P-pop boy group SB19—composed of Pablo, Stell, Josh, Ken, and Justin—set the benchmark high when it comes to idol groups in the Philippines.
The quintet OPM pop group has been making waves not just in the country but also in the international music scene.
SB19 has been a mainstay in Billboard.com's Social 50 Chart. They even became the first OPM act to be nominated at the Billboard Music Awards. Just recently, the group was featured on RollingStone's live stream on Twitch.
Since their launch in 2018, many other local pop groups have followed and made their debut in the local music scene, with some of them looking up to SB19 as their personal inspiration.
But during their virtual press conference hosted by Spotify last Wednesday, July 21, 2020, SB19 refused to take full credit for the booming idol group scene in the country.
Josh said, "Lagi naman po namin sinasabi na SB19 alone wouldn't be able to... Siyempre, like, parang through this journey po, hindi naman namin kaya maging successful nang kami lang.
"So, kailangan po talaga namin ng makakasama dito sa industry na ito.
"At siyempre, yun naman po yung main goal, isa sa main goals namin, na magbigay ng inspiration sa mga bata or let's say mga new generations na gustong sumubok.
"At siyempre, SB19 alone, hindi naman namin mae-establish yung parang, alam niyo yun, yung pop culture dito sa Pilipinas, yung sa mga idol group na katulad namin, kung kami lang.
"Siyempre, kailangan may iba pong sumunod na generation sa amin."
Asked if they feel the pressure of being an inspiration to other idol groups, Pablo told the press, "Siguro po, personally, hindi po ako pressured.
"Kasi, katulad po ng sinasabi po namin, when we step up on stage, when we face people, lagi po namin pinapakita yung truest self namin.
"And ganun din po naman yung sinasabi namin sa mga kanta namin na parang magtiwala ka sa sarili mo, be proud of who you are, iwagayway mo ang sarili mong watawat.
"Thankful po kami na ginagawa po nilang inspiration po kami. Pero ultimately, gusto po namin na sila rin po, gawin nila kung ano yung gusto nilang gawin sa buhay.
"I-enjoy po nila yung gusto nilang gawin sa buhay. Yung goal nila, tuparin nila. And be who they are, parang ganun po."
NEW EP: PAGSIBOL
Currently, the group is focused on promoting their first EP album Pagsibol. The group did a Jeepney-themed campaign exclusively with Spotify as part of their promo.
Their new EP carries three of their most recent songs including "What?," "Ikako," and "MAPA." The album also features three new tracks: "Bazinga," "SLMT," and "Mana."
Asked to differentiate their new EP from their first album, Justin said, "Our songs in Pagsibol will talk about everything, about our growth, about our journey as an SB19 [member] from the beginning up to where we are today.
"So, ayun po yung meaning ng Pagsibol. That's what it's Pagsibol."
Pablo, who wrote all of the songs on the EP, added that they will take their listeners to a roller coaster ride once they listen to the whole album.
He explained, "Basically po, ayaw po kasi namin ng parang iisa lang po yung tunog na maririnig nila kapag napakinggan po nila yung whole EP.
"Gusto po namin na parang kapat nakinig sila, the next song will be a different sound from what they've heard dun po sa nauna.
"So, parang gusto namin silang sumakay talaga ng roller coaster na parang maiiba-iba talaga yung mood. Nang sa ganun po, hindi nila mape-predict or mabibigla sila kung ano yung mapapakinggan nila na susunod."
For fans who have been wanting the boys to do a collaboration with other artists, SB19 confirmed that they do have an upcoming collab song but kept the details a secret.
Josh said, "Siguro masyado pang maaga para mag-ano kami, mag-announce or anything na parang magbigay ng kahit anong..."
Stell chimed in and said, "Pero kung yes or no po, yes po."
Josh ended, "Hindi na lang po kami magbibigay ng kung sino."
Aside from their album, the boys of SB19 are gearing up for their virtual concert titled SB19: Back In The Zone which will be streamed on KTX.ph this August 1, 2021.
This is the OPM idol group's second digital show following the success of SB19: Live in Manila hosted by Global Live in November 2020.