For years now, the Hallyu Wave has taken over the world. The K-Pop industry has produced multiple acts that have successfully dominated the international music scene, from BIGBANG to BTS to Black Pink. The K-Pop machine owes its success to a long-standing formula that puts potential superstars through years of training and supervision. Given how successful K-Pop bands have been in recent time, the whole world is taking note and emulating its strategies.
The Philippines is one of the largest consumers of K-Pop. According to Koreaboo, a recent study listed the country as one of the top consumers of K-Pop videos. The study was conducted from July 2018 to June 2019 based on YouTube viewership of K-Pop videos. The Philippines ranked seventh out of 10 nations, having 6.8% viewership across the country.
The Filipinos' fascination with K-Pop has led to the country having its own pop groups that are likened after K-Pop acts. In 2016, an all-Filipino K-Pop girl group named Tem5ive was introduced, becoming one of the earlier non-Korean musical acts to gain entry in the K-Pop scene. The five-member band performed at concerts and even held fan meets in South Korea, establishing a dedicated fan base.
At present, one particular all-Filipino boy group is trending in the country just only a month after their big debut.
SB19 is a five-member boy group that recently released their first song, "Go Up". Unlike other Filipino groups that are patterned after the typical K-Pop style, SB19 prides itself as being the first Filipino group with all of its members having completed training in South Korea before their debut. They are also being managed by the local branch of a South Korean entertainment company called ShowBT Entertainment.
The group members, Sejun, Stell, Josh, Ken, and Justin, follow looks and aesthetics similar to most K-Pop boy groups. They underwent three years of training in South Korea. Member Josh revealed to Filipino TV show "iWitness" that that had a nine-hour vocal and dance training everyday while enjoying a one-day break every week. For their debut single "Go Up", the group rehearses 30 times a day to perfect their choreography.
Their songs are mostly in Filipino, with some English included in the mix, and are produced by a South Korean producer.
During a press conference, SB19's leader Sejun, said that their group aspires to showcase the talent of Filipinos to the world. "The Filipinos are so talented in many things," Sejun told reporters, as quoted by Koreaboo. "We want to show how talented Filipinos are, how we are all-rounders."
