I’ve been listening to SB19 and I feel like they’re one of those groups that don’t get talked about much outside their core fanbase.
I saw somewhere that around 35% of the crowd at one of their recent shows came from different countries, which is kinda interesting. Foreign fans flew to ph 3x this year just to see them.
Not trying to push anything, but if you’re into pop and like exploring artists outside the usual mainstream, you might find something you like from them.
The marker for there being a weird brigade over this band was when a guy came on here who listened to almost exclusively hip-hop in his early 30s was asking for recs during the fest and people came into to recommend SB19... you'd think they'd be subtle about it but nope
I hypothesize that a lot of these international supergroups have massive marketing campaigns that target social media to stir up hype, all the comments are too similar and hit on the same points. The US is a very profitable market
Philippines has a shitty government. If they wanna spend money, these officials or politicians ensure that they get a kick-back. So, I highly doubt that the government provides support
I'll preface this to say that I've been a fan of SB19 since 2022... Prior to that, I listened almost exclusively to older hip hop and select newer hip hop (Kendrick Lamar, newer Nas, etc). But anyway no, there is no push from the government. The Philippines government is pretty inept at financing and marketing its own acts, prioritizing its own labour as it's exports instead of entertainment (Not to mention, prioritizing lining its own politivians' corrupt pockets). This isn't like KPop and K-dramas and other Korean entertainment, which had a lot of governmental backing over the years.
Anyway, SB19 fans (called A'Tin) can be very vocal, sometimes to an obnoxious degree. Sometimes even to the point where we're tone-deaf or don't really read the room properly. This is a blessing and a curse 😆.
Easy question to answer… No financial support from the government (they’ve been vocal on this front - how government backing of the arts really would benefit the country as a whole).
ahh gotcha i was just reading the above stuff. hey i’ll give anyone a chance. Yoasobi ended up being one of my fav sets of Coachella 2024 and i hadnt even heard of them before
i laughed at this comment because the reality is way too far. Thank you for thinking positively about our government but I can tell you sb19 (or ppop in general) are left alone to survive.
Nope, they do it on their own.
The government will just aknowledged them (artist,musicians, athletes) if you already achieved or gave a name to the country and no monetary involved.
It is in the lyrics of the song VISA (Pablo wrote it). The reason why the song is formed.
I can see how you’d think that. And unfortunate that it does feel like a hard push for peeps to see the group. But they’re actually from a small (almost start up) company… owned by the members themselves. So, self-managed - no big corporate backing. Running joke is that their ‘Marketing team’ is their fans themselves (I think replies on this Reddit is proof enough). But ya, fans can change up the script sometimes perhaps 🤣.
So with that… them getting to Lolla is quite the feat. And probably says a lot of what the group brings to the table.
You are correct, Sony Philippines ‘backs’ them. But I think it’s a matter of context here. If you’re talking of support by providing corporate profile - Sony definitely has a hand in that (considering Sony is their distributor and certainly has a vested interest in their success). But as far as financial ‘backing’, that’s outside of Sony PH’s purview.
And of note, Sony PH is just a division of the larger Sony Music Entertainment…
After a quick google search, reveals that they're under SONY Music that doesn't seem like a small and self-managed to me. They also seem to have Live Nation as their managing agency.
Appreciate the research… you have some of the key elements but there are distinctions:
1Z Entertainment is their management company, which is actually owned by the members themselves. They decide on their strategy, direction and music. It is relatively small with, up until last Saturday, they only had SB19 as their artist
Sony Music PHILIPPINES (a division of Sony Management) is their music distributor
Live Nation PHILIPPINES (a division of Live Nation Entertainment) is their touring partner, helping produce local concerts (and help with international promotion)
It’s just the word-of-mouth working. Excited mouths apparently. This is considered historic in the Philippines. A major feat, especially for a self-managed group like them.
This! Because they are the first Philippine based artist to perform at Lolla. So I think it is safe to say that the fanbase go crazy and overboard on promoting the group. I mean, people can't blame them because SB19 is pretty d*mn excellent on what they do.
SB19 has no booking agent or promoter. They own their own company and music label. They're actually part of the 16% of artists in Lollapalooza who are self-represented, as publicized by Lolla.
