In honour of Filipino Heritage Month, Filipino boy band SB19 tells ET Canada about the importance of representing their culture on the world stage as they embark on their first-ever U.S. tour and their upcoming debut Canadian tour.
The band — comprised of Ken Suson, Justin de Dios, Josh Cullen, Pablo and Stell — explained the importance of one of their biggest goals — to bring Filipino music and culture to the masses around the world.
“Filipinos are very talented, and I think it’s a great opportunity for Filipinos to be known in singing, in art, in our culture, in performance,” Justin told ET Canada’s Carlos Bustamante.
“It’s very honourable to represent Philippines globally in terms of the skills and talent that we have,” Ken added. “So right now it’s very overwhelming that there’s a lot of Filipinos that are supporting us not only here in the Philippines, but also abroad, especially Canada. And I think it’s one of our goals to really promote Filipino culture.”
When asked what makes them the most proud to be Filipino, Josh replied, “Everything.
“The language, the experiences that we’ve had,” he continued, noting that their culture has “translated to our songs, to our music…. We tried to promote the Filipino heritage and culture all over the world through our music and everything that we do.”
“Filipinos are [also] known for being talented and being happy people,” Justin chimed in. “So I think that’s something that we can be proud of to show the world that we are Filipinos, that we are like this, we are talented, we are passionate about our dreams.”
“And I think one of the most valuable things about Filipinos is they really don’t give up on anything,” Josh added. “Just like us.”
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Not giving up has been a big part of SB19’s journey to get to where they are today — their first tour across North America. The band, who was formed in 2016 and debut their first single “Tilaluha” in 2018, shared their reaction to performing in the U.S. for the first time.
“We were very overwhelmed. Lots of emotions. Mixed emotions,” Josh said. “We were struggling at first and we didn’t know what to expect because there are lots of foreigners watching us.
“It’s a different set, the audience, for us. They have different humour. It’s the first time they’ve seen us,” he explained, “But it was the best feeling ever when they started singing our songs, because, you know, we have different cultures and we were surprised that they memorized the lyrics of our songs. And it speaks a lot.”
Josh admitted that sometimes the band gets overwhelmed by the the international support and questions whether they deserve all the love.
“Sometimes we were questioning ourselves, ‘Why do they love us?’ They love us so much that sometimes we question ourselves if we really deserve all the love,” he confessed. “So we really try… with great power comes great responsibility, right? We really take responsibility as, you know, as their role models. So we would be able to give a good example to the fans as well.
Fortunately for Canadians, the band is bringing their tour to Canada.
When asked if they have any Canadian relatives who want to attend their show, Cullen joked: “Yeah… My family’s mice. They’re everywhere. [Laughs.] I have a lot of crazy relatives in the States and Canada.”
As for Justin, one of his college friends is “living in Canada right now,” he shared, noting that “she’s the one who pushed me to go training and perform. So I hope to see her.”
The band also shared what they’re most excited about for their Canadian tour leg.
“Maybe the cold weather. It’s the exciting part. We’re not sure,” