Filipino band Ben&Ben is set to transform the live concert experience with an exciting blend of animation, film, and music in a one-of-a-kind show. Their much-awaited performance is slated for December 14, 2024, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, produced by Ovation Productions. This groundbreaking event aims to raise the bar for the local music scene, promising fans an unforgettable audio-visual spectacle.

Inspired by their upcoming third studio album, The Traveller Across Dimensions, the concert will merge live music with cutting-edge multimedia storytelling. The album, which redefines the boundaries of traditional music releases, serves as the creative backbone of the show, weaving a thematic journey through sound and visuals.

Ben&Ben have partnered with a talented team of concert directors, designers, and multimedia artists to create an animation-concert hybrid that will transport the concert-going audience into a magical, world-building realm. Working alongside Puppeteer Studios, the Pagtingin hitmakers will also introduce a cast of unique characters and an immersive universe that promises to captivate the audience from start to finish.

“We’re thrilled to share the story of Liwanag, the titular character in The Traveller Across Dimensions,” the nine-piece act explains in a collective statement. “We’ve shown a glimpse of this story in our “Triumph” music video, but the concert will reveal the full narrative in a way that no one has seen before.”

This special concert is designed to exude a cinematic experience, integrating the excitement of a live performance with the confines of filmmaking. Ben&Ben’s The Traveller Across Dimensions concert aims to elevate the theatricality of their previous shows, hinting at exploring new, interactive technology to further enhance the show.

The latest episode of the YouTube channel THE FIRST TAKE features the Filipino boy band SB19.

Episode 449 marks SB19's first appearance on THE FIRST TAKE. The five-member group gained international recognition as the first Southeast Asian artist nominated for Top Social Artist at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.

SB19 will perform their hit song “GENTO,” known for its catchy phrase and unique dance moves on TikTok. The song conveys the message that small efforts lead to success, and this special version is available exclusively on THE FIRST TAKE.

“It was a true first take, so we were very nervous and overwhelmed, but it was fun and an amazing experience,” SB19 shares. “Above all, we are grateful for this opportunity and for being able to represent the Philippines by performing our song here. We are honored to showcase our music and culture to the world through THE FIRST TAKE.”

THE FIRST TAKE is a Japanese YouTube channel that invites top singers and artists from all over the world to perform a song recorded in one take. Videos on The First Take are filmed in a studio, with shots of the performing artist and a microphone, set to a background that is usually white.

SB19 on the other hand, is the first Southeast Asian group and the first Filipino to be invited in the influential music media outlet. After the initial announcement, HALA THE FIRST SB19 skyrocketed at No. 1, 2, and 35 of X’s trend list in the Philippines, Japan, and Worldwide, respectively.

Aside from this recognition, the Philippines' five-member boy group also recently bagged a nomination for Favorite Asian Act in the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.

SB19’s performance airs at 9 pm today, Manila time via THE FIRST TAKE’s YouTube channel. Watch it here.

About THE FIRST TAKE

THE FIRST TAKE is a YouTube channel that clearly captures the performance of musicians and singers performing in a single take. With the concept “capture the take. This moment. This sound. THE FIRST TAKE. It only happens once,” THE FIRST TAKE presents pure music in overwhelming quality with no exaggerated performance.

The channel started on 15 November 2019 and has now hit 9.69 million subscribers (as of 7 June 2024). Total views have exceeded 1.4 billion, and contents have been viewed from over 220 countries and regions around the world. Growing as a comprehensive music platform, new initiatives have been launched and become viral contents. THE FIRST TAKE INTERNATIONAL features international music stars such as Harry Styles, Avril Lavigne, V from BTS, Jason Chan and Jolin Tsai, having them to give their 1TAKE performance exclusively on the channel.

Follow THE FIRST TAKE on socials:

Website: https://www.thefirsttake.jp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_firsttake
Twitter: https://twitter.com/The_FirstTake
X: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_first_take
THE FIRST TIMES: https://www.thefirsttimes.jp

 

The Star Pop record label has officially unveiled a new boy band in the P-pop scene called 1621BC. They released their first single, "Laruan," last November 23rd.

The boy band 1621BC includes Pan, Win, Migz, DJ, JM, and JC. The name "1621" signifies the angel number linked to the idea that desires and goals are starting to come true. Meanwhile, "BC" stands for Beyond Complete, indicating the group's commitment to always strive for perfection.

“Being a new boy band in the P-pop scene, we only have one goal and that is to introduce our songs and music that will make everyone cry, smile, celebrate, dance and sing like it used to be before,” the group said.

 

To celebrate International Women's Month, P-Pop girl group KAIA has released "5678," a dance-pop track that encourages listeners to face anything that comes their way and pursue their dreams, despite what others may say. The song, co-written by the members of KAIA with Ohwon Lee, PaperPlanet, and LEO, serves as an anthem to inspire women to never give up on their goals.

According to KAIA, "5678" is a testament to their determination to achieve success on their own terms, one step at a time, without looking back. The group expresses gratitude for the opportunities presented to them and promises to deliver a message of positivity and hope to their supporters through their music.

With its uplifting and confident lyrics, "5678" sends a message of self-love and empowerment to listeners. Lines like "Hingang malalim, lahat tatahakin / Hindi na ako maliligaw" ("Taking a deep breath, I'll conquer everything / This time, I won't get lost") are sure to resonate with listeners from around the world.

The song is produced by Ohwon Lee, known for his work with some of the biggest names in K-Pop, and the energetic beats and synth intro effectively convey KAIA's unstoppable strength and defiance. "5678" is also set to be included in KAIA's debut EP, which will be released later this year, and the accompanying music video, directed by Raymond Fabian and assisted by Jonathan Tal Placido, will be dropping on March 25th.