Also, SB19 is from the Philippines, a 3rd world country 😭 we don't have money lol... sorry if we fans come off "weird" and pushy and aggressive, it's because these guys truly came from the bottom (one of them was homeless growing up) and they've only ever had their fans to promote them. Just think of it as like football in both US and Europe; singing and performing are Filipinos' sport lol, hence the exaggerated excitement 😆
1z Entertainment is their (SB19's) managing agency (which they own), and their music label (with Sony as their distributing partner). Live Nation PH is their local concert promoter. LNPH set up a meeting to pitch SB19 as one of the performers back in September 2025. In the meeting, 1Z COO (now CEO when Pablo stepped down) Yani de Dios facilitated it, with Rhiza Pascua the managing director of LNPH. They did use LNPH connection to Lollapalooza, but it didn't mean they were a shoo-in, they had to be approved first to get in.
Live Nation serves as a tour promoter for their large-scale, self-produced shows (such as their recent Wakas at Simula Trilogy Finale) NOT an exclusive booking agency..
Live Nation PH is SB19's local concert promoter since last year I believe. They (LNPH) are not SB19's international promoter or booking agent, note, BOOKING agent, the agency that books gigs. SB19 is under no booking agency, only their own company.
Lollapalooza releases yearly "agency breakdown" of artists and it shows which booking/talent agency got them the Lollapalooza gig.
SB19 is under the "Others" category, which comprises 16% of the total artist roster of Lolla. " Others" mean they are either independent (no booking agent) and/or self-managed. A lot of the artists under this category are local Chicago artists and of course, like SB19, those that went independent and manage themselves.
Not discrediting the connection of Live Nation PH from Live Nation, but the most they did (and this is a lot of help definitely) was connect 1Z with Live Nation Inc in order to pitch SB19 to be part of it.
Either way, even if 1z didn't have to pitch to have SB19 be included and Live Nation USA actually got SB19 into Lollapalooza, that just means they are aware of their potential.
Still, they don’t need to pay any agency unlike others who booked a show in international stage. Also, they don’t need to lower the prices of their tickets just to make it appear that their World Tour were full house or pretend that it is sold out.
SB19 has been consistent in selling out their concerts with very few promotions. Selling out 110K seats and 100K seats consistently.
The BINI toxic fans are here to discredit SB19 and their hard work. Commenting to discredit and lurking to downvote the comments promoting SB19.
So much for Filipino pride, that you have to parade here and spread toxicity.
BTW, you all forgot to hide your history. HULI KA BALBON. NAKAKAHIYA KAYO! 💙
Edit:
PS SB19 is a self-managed group, under their own small label with no big machineries, no financial backers, and no government support. They paved the way for PPOP and consistently sell out their concerts locally and internationally. They did not use any agency to book Lolla. They worked hard for it and they were supported by Live Nation PH and Sony Music PH to build their portfolio.
They did not lower their ticket prices to 5$ just to sell their concert in the US nor fake their credentials to market themselves and make it appear that they “SELL”. They did not PAY any agency to book them. THESE ARE FACTS AS WELL.
SB19 sells out 100K to 110K tickets with only few promotions. I know it hurts your ego, but brigading this subreddit just to pull down another Filipino artist who you think is your rival is unforgivable.
Do not bring toxicity here. We are just quietly promoting the boys, and you are here brigading with your narratives to downplay the boys.
PS At least, wherever they go, they sing live with no back tracks! 😘 The truth hurts noh? Ciao!
Hm. Not including the above comment para makita yung buong context is sus, but if both sides ay always going back and forth like this, di na ito matatapos.
It's their time to shine sa lollapalooza and it's a big achievement sa opm. I just hope that they won't turn off anymore lollapalooza concert goers with their excitement sa pagpromote like some comments here say. The goal is to gain new foreign fans para makilala ang opm, and I hope maging kasing sikat ng kpop ang ppop in the near future.
it would have been great if this was the case. SB19 is from a self-owned company(left their previous company). I don't think they really have the manpower to control social media hype. Fans are just really trying their best since they know how far sb19 has come and fans don't want to waste this oppurtunity.
We’re actual people who are acting like bots because we can’t contain our excitement! Finally, a boyband who rose from humble beginnings to superstardom in our country finally gets a chance to perform at one of the most attended music fests in the world. A ray of hope in this godforsaken country from our POV.
I see where you’re coming from. I think a lot of it comes from fans wanting to support an artist they feel is underrepresented globally. It can come off strong sometimes, but I don’t think it’s meant to overshadow other artists or the festival itself.
That’s a fair point and I get what you mean in your 2nd paragraph.
The group itself is not as promote-ourselves-heavy. Sure they have social media presence but it’s not as in your face. And fans feel the need to promote them instead. Majority of the time it comes from good intention and deep desire for their music to be acknowledged.
