Posts
Another undeniable fact is that our countrymen are our own worst enemies. Despite foreigners praising us for our hard work, talent, and dedication, many of us can't bear the thought of seeing another Filipino succeed where we, ourselves, failed. Heneral Luna once said that our greatest enemy is ourselves, and that couldn't be more true. The song, Ang Bayan Kong Sinilingan, perfectly encapsulated the truth that the worst fight we will ever face is our in-fighting. We are set on our old ways and anything that doesn't fit with what we are used to is unacceptable. It may be a hard pill to swallow, but the majority of us can't imagine our own people doing things that are not Filipino-like.
Our consumerism revolves around the idea that exported goods are better than locally produced goods. We see white, blonde people as beautiful, but we hate our own people for trying to be the same. The world has advanced so much around us, yet here we are. We are still stuck in our thinking that our ways are the only way for our country and our people. All while embracing fashion, music, entertainment, and ideology from other countries because they are "cool".
When KPOP began to gain traction outside Korea in the early 2000s many, even their own people thought nothing good would come out of it, but eventually, it began to break into the international scene. Now, wherever you go, there's a Korean song playing sung by a KPOP boy or girl group. Just like American hip-hop and pop music, many Filipinos warmly embraced the newest trendy music. This phenomenon is what established the fact that Filipinos are willing to spend thousands and travel long distances for their idols. Something that none of the entertainment giants in this country had thought to capitalize on.
Filipinos are naturally talented in singing and dancing. We have Asia's Nightingale, Lani Misalucha, Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, and let's not forget our Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga. We, Filipinos, are known as belters for the majority of us can nail high notes like it's just another Tuesday. Unfortunately, it is hard to be successful in the Philippine entertainment industry without backup or the looks required to appeal to the public. If a person doesn't have proper promotion from big companies, rarely that talent alone could carry someone to fame and success.
And then SB19 came along in 2018. Trained under a Korean entertainment company based in the Philippines, they were only supposed to be event performers, but they were too talented to be hidden and tucked away. Their debut song, Tilaluha, a beautiful ballad that was supposed to capture the hearts of the Filipinos didn't even scratch the hearts of the public. They did everything they could, but without an established company promoting them, it was absolutely impossible for them to be noticed. Realizing that maybe, stardom wasn't for them, they decided to release another song as a last hurrah, Go Up, but still nothing. Doing everything they could with what little resources they had, they tried to hold on a little bit longer. With happy happenstance, they uploaded their dance practice and were noticed by someone. One person made a significant impact in their story and turned their fate around. That was the beginning of their journey.
Undeniably talented, it wasn't hard for people to start noticing them from then on. They gained the attention of many, especially those who had nothing better to do than to troll in the online world. Dubbed as KPOP wannabes, bashed for their looks because they weren't handsome enough or looked expensive enough, and called names by people who could barely make ends meet not because they couldn't have a better life but because they weren't working hard for it. People can say that they became famous overnight, but their success isn't.
Have you seen an artist, any artist, treated so badly in their own press conference except in a drama series or movie? I never imagined it could happen in real life, but it did. Insulted and disrespected by people you would expect to show respect towards the artists, but this became a defining moment for them. Armed with humility, confidence in one another, and blessed with intelligence, they held their own and responded so elegantly to each and every blow. But this wasn't the last of the painful moments SB19 had to face throughout their career.
During the press conference, one reporter kept repeating that they didn't sound like PPOP and asked more than once if any of them were gay. This reporter even directly attacked Stell's appearance and personality and openly doubted his sexual orientation. Instead of allowing the negative energy to swallow them whole, Stell honestly responded that he was not gay and even if he was, there was nothing wrong with that. Josh, his long-time friend even came to his rescue and said that it was just the way he was. What's funny is that the person who kept attacking about gender orientation was gay, yet he made it sound like a problem.
