviewed by the news, magazines, radio stations– they’re everywhere, basically. And it’s pretty clear that the boys of the group want to make it big. However, they make it a point to say that they’re not trying to be a K-Pop group, and that they want to be able to reach larger audiences with Filipino music.
As a K-Pop stan myself, though, I can’t help but notice the similarities. For starters, they have positions just as any Korean group would: a leader, rappers, dancers, vocals, a visual, and even a maknae, or in SB19’s case, a bunso. I don’t quite mind this as much because having positions in a group actually allows for more organization, and somehow, there’s an element of surprise when a member does the unexpected (like if the lead rapper sings and vice versa).
Aside from that, they also post videos on Youtube that are pretty similar to that of other K-Pop groups, such as BTS’ Bangtan Bombs or LOONA’s LOONATV. The videos are pretty fun to watch, though, especially because you get to see their personalities, and their jokes are most likely to be more relatable to us Filipinos.
It also doesn’t really help that their leader’s stage name is Korean when there doesn’t seem to be any reason for it.
I’m not saying any of these things are wrong of them to do, really, especially when they’re simply following in the footsteps of their own idols. In fact, because they’ve followed along the same path, they’re giving P-Pop the attention it deserves. These were just some things I noticed after they stated that they weren’t trying to copy K-Pop.
And to be fair to SB19, I personally think they’re a massive upgrade from what P-Pop used to be (Pop Girls, anyone?) and because of the years of training they had, they’re miles better than some of the groups we still see now. (Yes, I’m talking about GirlTrends/GT and their How Do You Sleep? performance, which was probably only rehearsed on the day that they had to perform it.)
The SB19 members have the talent — imagine having stable vocals while performing quick and intricate dance routines — and they have fun, relatable personalities, too. It’s no wonder they’re making waves on social media.
But will they ride the wave, rise to the top (or go up, as their song goes), and make P-Pop as big as K-Pop is now? Or is this just a passing phase that’ll die out once people forget about them? I’m hoping for the former.
I can’t wait to see what SB19 brings to the table, and while it’s still a little too early to tell, I have a feeling they can really make a great impact in the Philippine music industry.