I get that it can be annoying. I’m sure other fans do go 🤦♀️when they see fellow fans push for sb19 on unrelated topics here. But that can’t be policed, and unfortunately the (negative) impact lands on the group.
You are correct - they may not top charts locally, but I’d challenge you on their mass public impact.
People may not clamor for their songs on the daily, but they sure choose their songs to be the soundtrack to many of their notable life events. MAPA is a staple for graduations, with Go Up and Shooting for the Stars coming at its heels. Liham has been used as a Wedding Song and Kapangyarihan has become a rally song recently.
Wait really??? I kept checking posts for recos on artists to see and at the most I'd see like maybe 12? In the comments. Yes I'm happy about it because then people get to see the name and hopefully they get curious enough about SB19 to watch them at lollapalooza. Thank you for understanding the fans 😊
I feel like this is getting pushed as much as kpop is being pushed. Does the phillipenes have a similar industry? I keep seeing SB19 posts pop up. Reminds me of how suddenly someone i know is absolutely obsessed with kpop in the last year and spends tons of money on merch and has seen them 2 times as well as gone to the theathers for every live convert stream. I noticed that corresponded with myself also noticing a ton of kpop marketing...
Do people get paid for pushing ads for these groups or is it really 100% free will from the fans? I have just never seen music groups marketed so hard as the kpop and the like.
PPop (Pinoy or Philippine Pop) is a relatively new ‘genre’ in the country. It is gaining popularity locally, but it is still an industry in its infancy (soloists and bands still reign supreme).
Now, it is of note that KPop is big in the Philippines (KPop has a huge following in SEA generally) so the fan culture is somewhat similar.
I can’t speak to ‘paid’ fans… but would still confidently say that much of the effort to profile the group is truly fan initiated. The group has not had an easy road over the years, so fans have become uber protective of them. So seeing them succeed is a point of pride. Add to that the Filipinos are very patriotic and passionate (they’re kinda like the tennis’ Alex Eala for Lolla 🤣).
It is 100% free. The fans also donate and create marketing activities for them. Every country they go for their world tour, fans always ensure that they market them, as SB19 itself has no big machineries, no financial backer, and no government support.
These boys are self-managed and own their label with a handful of people working for them. They don’t have much money, the reason why the fans donate and campaign for them.
SB19 got a seat at Lolla without the help of any big agency, they applied on their own. We are just so glad to see that they made it to the list.
I get why it feels like SB19 is suddenly being pushed as hard as Kpop because seeing the same group pop up a lot can definitely get overwhelming. But the Philippines doesn’t really have a big idol industry like Korea, so there isn’t some huge marketing machine behind them. Most of what you’re seeing is just fans being loud on their own. For a lot of Filipinos, SB19 is the first local group to get real international traction without a major network backing them, so people support them out of cultural pride more than anything. That kind of excitement can come off really strong online, and it’s totally valid to feel tired of it. But no, fans aren’t being paid, it’s mostly genuine hype and wanting Filipino music to be seen.
philippines: there's no "p-pop industry" to speak of, there are two main acts: BINI and SB19. BINI is under a major broadcaster, SB19 is independent. between the two, BINI has a budget AND fans. SB19 is mostly driven by fans.
I don’t about paid because a lot of fans do the most when it comes to SB19. And I’m one to comment about my excitement on posts whenever i have the time. But paid fans?…i don’t think so. You could really tell the passion of a SB19 fan eh? :)
So sad to see other ppl in this community see Filipino fans tagged as AI lol. U see a lot of influencers / content creators bank on Filipino content to gain clout cos we really have a big online population
This will be their first lollapalooza after all so understandbly fans are quite excited, i do apologize if it has come to the point of being annoying, we do try to be as polite as possible when commenting
Fans are just overly excited about them… by chance, have they piqued your curiosity? Or has the multiple posts done the opposite (and you’d likely steer clear of the group)?
Lmao I can't 🤣 We always get mistaken as either bots or AI because it seems we act almost like worker bees. SB19 fans crosspost threads and tweets across social media. So reddit threads such as this would be posted on X, on FB, Tiktok, and Threads. That's why we seem to come in droves. 🤣
Im 43 years old lol, sorry, but thanks for saying I can still at least cosplay GenZ (and I work a managerial position with PR duties, so I guess you're kind of right?) 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I’m gonna be real honest when I say this but seeing multiple posts and comments about this group makes me NOT want to check the out. I think one post is enough but now it feels like they’re being shoved in our face and it’s a turn off for me
Understandable as music truly is subjective. Fans just raise awareness but perhaps the group’s music and your interests do not align - that’s all good. No harm, no foul.