Pablo, the leader of the group, showed how eloquent and mentally capable he was and shushed people about their claim of SB19 being KPOP wannabes. He said nobody owns a specific genre of music. KPOP itself was inspired by American pop for music is a universal language, which is absolutely true. Music, along with everything else in this world is not owned by one race or country. If we are to study the world's history, what we see around us is influenced by migration, colonization, and trade from the old days. Even a country's traditions have similarities with other faraway countries, and this is because people since the Stone Age have been traveling, setting roots, and building homes in different lands.
Many Filipinos think that OPM is a Pinoy trademark of music, which is solely about sad and novelty songs. If it is about professing undying love, songs for broken hearts, or cute songs, it's Filipino. This is the ignorance that kept many of us from exploring what good music actually is. A sad excuse that allowed those undeserving to get the spotlight to earn tons from people who would consume it. There is nothing wrong about wanting to have a little something to relieve stress, but to make it the standard of what Filipino music should be is disappointing.
Music is like a painting. It delivers a story, a message, meant for the listeners to discern and understand. A song is a movie of words, sending us into a world where we can see another meaning in things we thought we already understood. Just like movies, there are good, better, and best songs, and then there are the undeserving songs. How do we rank a movie? Isn't based on production quality, acting, story evolution, and the story itself? The same could be said about the songs we listen to. There are songs that when you listen to them, there's no need to analyze. No amount of brain cells had to be used because the lyrics and the message were too easy to understand. These are the type of songs that the general Filipino mass prefer the most. We always like it easy.
As a Filipino, I have long understood that most of us want everything set for us. When we try to find a job, many of us complain about the high standards set forth by the companies searching for new employees. It's as if it was the company's job to accommodate our mediocrity. Even the simplest requirement of having a pleasing personality is something we complain the most about. Imagine when you go to the department store and a salesperson approaches you, offering a skin care product. Would you be convinced to buy if the person standing before you has a face riddled with acne? How can one sell a beauty product while having so many skin problems?
Or how about a salesperson offering a toothpaste product while having bad breath and a filthy-looking set of teeth? Let us all be honest for once. Would you be interested in coming into an establishment offering cleanliness and elegance while the crews walking around looked like they hadn't bathed for days? This is what a pleasing personality means. A presentable person who could confidently promote the products and services offered by the company, yet we complain about it. I am living in a community that used to be a constant route for rallies, and truth be told, many of those people who come and join such activities are those who hadn't worked a day in their lives. Some of them never tried to make their lives better, yet they want the government to secure their future. We hate it when much is expected yet we demand big rewards.
This ideology shows through our preference for music. We can't support our own talents, yet we would spend so much in supporting foreign acts, not because their music provides quality and great lyrics, but because they sound cool and it is what's trending. We would spend so much time learning a foreign language so we could fit into the world of our foreign idols, yet we couldn't even care less about our own. It is easy for us to appreciate those outside our reach because we see them as the standard, yet when one of our own shows something similar, or even better, we hate them for it.
@jrprincess07 Kaya kayo blessed kasi ang babait nyo...ang mahalaga mas marami kami na nagmamahal sa inyo lalong lalo na ang A'Tin...We love you Mahalima! ❤🤗🥰 #SB19 #MAHALIMA #sb19_pablo #sb19_stell #sb19_justin #sb19_josh #sb19_ken ♬ SLMT - SB19
@jbo_22 GENTO @officialsb19 #nocopyrightinfringementintended #fyp ♬ original sound - Jo
@mommy_else A'TIN knows the job very well, noon. Pero ngayon, ewan. Nabalewala bigla yong RESPETO at BOUNDARIES bilang fans. Nakakalungkot lang na habang lumalaki Ang fandom , dumadami din ang mga Hindi nakakaintindi. 😔.Sana maging lesson to sa ibang A'TIN na nagbabalak na namang mag camping sa labas ng 1Z office o di kayay lapitan sila kahit rest day nila. Guys , nakakahiya sa mga lumang tao na Todo Ang pag iingat at pagbabantay nila sa mga boys noon. #1zentertainment #sb19official #SB19_JUSTIN #SB19_KEN #SB19_PABLO #SB19_STELL #SB19_JOSH ♬ original sound - ItsElse
Notice how A'tin automatically moved away in unison from Josh when he stepped close to the barricade? That is the A'tin culture born from love and respect. Something that our lumang tao (OG A'tin) wants to maintain. This is the treatment that SB19 deserves because of the love and respect they gives to us. It is always a two-way street and the reciprocity has always been palpable within the fandom.
