P-Pop to the World: The rise of Philippine pop on the global stage

By Rosemarie Zamora 

Filipinos have long been known for their musical prowess, with many artists earning recognition on prestigious global platforms. For years, more Filipino artists have been paving their way internationally.

But more recently, one cannot deny the rise to stardom of various Filipino groups, which paved the way for the rise of Philippine pop (P-pop) on the global stage, showcasing the undeniable talent and creativity of Filipino artists.

As P-pop continues to evolve, it reflects the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines while embracing modern influences that resonate with a global audience.

What is P-Pop?

P-pop, short for Philippine pop or Pinoy pop, is a popular music genre in the Philippines. It is often considered a subgenre of Original Pinoy Music (OPM). 

P-pop originally started developing in the 1990s to 2000s, with the rise of Pinoy novelty music. 

In 2010, a new pop genre was born. With the emergence of new technology, Filipinos were exposed to the international culture, which led to the shift of interest to Korean groups. 

Many Filipinos idolized Korean boy and girl groups such as Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, Big Bang, 2NE1, BTS, and Blackpink. These groups inspired the rise of P-Pop groups.

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The emergence of P-Pop groups

With great influence from Korean and Japanese groups, Filipino groups started to carve their own name in the music industry and introduce Filipino pride internationally. 

But this journey was not easy as aspiring groups needed to undergo rigorous training and practice. Most of them also faced criticism from skeptic fans, accusing them of being copy-cats of Korean groups. 

Such was the experience of Filipino P-Pop group SB19. 

SB19, comprising Pablo, Stell, Josh, Ken, and Justin, was formed in 2016 and trained under a Korean management company. 

SB19 are called the pioneers of P-Pop as they were the first group to have actually made P-pop more popular worldwide, and because of them, more Filipino pop groups were able to carve their own names on the global scene. 

They became the first Southeast Asian act to be nominated for the Billboard Music Awards and the first Southeast Asian act to make an appearance in the top 10 of the Billboard Social 50.

Following SB19, there is BINI, an eight-member girl group comprising Jhoanna, Stacey, Maloi, Gwen, Aiah, Sheena, Mikha, and Colet. BINI debuted in 2020 and rose to prominence in 2024. 

With their sold-out concerts and international appearances, the group established their reputation as the “Nation’s Girl Group”. 

Following the success of SB19 and BINI, more P-pop groups emerged, such as 1st.One, Alamat, AJAA, BGYO and a lot more.

Future of P-Pop

With many Filipino talents out there, the future of P-pop looks promising and will surely go a long way. 

With them making their own names globally, Filipinos can say that they are not “copycats” because they are the real deal. 

Surely, Filipino artists are leaving an indelible mark on the global music landscape.

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