In recent years, the popularity of Korean entertainment has reached the Philippines, with the cultural phenomenon known as Hallyu making its mark in the country.
The wave began with the airing of Korean dramas on local television, followed by the emergence of a Filipino idol, Sandara Park, who gained fame in the Korean group 2NE1. Her success sparked a huge interest in Korean music among Filipinos, leading to the spread of Korean culture and a connection with the people of the Philippines.
However, despite the increasing popularity of Korean entertainment, the differences between Korean and Filipino cultures cannot be fully bridged by dubs and subtitles alone. The way of life, mannerisms, values and even food of Koreans are vastly different from those of Filipinos. Despite this, the Korean entertainment industry has been able to reach out and connect with people of diverse cultures through its creativity and innovation.
According to Jessica Odiong, a K-Pop (Korean Pop) fan for almost 11 years now, there’s really something about K-Pop that makes you listen to it over and over again.
“Every K-Pop Music video that they’ll release is very creative and there’s no boring scene. Also, I love their fashion they’re really advanced. In terms of music, I love how it catches my mood through its beats even though I can’t understand the majority of the lyrics because the majority of it is Korean.”
The increasing popularity of K-Pop globally has made a significant contribution to the economic growth of South Korea. As a result, many countries, including the Philippines, have realized the need to invest in their own entertainment scenes. The Philippines has openly allowed K-Pop agencies to explore talent in the country, leading to the emergence of P-Pop, or Philippine pop music.
SB19, a five-member boy group, is the first successful P-Pop group to rise to fame. In an interview, SB19 members testify that they couldn’t believe they have come this far despite having the splash of the Korean music pop genre they introduced at the very beginning. The group has received numerous awards and topped the Billboard charts.
For years, South Korea’s pop music scene has been the busiest in Asia, with K-Pop acts regularly charting internationally and touring worldwide. Groups like BTS and Blackpink have gained global followings and routinely receive hundreds of millions of streams across listening platforms. Now, SB19 is hoping to bring P-Pop to the rest of the world, taking some cues from K-Pop’s playbook to do so.
“Filipino talent is better than Korean talent. But Korea? They invest in the quality of Intellectual Property,” said Jeffrey Oh, the Korean-American chief executive officer of Careless Music.
“You just gotta put in money and time. There’s so much opportunity here for us to overtake.”
Just after SB19 set the P-Pop standard, many other P-Pop groups emerged,such as BINI, MNL48, BGYO, PLUUS and the latest group about to debut, Hori7on.
Hori7on was selected through an intense survival show for a boy group called “Dream Maker,” a collaboration between the Philippine and Korean entertainment sectors. This concept is also inspired by a Korean variety show that has produced successful idols to this day.
So far, SB19, PLUUS and Hori7on are the only Pinoy boy bands to be handled by K-Pop agencies.
Sheila Cabedo, a Cebu K-Pop fan from the group Twinea, said: “The only thing that I can say is that it’s really mind-blowing. I know there are really many K-Pop aspirants here in the Philippines just like me so I am very happy that K-Pop has already been recognized worldwide.”
She also added that it’s a relief that these aspirants no longer need to go to Korea just to audition because we now have our very own P-Pop industry here and they have been given hope to find their own path in our own country.
The P-Pop community, though still in its early stages, shows great potential for quality talent and a strong passion from individual artists to go global. As these artists aim for success in this field, they will surely need the continuous love and support of Filipino fans in the process of achieving it.