The quarantine did not stop five-member Filipino boy band SB19 from releasing its latest single “What?”
On Tuesday, P-Pop group finally released its digital single, music video and merchandise.
These were released after the group’s management announced that the members are suspending their “What?” Virtual Music launch due to an exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
ShowBT Philippines said the members of the acclaimed group are now in quarantine.
“The health and safety of our artist, staff and production team is our priority and we are thankful for your support and understanding,” the management said.
The management also said a new event will be scheduled but the release of the slated Tuesday will push through.
The comeback delighted A’Tin, the fans of SB19, who made the following tags and keywords trend on local Twitter: “SB19 WHAT TODAY,” “ SB19 TULOY ANG COMEBACK” and #SB19WHATComeback.
Released via Sony Music Philippines, the P-Pop’s new single “What?” stakes its claim to global domination with a contagiously massive sound that’s larger and louder than life.
It is the first single off the award-winning group’s yet-to-be-revealed but highly anticipated follow-up to their debut album, “Get In The Zone“.
Veering away from the glossy, dance-pop tunes and anthemic ballads of “Get In The Zone,” SB19 is pushing the envelope production and songwriting-wise on their latest track, as they command supremacy of P-Pop’s explosion in the global market without resorting to formulaic tricks and pandering to trends.
This time, the boy band is transcending the genre that positioned them to become the formidable stars that they are now: comfortable with the convergence of personalities, styles, and influences — while embracing a musicality that is hard to pin down, and refuses to be categorized.
“The song ‘What?’ is really different from what we have done before,” main rapper and lead vocalist Pablo said in a statement.
“This one has a more aggressive take to it compared to our previous songs, so I really had to force out the ‘oomph’ in the voices of the members. I was really meticulous with the recordings, but so were they. That’s why we would record ’til morning and until everyone was satisfied with their parts. The feeling had to be there,” he said.
Pablo, who is also credited as one of the songwriters and producers of SB19’s latest song, said that “What?” proves that they’re “not just here to play games or act cool.”
“A lot of people still doubt us, denouncing everything that we do and everything that we’re trying to achieve. We love what we do, that’s why we do it respectfully,” the vocalist said.
“‘What?’ is about self-love and empowerment. Each of us has our own flag. We should be proud of it and raise it as much as we can. As SB19 and as individuals, we know that we’re not the best at everything, but that shouldn’t stop us from what we want to achieve,” he added.
The release of the song comes with a visual accompaniment now uploaded on YouTube that earned more than 189,400 views as of writing.
The music video of “What?” produced by ShowBT Philippines and SB19, creatively directed by member Justin De Dios shows the group in battle mode as they claim freedom in a fictional, post-apocalyptic war zone, and exude an aura of power and longevity to go along with its cinematic appeal.
The dance moves were choreographed by SB19 and Tank Bautista. —Rosette Adel
