The phenomenal rise of SB19, Philippine answer to K-pop groups, who beat the odds to become home-grown idols
- SB19 have only released three songs since emerging from years of K-pop-style training but are wildly popular with Filipinos, and soon to release an album
- Their slick dance routines, vocals and looks inspired by Korean pop groups have helped them amass a big following on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Home-grown pop stars in the Philippines don’t get much bigger than SB19 – and nothing appears able to stop the rise of the five-member boy band.
Although they have only released three songs since the band’s official launch in 2018, the Pinoy-pop (P-pop) group – Sejun (John Paulo Nase), Stell (Stellvester Ajero), Josh (Josh Cullen Santos), Justin (Justin De Dios) and Ken (Felip Jhon Suson) – have taken the country’s music scene by storm, breaking boundaries and smashing expectations of Filipino pop music along the way.
Before SB19 (which stands for Sound Break 19) were formed, its members were amateur performers with dreams of pop stardom. Then came several years of intensive training and the dance practice video for their single Go Up in 2019, which catapulted them to prominence.
And, thanks to the sheer force of their fandom, known as A’TIN (pronounced like the number 18), you don’t have to go actively looking for SB19 to find them.