How all-Filipino K-pop boy band SB19 rose to stardom

Sep 27, 2019

All-Filipino K-pop boy band SB19 recently shot to fame in the Philippines with "Go Up."

A "Korean pop (K-pop) band" no longer means a group comprising all Koreans. Its definition has expanded, with more music labels here setting their sight on the global market by recruiting foreign members, dressing up and training them like Koreans.

But there are more adventurous people who do not even include one Korean when launching a band. Jung Sung-han, CEO of entertainment company ShowBT, is among them.

Jung's long-time goal has been the "localization" of K-pop. Hence, in 2018, he showcased a K-pop boy band SB19 in the Philippines, composed of five local boys ― Sejun, Josh, Stell, Ken and Justin. Jung recently became a game changer thanks to the group's sudden rise in the Philippines. The quintet climbed up the local charts including "MYX Daily Top 10," "Pinoy MYX Countdown," and "MYX Hit Chart" with its latest single "Go Up," released in July.

Jung Sung-han, CEO of entertainment company ShowBT who launched SB19

"One big rationale behind SB19's unusual rise is the members' musical talent, which they have been polishing for three years before the debut," Jung told The Korea Times on Thursday at a restaurant in Hyehwa-dong, Seoul.

"Everyone said I was insane to train them for such a lengthy period without making any money. But I launched SB19 after having the members practice singing and dancing for a song 1,000 times until they were impeccable."

As a consequence, the five members display a breathless, "pinpoint" group dance and belt out their lines in unison just like other K-pop groups.

Jung said the Filipinos' patriotism was another contributing factor to the band's popularity.

"SB19 is influenced by K-pop, but the members write their lyrics in Tagalog, a dialect widely spoken in the Philippines," he said. "This has stimulated the Filipinos' patriotism, leading them to share SB19's video on various online platforms."

He added: "The music video has garnered more than 2 million views, while the dance practice clip has surpassed over a million hits on YouTube as of today. In fact, viral marketing could be efficacious in this country, because it is an English-speaking country with over 100 million people."

In fact, SB19 has been spreading its name after an influential Twitter user in the Southeast Asian country shared the band's dance practice video on her account on Sept 2, saying, "So there is this Filipino Boy Group called SB19. They are under a Philippines branch of a Korean Company called ShowBT. The producers are Korean but the lyrics are in Tagalog (written by the members) but I didn't feel any cringe at all! Their dance is also great."

Watch the dance practice video: bit.ly/2maMONW

The quintet's humble attitude is also behind the success, according to Jung. He said SB19 was unlike previous bands in the Philippines in terms of attitude.

"I highlighted the significance of humbleness and politeness to all members, believing these are the key to success," he said.

Now, Jung and SB19 are preparing to make a bigger splash not only in the Philippines, but outside the country.

"In the Philippines, broadcasting stations manage the majority of hot celebrities, so it was demanding to have SB19 ― represented by Korean agency ― on TV," Jung said. "I had to resort to social media to promote the group. But now the stations are calling the band. The members are also learning Korean, aiming to boost their presence around the world."

Jung wants to make use of this opportunity to blaze a trail.

"The Filipinos dub SB19 the first idol group with musical talent in the Philippines, because it is virtually the first group that has gained so-called success," he said. "I hope the popularity of SB19 can spur the country to create more competitive bands and develop its own style of music 'P-pop.'"

Tags: #K-pop;