KAIA expressed their appreciation for the collaborative process with Studio 79th, who produced the video, and their openness to the ideas of KAIA. "5678" is available now on all digital music platforms worldwide through Sony Music Entertainment.

 

HORI7ON is now a certified Kapamilya and MLD artists as ABS-CBN and management company MLD Entertainment continue their ongoing partnership to co-manage the group's career in becoming the next global pop group last Friday (March 10).

The seven-member group released its pre-debut teaser for "Dash,"composed by "Dream Maker" Korean mentor and hit composer Bull$eye.

 

To commemorate the success of The Eraserheads’ reunion concert last night, top OPM acts such as SB19 and NOBITA have put their own unique spin on the supergroup’s beloved classics.

Released today under Sony Music Entertainment, the revamped versions honor the timeless appeal of Eheads’ music, while giving it a more contemporary flavor that resonates with the streaming audience.

P-Pop Kings SB19 captures the spirit of the holidays with their own take on “Christmas Party,” a song off The Eraserheads’ fourth studio album, Fruitcake. Turning the original into a festive banger, the five-member boyband incorporates elements of dance-pop, R&B/hip-hop, and modern funk into the mix while carrying with them the vibe and energy of the track’s nostalgic past.

 

"Once an artist, always an artist," maybe this is a phrase that I could define Jay Justiniani, the former vocalist of Cueshe and now the lead vocals for the band "Fireflies." After seven (7) years and the onslaught of Covid19, Jay is back to singing, and this time he sings with the "Fireflies" band.

Early this September, a gig happened in Fiyo Bagi Restaurant and Bar. It is the relaunched of the "Fireflies" band together with a new set of band members. The current members of the group were composed of Junjie Dosdos, the keyboardist when he was in Cueshe, now Fireflies' songwriter and rhythm guitarist. JC Del Rosario IV is also a songwriter and bassist for the band. RM Tolentino, the drummer. Pat Galut, the lead guitarist. Of course, Jay Justiniani, Cueshe's former vocalist and now the lead vocals of the group "Fireflies."

Right after a few song performances of the group, which include pieces from the former band where everyone is familiar with Jay singing, a press conference was held together with some bloggers and media present. It was exclusive enough for a small number of individuals and platforms to cover print, TV, and online.

This is probably interesting. Cryptic billboards and posters around the Metro and its alluding to a new Ben&Ben release have recently appeared in strategic locations all over Metro Manila.

The material, which contains discarded film photos with texts exposing some personal thoughts, is said to be part of the lyrics of an upcoming Ben&Ben song to be released sometime next week.

A few days ago, the nine-piece Filipino collective tweeted what looks like a snippet of lyrics offering an intimate take on the painstaking process of letting go. Ben&Ben also dropped a performance video of “Stand By You,” featuring Indonesian superstar Pamungkas. The collaborative visuals, which were recorded earlier this month at SoundCheck Studio, have racked up more than 220,000 views as of press time.

Set to conquer the international stage with their first North American tour, the Paninindigan Kita music act will be performing in iconic and key venues across nine cities in the US and Canada—ahead of their send-off concert on September 3 at the CCP Open Grounds.

If you love listening to bands, specifically rock bands, then you've probably heard the group named Kamikazee. Originally, the term kamikaze was a Japanese term for Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels, which happened during the 2nd World War. And that's a fact that happened.

But, if you're pronouncing Kamikazee with a double letter "e" at the end it's a play of words that describes "kami kasi" or is translated as "it's because of us."

Kamikazee band emerges during 2000, a Filipino rock band originally known all throughout its career as a quintet composed of Jay Contreras, Jomal Linao, Led Tuyay, Puto Astete, Bords Burdeos, Jian Lubiano, and Mikki Jill. Some of their albums are Kamikazee, Maharot, Long Time Noisy, and Romantico.

 

A series of cryptic riddles reveals SB19’s much-anticipated comeback single and upcoming world tour.  

P-pop Kings SB19 announces their return to the music scene with WYAT [Where You At], a disco-pop track that highlights the urgency of disconnection to reconnection of the times. The upcoming release marks SB19’s first new material as a group in a year after launching their 2021 EP, Pagsibol.  

“It’s been a year, the word 'hiatus' may sound negative but we took it from a different perspective. We maximized the opportunity to think more as to what we can improve on, how we can prepare for our comeback,” says SB19 Stell.

SB19 Ken mentions “We are thrilled to be releasing a new song for our fans. Bigger, better. I hope that A'TIN will appreciate at best the work we've done for our upcoming tour.” WYAT drops on all streaming platforms on September 2, 2022, with the official music video to be released on the same day.  

The award-winning and Billboard nominee Philippine Pop phenom is also set to stage their biggest local and international tour to date. WYAT [Where You At] Tour kicks off on September 17, 2022 at Araneta Coliseum, to be followed by a series of shows in Clark, Cebu, Davao and more.  

In the following months, the tour extends globally as SB19 heads to multiple countries - US, UAE, and Singapore to name a few. International A’TIN can expect SB19 to drop by their city starting October 2022.  

“This will be the first time for us to be going out of the country for our own concert,” reveals SB19 Josh. “We’re excited to meet our international fans. If I may put it: we were caterpillars inside cocoons when we were just starting and now, we've turned into butterflies ready to spread our wings!”  

According to SB19 Justin, the five-piece group is very much involved in the creative process behind the upcoming tour, from conceptualization to choreography, from promotion strategy to visual ideation.  

He explains, “When SB19 Pablo told us the meaning of WYAT, the song that he and his brother Josue created, I was able to conceptualize WYAT. From there, our team was able to brainstorm on how to improve my initial concept. We made options and showed the other members of SB19, so they could also give their insights. One idea led to another. We started plotting everything: from teasers to the actual music video, every post, down to the last detail.”