The Kings of Firsts

July 1st of the year 2024 now became one of the most memorable dates for SB19 and A'tin. At 9 PM yesterday, The First Take, a famous YouTube Channel in Japan, released a crystal clear version of the SB19's golden brainchild, Gento. Known for giving only one take to any artist to perform a song, The First Take challenged the Filipino Live Vocal Monsters to showcase their vocal prowess. Being known to sing live with their mics on, our Pinoy Gems took on the challenge and devoured it. Now known as the First Southeast Asian and first Filipino act to step on The First Take, our boys made yet another history.

But before all this, SB19 bagged many firsts under their belts. Who would forget the first Filipino act on Billboard Social 50? Pep PH wrote that our boys debuted on the said chart at number 28, went up to Top 20, along with the famous singer, Mariah Carey, and peaked at no. 2. In 2022, Bazinga dethroned BTS's Buttercup on Billboard's Hot Trending Songs and surpassed the number of weeks that the Korean supergroup remained in the top spot according to Forbes. Speaking of Billboards, The Hype Magazine featured SB19 as the First Filipino Act to be nominated for the Billboard Music Award.

The leader, SB19 Pablo, was hailed as the grand winner of the Djooky Music Awards in 2021 according to Rappler, and who would forget the Asia Artist Award where SB19 an electrifying performance that wowed some of the biggest KPOP groups like Straykids? They were the First and Only Filipino Act to bag the Best Artist Award. Another one of their many firsts is as the First PPOP group to Mega Magazine cover. Their fandom A'tin, the monster voters, were the First Filipino Fandom to win on Billboard Fan Army Face-Off 2023, defeating Carats of Seventeen

They were also nominated on MTV EMA according to Business World, the First Filipino act to be nominated for Best Southeast Act 2021. With their many firsts, along with their numerous other achievements, SB19 has come a long way from the boys that debuted in 2018. Their confidence is cemented and unbreakable, yet they remain grounded and humble. And now, they've made another history, opening more doors for other aspiring PPOP groups. According to Billboard PH, The First Take has one rule; One Performance, One Take. You make a mistake, and that's it.

Photo from The National News

As Live Vocal Monsters, one take is all SB19 needs to prove themselves. Just one chance, give them a mic, and they will devour any performance. This has been proven time and time again, even amid a massive technical problem. What's shocking is—well, scratch that. It's not actually shocking because another one of their trademarks is the way they give different kinds of performances for the same songs each time. No wonder why their fans would follow them in every concert and gig. This was once again proven during their performance on The First Take.

With no backtrack, almost no reverb on the mics, and the track stripped down bare, these five incredibly talented individuals sang their viral hit song, Gento, like their rent was due. It was the most satisfying version to date as it showcased how beautiful their voices were, and the perfection they've achieved in their harmonization. The clarity of their voices became proof of why they were called Live Vocal Monsters. All the adlibs on the recorded version of the song were heard, done by the five themselves. From Ken's deep and swaggy voice, Justin's relaxing tone, Josh's clear rap, Pablo's gritty growls, and Stell's amazing vocals, these five gentlemen are a force to be reckoned with.

A few hours after the release of their TFT performance, they were once again featured in different articles as a Filipino group carrying the Philippine flag onto the world stage. They still remained true to their goal of pinning the Pinoy talent and culture on the world map. True kings, indeed! Here are some of the articles featuring SB19.