When there is a barrier between the fans and the idol, fans normally feel like they have to do everything they can to reach their idol. They must be noticed no matter what happens, and it can become a cause to develop an obsession. SB19 is consistently showing that they are not your typical idol group. They are fearless in showing their imperfections and flaws, and that sends a different kind of message to their fans. A'tin learned to accept that Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin are humans. They are not perfect, but they are worth it.
Stell with his anger issues, Justin with his corny jokes, Ken with his quiet nature, Josh with his unfiltered words, and Pablo with his never-ending display of normalcy and imperfections. We can see how genuine they are and we love them for it. What not many people know is that these five gentlemen work in silence when it comes to their philanthropic ways. They don't need people to know because that is what it means to genuinely help others. According to Matthew 6:3, But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. People don't need to know that you're a good person, you just have to be. This inspires A'tin to do the same. Helping the needy, sharing their blessings, and giving back to the community.
Despite all the hate, SB19 remained true to its advocacy of not just bringing OPM to the world stage, but also disrupting the Filipino norms. They are not just trailblazers and trendsetters, but they are also examples and influencers. Through their words, their music, and everything they do, they constantly show what an artist should be. Never have anyone they worked with spoken ill about them. They were never problematic. In fact, one of the things other people constantly praise them for is their character. As Gloc-9 once said, you can't criticize someone who prepared for so long and seized the opportunity when given. He also said these men are those who have the right to boast, but they never did.
Their names may be connected to allegations, but none of them were proven. There was never a shred of evidence in any of those accusations, which makes them irrelevant. As people in the industry continuously praise them not just for their talent but also for their personalities, whatever baseless accusations thrown their way mean nothing.
@imjentayag They are the standard. 💙🤘🥺The way they respect Pablo as a leader indeed. 💯🫶 And Ken's gesture for Pablo putting where he deserves to be din naman. 💯💙 Nakaka-soft 💙🫶🥺 #sb19 #mahalima💙 #sb19_pablo #sb19_stell #sb19_josh #sb19_ken #sb19_justin #dunkincampuspopsb19presscon #CampusPopTour2023 ♬ hall of fame - 3 minute audios
Pablo leads by example as we all have witnessed many times over. His unending and never-changing humility is what makes him the best leader. Despite people calling him alpha, pinuno, and a genius he kept his feet on the ground. In his interview with The Ripple, he said it's sad to be on top because you're alone there. It is better to always humble yourself for that is how you would see the bigger picture. His character is what taught people to respect him, especially his brothers. Josh, Ken, Justin, and Stell have always been consistent in praising him, especially his willingness to set aside his own dreams for the sake of the group. With his leadership, SB19 is taking the right path, and his members are all known to be good people, too.
They have established their identity as OPM artists with high standards for their crafts, which shows even in their own solo careers. They never settle for less, because their fans and the people deserve more. They've introduced themselves as breakers of barriers and boundaries, and they remain the same today. Anyone who watched them perform live for the first time was blown away by their charisma, stage presence, and talent. That is all SB19 needs. Once chance to show you what they've got, they can definitely pull you down their rabbit hole.
We may have pop groups before, but PPOP, as we know it today, became possible because these five young men dreamed of something big, not for themselves but for the country. They started something and created a path for others to have a space where they could be appreciated for their talents and crafts. This is why, to me, it is an absolute insult to compare SB19 to any PPOP group for they are a league of their own. They are creators who spearheaded something that has never been seen in this country before. They built PPOP with their own blood, sweat, and tears, and now, more and more groups have been reaping what they sow.
Their impact on society today is felt in many ways as the PPOP community grows. It is slowly becoming a part of our culture, which in turn is helping our economy in its own little way. In the years to come, as long as these new artists remain true to themselves and their crafts, PPOP is set for a good future. Ten years from now, people will remember SB19 as the pioneers of what changed our country's music and entertainment history forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment