BGYO (pronounced phonetically like an acronym) is a boy band composed of five strapping boys. They’re dressed impeccably with flawless skin and coiffed hair. Comparisons to K-pop bands BTS, Big Bang, Exo and Superjunior are inevitable but make no mistake: the BGYO boys aren’t apologizing for emulating them. In fact, they would like to be them—filling up stadiums and placing in music countdown charts all over the world.
Based on their debut single and accompanying music video, titled “The Light,” the BGYO boys (composed of Gelo, Akira, JL, Mikki and Nate) got the K-pop moves and grooves down pat. The song aims to be an anthem for the youth, with lyrics such as: “Follow the bright bright light, Ohhh, only got one life, let’s live in the moment” followed by a simple na na na na verse so that listeners can easily sing along.
As of press time, the music video has drawn a combined total of almost 1 million views from its official YouTube channel and Facebook page.
During the launch of “The Light,” the boys and the event hosts were throwing the words “P-pop” (for Pinoy Pop) and “Filomenon (Filipino phenomenon)” around. Pundits were fearlessly declaring these boys would be the torchbearers of OPM to the whole world. ABS-CBN, the multimedia network behind the boys, have it all laid out. There are plans to translate the song lyrics to different languages and release them worldwide. They plan to record more songs and do virtual events to gain more fans worldwide. And with digital music and video streaming services available, this is possible.
I sincerely wish the BGYO boys all the luck in the world as they aim for global superstardom. It’s about time a Filipino would be out there proudly representing what our country is all about musically. Apl.de.ap, thanks to his stint with The Black Eyed Peas, is the only global Filipino pop superstar I can think about. Hopefully, when the boys get traction, they would be freer to express themselves and even add more Filipino elements to their songs and their music videos.
Apl.de.ap certainly did that, even putting the cult song “Balita” (by Asin) in the chorus of his namesake song, and talking about his experiences growing up here in the country. Indonesian sensation Anggun always placed ethnic and world music elements in her songs and achieved international fame.
Another thing I wish for the BGYO boys and all the Filipino artists is the support of the country. K-pop as a phenomenon was a the result of talent, good-looks and a whole nation, including the Korean government, rallying behind them. In the 1990s, amid a financial crisis, the Korean government decided that music can help the image of their country and decided to pour in millions of dollars into forming a Ministry of Culture, with a specific department devoted to pop music. Thanks to their efforts, the Korean Wave (Hallyu), referring to the global popularity of South Korea’s cultural economy exporting pop culture, was born. Their music, TV dramas and movies contribute billions of dollars to the economy, not counting the boost it provides to tourism and a positive image for Korea in the world.
“The Light” is available for streaming on various streaming platforms such as Spotify, while you can watch their music video on YouTube or Facebook. Meanwhile, fans who were unable to catch the BGYO launch have a chance to watch it as it streams on February 7 on A2Z at 4 pm, Kapamilya Channel and Kapamilya Online Live starting at 11 pm, TFC and iWantTFC.
2 comments
Waiting for this. Thanks
Yay! Greatly appreciated!