P-pop group BGYO wraps up 2022 with global presence on Spotify

MANILA, Philippines  — Homegrown Pinoy music is taking the world stage by storm with groups such as P-pop boy group BGYO presenting fresh beats with local flavor. 

The five ABS-CBN "Star Hunt Academy" alums Gelo Rivera, Akira Morishita, JL Toreliza, Mikki Claver and Nate Porcalla make up BGYO, which incidentally is an acronym for "Becoming the change, Going further, You and I, Originally Filipino." 

When asked about how they differentiate their brand of P-pop from the K-pop genre, Mikki said, “There are a lot of similarities, but you know it is all music. So for me, in P-pop is the way we try to put Filipino culture in our music, message and videos.” 

Global reach

BGYO is among the Top Radar Artists Philippines on Spotify’s 2022 Wrapped list, along with P-pop girl group BINI and solo artist Adie, increasing their reach to fans that include not only their local fanbase ACES, but has also led to their discovery by listeners in other countries as well. 

“Masaya kami kasi simula pa lang, goal talaga namin is makarating sa buong mundo ‘yung music namin. Nakakatuwa kasi dati nangangarap lang din kami tapos ngayon naging part na kami ng playlist ng ibang tao, na hindi naman kilala, kahit hindi sa Pilipinas. Lagi kaming magiging grateful doon,” Gelo shared. 

“Unang-una sa lahat, gusto naming magpasalamat sa Spotify kasi nagtiwala sila sa amin na ilagay kami sa Wrapped para ma-share namin ‘yung music namin sa maraming tao through this platform. Sobrang masaya kami kasi dream come true talaga siya,” he added.

The artists describe their music as “empowering,” and said that their sophomore album, which is due to come out soon, explores more ways to express different moods. “Marami po kaming na-include sa mga songs namin na feeling ko, may mahahanap iyong bawat tao na tamang song para sa nararamdaman nila — pwedeng happy, sad, mysterious, playful, or inspirational,” said Gelo. 

Akira said that one of their new songs, "Panahon," encapsulates the P-pop genre at the moment. “Bigyan mo ng panahon, hintayin lang natin, mag-work hard lang tayo,” he explained. 

They attribute their success to the support of their fans. JL said, “Lagi naman po naming sinasabi na sobrang masaya po kami sa suporta nila, sa mga events namin, sa pag-stream ng songs namin. Grabe wala kaming masabi. Parami na po kasi sila nang parami,” and he ended by saying, “We love you po!”

Filipino musicality

Five out of the Top 10 spots in this year’s Spotify Top Artists are Pinoys, and breaking through the list is Zack Tabudlo, who secured the No. 3 spot and emerged as this year’s Top Local Artist. 

Pulling listeners into his own cinematic universe, Tabudlo’s cathartic “Episode” album is also the second most streamed album in the country. Ben&Ben proved themselves to be a mainstay among the local favorites as they maintained their fourth place from 2021 and kept a spot in the top list for the fourth consecutive year.

While Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift and Drake topped the Wrapped lists across most-streamed album, track and artist globally, Filipinos have shown solid support for local talent. 

Nobita’s "Ikaw Lang" is the most streamed track in the Philippines, followed by Arthur Nery’s "Pagsamo" (No. 2), Adie’s "Paraluman" (No. 3), Zack Tabudlo’s "Pano" (No. 4) and Arthur Nery’s "Isa lang" (No. 5). 

“We are thrilled to see that Filipino artists have continued to shine on the local stage, as seen on 2022’s Spotify Wrapped results. This shows that the Philippines are increasingly listening to and supporting their homegrown talent, and we have seen an almost 50% increase in streams of local music the past year,” said Kossy Ng, Head of Music, Spotify Asia. “We're excited to continue working closely with local musicians and pave the way for more aspiring artists to flourish on the platform."

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