SB19 is a five-member Filipino boy band comprised of Josh, Sejun, Stell, Ken and Justin and based in Metro Manila, Philippines.[1] They are the first Filipino act trained by a Korean entertainment company to debut in the Philippines.[2] Recently, SB19 found its own niche by taking the K-pop formula and making it entirely its own. SB19 has been a major hit with music fans not just from the Philippines but also from those based in other countries with their own sub-genre called P-Pop[3].
Soon after ShowBT unveiled its first Filipino boy band SB19, an all-Pinoy boy band inspired by K-pop, the group immediately began receiving massive support on social media. Their latest 'Go Up' single has become viral on YouTube[4]. Before the formation of SB19, its members were amateur performers with pop stardom dreams. Then came several years of intensive training and video dance practice for their 2019 single Go Up, catapulting them to prominence. SB19 joined the likes of BTS, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga to become the first Southeast Asian act to enter the top 10 of Billboard's Social 50 list. They also became the first Filipino group to earn a spot on the Next Major Sound Chart by Billboard [5].
Name
The group's name was taken from the initials of their Korean management company, ShowBT, while the number 19 was derived from the country codes of South Korea (82) and the Philippines (63), signifying the strong bond between the two countries which led to the group's creation.[6] However, the members themselves came up with an alternative meaning, using the phrase "Sound Break" to make known their intention to break into the Philippine music industry, and their aspiration to provide a higher standard for other Filipino idol groups to follow.[7] Their group introduction, "Get in the zone, BREAK! We are SB19!" is also a reinforcement of their ambition to become the first K-pop trained Filipino idol group to represent the Philippines on a global scale, and to be an idol group that the Filipino people would be proud to call their own[8].
Career
2016: Formation and Early Years
The Korean entertainment company, Show BT branched out in the Philippines in 2015, announcing a big audition as they were searching for young Filipinos who would like to become professional performers. SB19 was formed by ShowBT Philippines, the Philippine subsidiary of ShowBT Group in Korea, after the five members were selected out of hundreds of aspiring performers, and underwent the same type of training provided to K-pop idols.[9]
Like most idol groups nowadays, SB19 is a result of a harsh cutthroat environment within the ecosystem of the idol mill where only a few can survive among countless hopefuls. The boys would march their way to training from Monday through Saturday, working from 2 p.m. onwards. The day would normally end at around 9 p.m. Except when things needed to improve on or new routines needed to be perfected, they were required to work overtime[10]. They worked hard every day in classes ranging from voice and dance to personality development and body conditioning. The process included regular evaluations and evictions until they were filtered down to five, the crème de la crème which has an opportunity to "debut" and build a bright career just like the idols they have always looked up to[11].
The group debuted on October 26, 2018, with their first single, "Tilaluha". Tilaluha, is a heartbreak ballad, sentimental and soulful. The track was selected for their debut as their management decided to showcase the vocal abilities of the members. The members said they were initially anxious about making their debut, as they brought to the Philippine market an unfamiliar sound and style. And sure enough, they weren't a hit overnight. Their initial effort and promotions, mostly in schools and malls, was met with a lukewarm reception[12].
2019: The Phenomenal Rise
"There was a point when we thought SB19 would never see the light of day. We had sacrificed so much and trained for so long, but nothing was happening, "We even tried singing in different languages (including Chinese, Korean, and Spanish), hoping people would take notice. So we wrote Go Up and gave it our all, thinking it was our last shot. And it became our redemption song."
Their follow-up single, 'Go Up', was released on July 26, 2019, to little fanfare. It was clearly meant to be the last shot SB19 made to make things work. And for a few months after it's released, it looked like they weren't going to — until that fateful night on September 2, 2019. By some chance, a well-meaning user posted the dance practice video on Twitter and Facebook, promoting the group and saying that while listening to their song she "didn't feel any cringe at all." Her post quickly gained traction, and soon enough, SB19 thrust into internet fame's spotlight[14].
The group started to gain attention after uploading their dance practice video for 'Go Up' to their YouTube channel.[15] The 'Go Up' dance practice video became a viral sensation on Twitter after it was shared in the social media platform by a Filipino K-pop fan.[16] This paved the way for the group's appearance in various radio and television shows, as well as coverage from different local and international media, as they continued to gain fans.[17]
On November 2, 2019, SB19 announced their official fandom name A'TIN (pronounced as eighteen), during a Facebook livestream event.[18]
On November 20, 2019, SB19 became the first Filipino act to appear on Billboard's Next Big Sound Chart.[19]
On December 25, 2019, Sony Music Philippines announced that SB19 had signed a recording contract with the record company.[20] On the same date, SB19 released their third single, 'Alab (Burning)', under their new record label.[21]
SB19 also became the first Filipino act to enter Billboard's Social 50 chart, debuting at no. 28 on the week of December 28, 2019.[22][23] Jeff Benjamin, writing for Billboard on February 3, 2020, noted SB19's ascent in the Social 50 chart aided by a growing international fanbase, and sees their rise as an indication that "more artists continue to look east for inspiration and a larger audience".[24]
On March 9, 2020, SB19 was chosen as one of the emerging artists under Spotify's RADAR Program.[25][26][27]
Impact
While Filipino boy and girl bands had been around prior to SB19, such as BoybandPH and MNL48, the boy band is credited as paving the way for the launch of other boy and girl bands managed by a Korean entertainment agency and/or trained by Korean mentors and displaying a similar level of training, skill and talent.[28][29]
Discography
Singles
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title
Year
Album
"Tilaluha"
2018
Non-album singles
"Go Up"
2019
"Alab (Burning)"
Promotional Singles
List of promotional single, showing year released and album name