P-pop power: A guide to rising P-pop groups

MANILA, Philippines – From the SexBomb Girls to the STREETBOYS, and from the Pop Girls to XLR8, we’ve seen our fair share of P-pop groups over the years. But recently, it seems that P-pop is at the point where it is thriving the most.

In 2021 alone, several P-pop acts made waves not only on the local stage, but also captured the attention of the global scene. 

SB19, for example, made history as the first Filipino act to be nominated under the Billboard Music Awards Top Social Artist category. The five-piece group’s song “Bazinga” has also overtaken BTS’ “Butter” in the Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart. (Want to be an A’TIN?: A beginner’s guide to SB19) 

Meanwhile, P-pop group ALAMAT became the fastest OPM act to debut on Billboard’s Next Big Sound Chart. Their debut single “kbye” peaked at the No. 2 spot in the charts within just three weeks of its release. The eight-member boy group is also rising to fame for incorporating seven Filipino languages in their tracks, representing the members’ home provinces. (SPOTLIGHT: What sets ALAMAT apart?)

ABS-CBN’s Star Hunt Academy also officially launched two P-pop groups, BGYO and BINI, last year. BGYO also made it to Billboard’s Next Big Sound Chart shortly after their debut. In less than a year after their official launch, both groups have released full-length albums, headlined their first major concert, and even performed in their first international show in Dubai.  

With such a momentous 2021, there’s already high hopes for what 2022 will bring to the P-pop industry, especially that there are also several new P-pop groups ready for the spotlight. 

LITZ

Composed of Ashtine, Heart Ryan, Fatima, Bianca, and Yumi, LITZ is a five-member girl group from Viva Entertainment. The members, whose ages range between 18 to 22 years old, were individually handpicked by Vic del Rosario and trained by choreographer-artist Goercelle Dapat-Sy.  

LITZ stands for “Life In The Sunshine,” with the S stylized into a Z. 

In November 2021, they released their pre-debut single, “Natataranta,” a fierce upbeat pop rendition of the track originally recorded by James Reid. 

Press Hit Play

Press Hit Play is a six-member boy group under Evolution Music Group and Evosound who made their debut with the track “WIN” in August 2021. 

Composed of Yukito, Sev, JP, Zi. O, Yuuki, and CHRLS, the members are actively involved in the creation process of their songs. JP is the group’s composer and arranger, while Zi. O and Yuuki usually participate in doing the group’s choreography. 

Before their official debut, Press Hit Play released their pre-debut single “Galakbay,” a ballad song that signifies the start of their journey as a group. 

The group made a comeback on Friday, January 21, with the retro-pop track “Tell Me,” their first official release for 2022. 

KAIA

KAIA, the sister group of P-pop stars SB19, is ShowBT Philippines’ first in-house P-pop girl group. They were first introduced in November 2021, with the agency saying that each member was chosen from a pool of auditioners. 

At that time, they released their pre-debut single “KAYA” as a six-member group, whose members included Charlotte, Angela, Sophia, Alexa, Charice, and Joanna. The electropop track was produced by Hang Seung-taek and Lee Oh-won, who has worked with SB19, as well as K-pop acts such as SHINee’s Taemin, Stray Kids, and TVXQ. 

In January 2022, however, ShowBT Philippines announced that Joanna has departed from the group due to “internal matters” and KAIA will be continuing as a five-piece group as they prepare for their official debut. 

1st.One

1st.One is a six-member boy group handled by FirstOne Entertainment, a Seoul-based talent management company. Members ACE, Max, Alpha, J, Joker, and Jayson have all undergone at least two years of training before they were officially launched as a group. 

They made their official debut in July 2020 with the single “You Are The One (Ttak Maja Nuh).” 

On January 15, the group made their comeback with the electro-hip hop track “Shout Out.” 

Daydream

Formed in late 2020 through the livestreaming app kumu, Daydream is a four-member girl group under Rebel Records. Before they were launched as a group, members Kiara and Jom were theater actors, Awie was a professional cosplayer, and Denise was a DJ. 

Daydream released their debut single “Fallin’ 4 U” in April 2021 while their latest single “Lumayo” was released in November. 

VXON

Read as “vision,” VXON is a five-member boy group under Cornerstone Entertainment. 

Composed of C13, Franz, Vince, Patrick, and Sam, VXON released their debut single “The Beast” in January 2022. The track was written by members C13, Sam, and Franz in collaboration with South Korean music producer Knockloud. 

R RULES

Made up of Riyo, Reina, Ruri, and Risa, R Rules is MCA Music’s first girl group. They were previously signed under a different label and debuted as a five-piece group known as Japh Dolls. All members of R Rules are fluent in Filipino, English, and Japanese. 

R Rules released their debut single “DNY” in November 2021. 

Which of these rising P-pop groups are you interested in? – Rappler.com