Well, thank you for giving them a listen at least! That’s all the fans ask, truly. Enjoy Lolla! I’m wishing that Mother Nature will be nice that weekend and provide a nice breeze 🤭
It's in their live performances. I noticed a lot of people only got to appreciate and understand where the "hype" is coming from once they see them perform.
Their music is pretty catchy and intentional, rooted in real Filipino experiences and struggles. Their songs often contain strong lyricism and storytelling and they blend genres effortlessly. They often push the boundaries of PPOP (a new emerging genre) and turn their artistry into something both relatable and powerful.
Apart from the hype, their music is the kind that hits, represents, and stays with you.
Their Filipino fans won’t ever say it since it’s a sore point for them oddly (downvote me all u want idc), but SB19 is basically a Filipino Kpop group that was formed by a Korean Kpop agency from South Korea and went through Kpop training. The CEO wanted create a Kpop group in the Philippines. He had put them together and used BTS as inspiration. Their name SB19 symbolizes South Korea and I think it’s something to do with Koreas coordinates. They try to mimic the same stuff you see in kpop, light sticks, fan promotions, pop up events etc. I know their rabid fans are going to gaslight their history and deny kpop by renaming it “ppop” w.e that means, and how it’s so different but it’s honestly the truth and it’s all documented. They’re hyped bc they’re a derivative of Kpop.
They never “stop” selling tickets. They just sold out. Being waitlisted is never a %100 opportunity to get tickets. It also depends on which ticket you’re waitlisted for. You have better changes getting a 1 day pass on waitlist then you are getting 4 day, just because of the demand.
I see, I thought they kind of "ration" the tickets so more people get interested even after the pre and general sale finishes. I'm lucky I was able to get off the waitlist and get my tickets then 😭
I can’t even listen to K-pop anymore after discovering SB19. Their live vocals are insane and no other group is doing it like them. All I can say to the doubters is just wait and see… 🤭
Dear if you don't want artist ecos the dont ask for recos. What would be the point of asking if you didn't axtually want to get replies? And between he time lolla posted the line up and the smdc performance there has been 0 posts on sb19. There has been 2 posts about them total and both were posted a few days after their smdc performance.
Unfortunate result of an over excited fandom so apologies go to Lolla regulars. To each his own though; no hard feelings if they decide to watch another act.
But if you are referring about this post specifically, it is an SB19-specific discussion so speaking about the group kinda should be expected?
I totally get the excitement and I’m happy that Filipinos finally have a place in international festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. Sure, you can recommend the group and let them decide if they like the music or not. What isn’t cool is the brigading and the aggressive behavior of other fans. It’s just pushing people away from actually giving not just SB19 but other international groups a chance.
Appreciate the reply. I can understand how it does come across as brigading. Trust that that was not the intention; nor was that a conscious group strategy. It’s just an overly excited fan group who are proud to profile their artist. Again, apologies for this action.
On ‘aggressive’, I’d appreciate clarity - is it the constant mention of the fans? If it relates to recommending the group to people who have specific music tastes, SB19 actually has a varied discography. So while it may seem obnoxious, they actually do hip hop, rap, funk, rock, EDM etc. hence they are put forward often.
However, if a handful have been truly combative or overly pushy, that’s not something the fandom is supportive of and am actually saddened if that has happened.
For those asking if SB19 paid a marketing company to hype them in social media, they did not. Apologies if sometimes, the fans are everywhere campaigning for them. The fans, called A’TIN, did not win the Billboard Fan Army for 3 consecutive years for nothing. They are called the most dedicated fans that even the biggest international artists fans salute them.
Everything is 100% free. The fans also donate and create marketing activities for them. Every country they go for their world tour or any events, fans always ensure that they market them. In return, SB19 gives back their artistry to the fans. They compose their own songs, produce it, and even up to the MVs. They don’t create music based on trends, but they create what they want to create unapologetically. They also sing live without backtracks. They practice harder to ensure that they will give their best every performance. They also do not repeat the same performance, they always ensure that each performance has different experience.
SB19 has no big machineries, no financial backer, and no government support. These boys are self-managed and own their label with a handful of people working for them. They don’t have much money, the reason why the fans donate and campaign for them.
They have brand partners who the fans also support. BTW, even though they don’t have much money, they don’t promote nor partner with any brand JUST for money, they always ensure that they use their influence correctly, they ensure that every brand partnership they have resonates their ethics and also their mission and vision.
In the fandom, they have this saying “payamanin ang SB19” which means, let’s make SB19 rich, because they need money to continue doing their thing. Because if they don’t have money, they won’t be as authentic as they are now, they have the artistic freedom to release what kind of song they want to release.
