From glossy dance tunes to rough, explosive power anthems, P-Pop boy band SB19 shows no signs of slowing down as they turn their dreams of bringing Pinoy music to the global stage into a spectacular reality.
Having been recently nominated in the same category as international acts such as Ariana Grande, BTS and Blackpink for this year’s Billboard Music Awards, the boys are one in saying that the whole thing felt very “overwhelming” to them.
“It’s overwhelming for us since we’re just rising and starting, but we already received this opportunity, so we’re very thankful. And although we haven’t received any announcement of the winners, we feel na panalo na kami sa sarili namin dahil it’s the first time for a Filipino artist to be included or nominated sa Top Social Artist,” said main dancer and vocalist Ken.
Nevertheless, the group is thankful for the immense support they received from everyone, especially their indefatigable fans who support them wholeheartedly 24/7.
“Sila talaga yung dahilan kaya patuloy kaming umaangat despite everything that’s been happening,” said lead vocalist Pablo.
Moving away from their sleek, dance and ballad heavy concept of Get In The Zone, the group tries their hand in a rougher, rock like concept with “What?,” an explosive single with gritty, powerful vocals. In explaining the concept behind the anthemic tune, the boys shared that they wanted to make something that would “boost the morale of people” during the pandemic.
“Parang nasa battlefield tayong lahat. Like we’re all fighting for something, whether it be business, our lives or the people we love. So naisip namin; why not make something that would really motivate or boost the morale of people. Binigyan talaga namin ng grit yung labas ng kanta, ginawa talaga naming rough para maging anthem na talagang mag–a-uplift sa tao,” explained Pablo.
The single not only allowed SB19 to experiment with a rougher vocal performance, but also to display their storytelling capabilities, as the boys themselves came up with the post-apocalyptic concept of the song’s music video.
“We had more than 50 percent involvement with the ‘What?’ music video,” shared Ken. “Ako personally, gumawa ako ng concept or storyboard para sa music video. And then I asked the opinion of the other members, nag-collaborate kami until nakapag-come up kami ng isang buong idea. From there, nakipag-collaborate kami sa staff namin para ma-improve pa namin. We really tried to be involved with everything.”
Following the release of “What?”, which just hit over 10 million views on Youtube, the group also released their new single “Mapa”, a slow, thoughtful ode to their very supportive parents.
“It’s a shorter term for ‘Mama and Papa’, and at the same time nabuo niya yung word na ‘mapa’ or map in English. Sinasabi dito na sila yung naging gabay natin sa pagtanda natin sila yung naghelp at nag aaruga sa atin. So in this song, gusto namin ibalik yung pagaaruga at pag gabay nila sa amin at sabihin na; ‘Kami na muna, kami na yung gagawa’” Pablo concluded.
Both “What” and “Mapa” by SB19 are available in major streaming platforms.