SB19

SB19
	File:Ikalawang Yugto -SB19.jpg SB19 in 2021 From left to right: Stell, Josh, Pablo, Ken, and Justin
Background information
Origin	Manila, Philippines
Genres	P-pop • pop • Pop rock • EDM • hip hop • R&B • Ballad
Years active	2018–present
Labels	ShowBT Philippines Corp. • Sony Music Philippines, Inc.
Website	https://sb19official.com/
Members	Pablo Josh Stell Ken Justin

SB19 is a five-member Filipino boy band who debuted in 2018 consisting of Josh, Pablo, Stell, Ken, and Justin. They were trained for three years by ShowBT Philippines, beginning in 2016. They are the first Filipino and Southeast Asian act to be nominated in Billboard Music Awards for the Top Social Artistcategory. They also became the first Southeast Asian act to enter the top 10 of Billboard Social 50 weekly and year-end charts. SB19 promotes its music as part of Pinoy pop (P-pop), a popular sub-genre of Original Filipino Music.

Name

The group's name was taken from the initials of their Korean management company, ShowBT, while the number 19 was taken from the country codes of South Korea (+82) and the Philippines (+63) by adding the digits or by getting the numerical difference, signifying the strong bond between the two countries that led to the group's creation. However, the members themselves came up with an alternative meaning, using the phrase "Sound Break" to make known their intention to break into the Philippine music industry and their aspiration to provide a higher standard for other Filipino idols to follow. Their group introduction, "Get in the zone, break! Hi! We are SB19!" is also a reinforcement of their ambition to become the first Filipino idol group to represent the Philippines on a global scale.

Career

2016–2018: Formation and early years

SB19 was formed by ShowBT Philippines, the Philippine subsidiary of ShowBT Group in Korea. After the five members were selected out of hundreds of aspiring idols during a talent audition in 2016, they underwent the same type of training provided to K-pop idols,attending classes ranging from voice and dance to personality development and body conditioning. Josh described the training as the same as giving up their physical and mental state. SB19 was supposed to be performers only on the company's events and activities, but later on, the CEO Geong Seong Han decided to launch them as a boy group. The group finally debuted with the members Josh, Pablo, Stell, Ken, and Justin on October 26, 2018 with the ballad single "Tilaluha". However, their initial effort at promotions, mostly in schools and malls, was met with a lukewarm reception.

2019: "Go Up" and rising popularity

Their second single, "Go Up", was released on July 19, 2019. Leader Pablo described the song as their "last shot" in which they poured everything they have experienced being an artist on this track. They decided to split apart if their career won't progress with this release. The group began gaining public attention after uploading their dance practice video for the song to their YouTube channel,which became viral on Twitter and Facebookafter it was shared by a Filipino K-pop fan.This opened opportunities for the group's appearance in various radio and television shows as well as coverage from different local and international media outlets. They started to hold their first nationwide concert SB19: Get in the Zone on December 22, 2019 covering 10 cities in the country pioneered at Bacolod, Negros Occidental, as a follow up promotion for being viral.

On November 20, 2019, SB19 became the first Filipino act to appear on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart. They also became the first Filipino act to enter the Billboard Social 50, debuting at number 28 on the week of December 28, 2019, and ascending over the following months. Jeff Benjamin, writing for Billboard, noted that their rise in the chart was aided by a growing international fanbase, and remarked that it was an indication that "more artists [will] continue to look East for inspiration and a larger audience". Tamar Herman, writing for Forbes, mentioned that ShowBT Philippines' attempt to localize the K-pop model through the group is not unique, but SB19 is the first in the Philippines to succeed in doing so partly because of their strategic use of social media, the main driver of their Billboard Social 50 chart achievements.

SB19 performing "Alab (Burning)" at 6th Wish 107.5 Music Awards in Smart Araneta Coliseum on January 17, 2021

On December 25, 2019, Sony Music Philippines, announced that SB19 had signed a recording contract with them, and on the same day, the group released their third single, "Alab (Burning)", under the new record label.

2020: Get in the Zone

On March 9, 2020, SB19 was chosen as one of the emerging artists under Spotify's RADAR Program which supports new artists through marketing campaigns. The quintet then released their debut album, Get in the Zone, featuring nine tracks, including their three previously released singles and two unreleased tracks, "Hanggang sa Huli" and "Love Goes" on July 31, 2020. Two weeks after the release of the album, SB19 achieved its highest position on the weekly BillboardSocial 50 chart, placing second behind BTS on the week of August 15, 2020. A week later, the group reached another milestone by placing in the top five of two charts: 5th on the Emerging Artist chart, their highest ranking to date, while remaining 2nd on the Social 50 chart.

On the week of October 31, 2020, "Go Up" peaked at number two on Billboard LyricFind Global chart after debuting at number 17 on the previous week, while also making its initial appearance at number nine on the U.S. version of the chart. Two weeks after, "Hanggang sa Huli" debuted at number 16 on LyricFind U.S. while also debuting at number four on the chart's global version.On the week of November 28, 2020, the group achieved their first top one hit on the Billboard chart, after "Alab (Burning)" debuted at number one on LyricFind Global, and at number six in the U.S. version. On the succeeding week, "Tilaluha" also debuted at number one on LyricFind Global chart.

SB19 performing "Hanggang sa Huli" at 6th Wish 107.5 Music Awards in Smart Araneta Coliseumon January 17, 2021

On December 3, 2020, the group debuted at number six on Billboard Year-End Social 50 chart, making them the first Southeast Asian act to reach the top 10 of the magazine's annual chart. On the week of December 19, 2020, "Love Goes" claimed the top spot on its third week on LyricFind Global chart. The following week, promotional single "Ikako" also made its first appearance at number one, marking the group's fourth top one hit on the same chart.

2021–present: Ikalawang Yugto

On January 6, 2021, "Hanggang sa Huli" was marked as the fifth number one on the LyricFind Global chart. On the week ending January 16, 2021, "Wag Mong Ikunot ang Iyong Noo" also debuted at number one on the same chart, earning the group their sixth number one hit while also debuting at number 17 on the U.S. version of the chart. On the week of January 30, 2021, the group earned their seventh number one, after "Go Up" topped the same chart, while reaching a new peak at number two on the U.S. version.

On February 9, 2021, the group released a teaser photo on all of their social media accounts announcing their comeback date. The group later released "What?" on March 9, 2021, as the first single off their upcoming sophomore album which they indicated in an interview is headed to be released sometime in June. On April 24 in the same year, SB19 released their first fashion collection in collaboration with designer Chynna Mamawal featuring two premium sets limited only to 100 pieces each, as well as shirts and dresses which were inspired by the single "What?".

On April 29, 2021, SB19 become the first Filipino and Southeast Asian act to be nominated in Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist along with BTS, Blackpink, Ariana Grande, and Seventeen. It marked the first-ever appearance of a Filipino artist in the Billboard Music Awards. On the 3rd of May 2021, they hinted the release of their second pre-release single titled "Mapa" would be on May 16, 2021.

Impact

While Filipino boy and girl groups had been around before SB19, the boy band is credited for paving the way for the launch of other music groups displaying a similar level of training, skill, and talent.

Members

Josh – lead rapper and sub-vocalist
Justin – sub-vocalist
Ken – main dancer and lead vocalist
Stell – main vocalist and lead dancer
Pablo – leader and main rapper

^ He changed his stage name from Sejun to Pablo in 2021.

Discography

Filmography

Concerts, tours, and performances

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

SB19's Channel on Youtube