Named the first Filipino and Southeast Asian act to be nominated in US Billboard’s Social Artist Awards and hit the charts, SB19 takes big leaps forward with their music.
SB19 is a Filipino boy band of five members that compose songs, sing, dance, and rap. Although Pablo, Stell, Ken, Justin, and Josh were professionally trained by ShowBT, a Korean entertainment company that is based in the Philippines, their music style still flaunts Filipino vibe and one that wows the world.
The group was formed in 2016, made their debut in 2018 with “Tilaluha” as their first single, and gained public attention in 2019 after their dance practice video went viral across social media. Besides television and radio guestings in the same year, SB19 also made it onto US Billboard Next Big Sound Chart and Billboard Social 50.
In 2020, SB19 released their debut album, “Get in the Zone”, which features nine tracks, making it again onto Billboard weekly charts and landing at no.6 in the magazine’s year-end ranking.
In 2021, the group marked another milestone as they became the first Filipino artist to earn a nomination in Billboard’s Music Top Social Artist Awards, alongside BTS, Blackpink, Ariana Grande, and Seventeen. They were also recognized at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards as a nominee for Best Southeast Asia Act.
In 2022, they made their first-ever TV guesting in the US through the show, “Good Day New York”. More doors of opportunities opened for SB19, including endorsements, collaboration with other artists, concerts, and events overseas—extending international reach and gaining more and more fans they call “A’TIN”.
Several YouTube vloggers across the globe also praised the group’s world-class talent at rapping, singing, dancing, composing songs, and creativity in producing music videos that showcase the richness of Philippine culture. Check out some of their works below:
Gento
“Gento” is the lead single track of SB19’s second extended play (EP), Pagtatag! (2023), which was officially released in May this year under Sony Music Philippines. It became their best-selling song to date with the music video garnering more than 17M views on YouTube.
From music critics to general audiences, “Gento” received praises for its catchy vibe, the group’s powerful vocals, astounding rap skills, excellent choreography, and the creative concept of shooting in a Philippine quarry.
Some comments read: “I’m not a Filipino but this song is a blast!!”, “That’s it, this is my new fave P-Pop group!”, “This song is so addictive! I’m a new fan”, “Wow outstanding vocals!!!”, “As ASEAN citizen (Indonesian), I’m really proud of you guys. You all set a high standard for other boy bands nowadays”, “Such a masterpiece”, “Amazing performance”, “Banger! Love from Amsterdam.”
The group’s live performance of “Gento” on the Wish 107.5 Bus is also drawing attention locally and internationally: “WOW LOVE FROM Indonesia!”, “Their vocals are more stable than my whole life”, “It’s unbelievable that they can sing this song LIVE”, “They have distinct voices yet they blend well. Absolutely one of a kind group”, “The live vocals, the adlibs, and the face cards!”, “You’re telling me this is live???? This is insane!”, “It’s refreshing to see SB19 establish their own style and vibe as a Filipino group. It really sets them apart and I love it.”
Thus far, SB19 has achieved 129 wins out of 152 nominations including:
- “Most Promising Performing Group” at the 2020 Box Office Entertainment Awards
- “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at the 2020 Wish Music Awards
- “Artist of the Year” for two consecutive years at the 2020-21 Myx Music Awards
- “Top Celebrity Award” at the 2021 TikTok Awards Philippines
- “Band Of The Year” at the 2022 Dabeme Music Awards
- “Group of the Year” at the 2022 SEC Awards – Brazil
- “Favorite International Group” at the 2023 Break Tudo Awards
- “Best Group” at the 2023 Hits 100 Awards
- “Hall of Fame” at the 2023 Village Pipol Choice Award
US Teen Vogue also named SB19 one of their favorite boy bands in the world of all time, alongside BTS, Boyz II Men, One Direction, Seventeen, Backstreet Boys, and more—being the only Filipino act to be mentioned in the list.
Meanwhile, SB19 has announced the group’s departure from ShowBT Philippines to start their own label, 1Z Entertainment. The decision to form a self-management company comes with the vision of breaking barriers in the music scene and help Filipino artists make their talents known to the world.
Besides the passion for the future of Original Pilipino Music (OPM), they also look forward to more creative freedom over their content, which they believe is crucial because they see themselves as visionaries.
“Our goal is to put Filipino heritage on the world map and dominate the industry,” they said in an interview with Next Shark, an Asian American publication.
SB19 is currently on a world tour concert, featuring their second extended play (EP), Pagtatag! (2023), which includes the instant hit track ‘Gento”. They started the tour in the Philippines late in June, and will be entertaining fans across multiple cities in the United States and Canada from July to August.
Written by Myra Bansale for KORB Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Threads
Sources: Billboard 1 2 3 4 | Teen Vogue | ABS-CBN 1 2 3 | CNN Philippines | When In Manila | Manila Bulletin 1 2 | GMA | PEP | Next Shark | Wikipedia
Images: SB19 | Twitter
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