SB19, K-pop’s Filipino boy band, take their cue from BTS and shoot for global stardom

Go Up, their latest single, has gone viral, and they have a strong following on social media. Meet SB19, boy band from Philippines signed to K-pop label ShowBT

‘As a group, we look up to BTS,’ says Sejun, a member of the five-piece band, who hope to be the first from their country to win global recognition

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Filipino boy band SB19 are proving that K-pop isn’t just about South Korean acts.

Published: 7:00am, 20 Dec 2019Updated: 4:02pm, 18 Feb 2020

By Lee Min-young and Kim Kang-min

South Korean singers have been dominating the music scene in Asia for many years, propelling K-pop acts such as BTS and Blackpink to huge success in the region and beyond. But as the sudden success of new Filipino boy band SB19 shows, hot K-pop acts may not necessarily have to come from South Korea in the future.

Behind the popularity of K-pop acts are the South Korean entertainment agencies known for the harsh regimens they put trainees through to reach perfection. Members of major South Korean idol groups are mostly expected to have received more than four years of training.

This management system is unique to South Korea. However, ShowBT, a Seoul-based entertainment agency that has branched out to the Philippines, has become the first Korean agency to bring that training system to the Southeast Asian nation.

SB19’s latest single went viral on YouTube with more than 4.4 million views. They have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

ShowBT’s first Filipino boy band, SB19, immediately won support on social media and their latest single, Go Up, has gone viral on YouTube, garnering 4.4 million views.

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