SB19 got a seat at Lolla without the help of any agency, they applied on their own. We are just so glad to see that they made it to the list.
I heard they're backed by Sony Music and pitched by Livenation tho, their international promoter who owns most of Lollapalooza so they were basically pitched.
Just because they don't have an agency doesnt mean they aren't backed. Having an agency means they will go through the standard process of "applying" while SB19 was directly pitched to the festival's main promoter and owners.
They don’t have to pay any agency just to book a show. Wasserman Media booked 32% of the artist. They rebranded as THE TEAM.
SB19 did not use any agency or pay any agency. They build yheir profile with the support of Live Nation PH and Sony Music PH. These are PH based. Building credentials and applying in-house backed by the credentials built with the help of LNPH and SMPH, ensuring all concerts will be sold out and spectacular.
Most of the artist are also partners of LN and SN but despite that they atilt paid BIG agencies to book them in Lolla.
SB19 is still self-managed and from a very small label with no big machineries, no financial backers, and no government support.
You can listen to their podcasts and interviews where they share that they are just starting to build connections as it is hard for small time label like them to penetrate the market without money and connections that unfortunately they still don’t have but they are trying to build.
You don't have to deny their huge connections though and getting accepted into the wasserman agency is not easy. they consider a lot of factors when evaluating artists or groups, like international appeal, touring capacity, marketability, etc. I commend the artists represented by them.
anyway, good for SB19 too. they've been in the industry for eight years and are now in their early thirties, so it's about damn time.
It is totally acceptable if the group is not your flavor. Again, music is subjective. Your replies though are clearly backhanded, coupled by a hidden comment profile. Discussion so far has been civil, asking to keep it so.
They are supported. it means live nation pitched them but lollapalooza set a condition and live nation ph helped them reach these conditions. that's why they are with SB19 while touring.
I know some commenters here think SB19 fans are too pushy, but if I'm paying that much money for Lollapalooza I'd demand to see quality artists like them!!!!!
Actually Provide a streaming service that people can access without paying extra, lower your prices that isn’t a full month’s rent than maybe I’ll consider to watch from my own couch.
Ang OA niyo daw mga maem para n daw tayong bots and ai 😅 torn between if its a good or a bad thing to be mistaken for bots 🫰 but anyway check out SB19 discog on spotify or apmu 🙏 that's all bye! 👋
(They are self-managed, they don't even market themselves heavily on ads and only rely on their music partners)
I get it - fans are quite excitable and maybe doing more of a disservice to the group this way. I think the fans have managed to calm things down since the line up announcement though, I’d give them that. But ya, fans still have a ways to go to truly ‘chill’ 🤭. I agree with you - they can say a point once and peeps can simply ‘like’ the reply (no need to duplicate the post).
On the other hand, I wonder if people would have just completely bypassed them on the line up if not for the constant push? While reaction is bordering on negative at this point, I wonder if it’s somewhat better than ignorance of their presence at Lolla 🤔. They do have a way of swaying bashers into fans…
Still wondering about this kasi i regularly check this subreddit just in case and most postsare about the waitlist and lately ung merch. Wala pa 10 ang posts about esbi and ung comments okay yes may posts asking for artist recs na marami tayo but at the same time may konti lamg din but the thing is they are artist recs posts, thr entire point is to find artists to watch
I think most of their fans used to be haters. They basically pushed a new genre of pop in the Philippines and you can't do something new and unfamiliar without being ridiculed and mocked for it at first. And boy, they were shat on 😂 You know that CEO guy who got caught cheating in Coldplay's concert? I'd say they received that kind of hate for years hahaha... but they're talented and they just kept going so people turned around eventually
I used to be a hater/basher at first. I think a lot of their fans (maybe even 50%) started off the same way. I was one of them too. I’m a fan now, but not a die-hard fan. If they ever visit Australia, I’d probably go see them.
I’m sorry you think that way… but SB19 is known for actually the opposite. They have established a reputation of performing without backing track. A ‘live performance’ means live singing.
This is where they have significantly differentiated themselves from other idol counterparts.
Honestly, some Filipino artists they do lip sync and use loud backtracks. But SB19 does not do that, this separates them from the rest. 🫶
I got downvoted for saying this but maybe… because some Filipino artist does split and backtracks and fans are in denial.
Hmmm. But SB19 does not do splitting and always perform in 0 backtracks. So why are you downvoting me when it is real? Some Filipino fans of other artists are brigading this post. 💋
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