In recent months, one cannot deny the rise to stardom of “Nation’s Girl Group” BINI and the continued prominence of P-pop Kings SB19. With both groups inching their way to becoming household names as well as global hits in the international music scene, their success brings immense pride and joy to the country.
However, this level of fame and success by both groups did not come overnight.
For the longest time, boy and girl groups were mostly associated with the K-pop industry as big names from the various generations of idols in South Korea seemed to be the only ones that reached mainstream success worldwide. Because of this, it comes with no surprise that avid Filipino fans graciously gave their support to such groups while those emerging from the Philippines were met with raised eyebrows as there was an assumption that they were only “copycats” of the real deal.
SB19 knows this all too well since their debut in 2018, which was met with various criticism ranging from their looks and style to how people perceived them to be trying too hard to imitate the famous South Korean acts at the time. Meanwhile, the reception for BINI’s debut in 2020 was more tame but only drew the interest of a few.
Despite the drawbacks, the two groups persevered and continued with their musical stints, consequently growing their respective fanbases as they showcase their talents to the country and the rest of the world.
Their continued efforts in producing high quality music and unforgettable performances to their fans eventually led to their success, earning them international recognition through various awards as well as opportunities to showcase their music not only to their fans in the country but also to foreign crowds.
Notably, BINI received the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Philippines Women in Music, the National Outstanding P-pop Female Group of the Year at the Excellent Filipino Awards, and the Voices of Asia Award at the Billboard Korea Billboard K Power 100 this year.
Meanwhile, some of SB19’s accolades this year include the Most Popular Recording/Performing Group at the Box Office Entertainment Awards, the Favorite Asian Act at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, the Favorite Pop Culture Moment and the Gen Z-Approved Hit at the Nylon Manila Big Bold Brave Awards, and the Voice of Asia Award as well.
With both groups garnering the attention and praise of the public both locally and globally, the perception towards P-pop groups among those who were initially skeptical about their debuts seemingly saw a tonal shift as more came to realize how much they had to offer. Because of their show-stopping performances rivaling that of global acts mixed together with their masterfully produced pop songs, more people saw just how capable P-pop groups could actually be.
The number of people who came to love the groups’ music notably increased as songs initially left ignored following their release began topping the charts for weeks, such as with BINI’s “Patropiko,” “Salamin, Salamin,” and their most recent single “Cherry On Top.”
They have also been garnering more attention with collaborations with famous artists and music producers like with SB19’s singles together with international record producers Ian Asher and Terry Zhong (“Moonlight”) as well as Black Eyed Peas member apl.de.ap (“Ready”).
The continued success of the two groups also paved the way for more people to pay attention to the rising P-pop groups such as G22, Alamat, HORI7ON, KAIA, Pluus, 1st.One, New:ID, BGYO, and many others.
Now, as the P-pop industry continues to thrive with both BINI and SB19 at the forefront of it all, P-pop groups have definitely cemented their place in OPM as well as the global stage and serve as the prime examples of the incredible world-class talent that the Philippines has to offer the global stage.
