BANGKOK—I am inside a performance hall here in Central World, one of Bangkok’s biggest malls, together with mostly-Filipino fans who are waiting for SB19 to begin their concert. Most of the fans, who call themselves “A’TIN” (pronounced “eighteen”), seem to feel at home in the venue, singing along to every song even without the lyrics...
Tag: SB19
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‘KPop Demon Hunters’ keeps breaking records and making history
“KPop Demon Hunters” has raised the already fervent Hallyu wave, especially in the Philippines, since its premiere on June 20. The Korean-American animated film has sent explosive ripples worldwide, dominating Netflix ranks and music charts—and making history. “The Philippines loves Korea. That’s why it’s a hit,” Jacqueline Alvarez, a Filipino working mom, said of the...
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Yes, yes, yo, yo, rap is here to stay, to glow, to grow
The first time I heard and saw a male black rap singer on MTV, I was amazed. In the 1990s, such a performer with that rhythmic, staccato-like rendition was hardly ever seen in the local scene. It was as if he was reciting a poem by T. S. Eliot (although white), with J. Alfred Prufrock...
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Bini’s charm and the road to P-pop stardom
True enough, the eight-member girl group was named after either from the first or from the last alliteration of “binibini” (Filipino word for a single woman, a young lady mostly described and alluded to a maiden), a reference to the modern Filipino woman as an independent, informed, sweet yet fierce individual. Without minding, though, the...
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SB19 is on the ‘P-Pop’ road to stardom
The sudden rise of the male pop group SB19 in the music charts, dance showdowns, bigger and wider media outlets like free TV, FM stations, concerts, and social media, has proven one significant thing: Star-making is not the monopoly of private talent management agencies, giant movie outfits, individual discoverers, talent scouts and managers, or big...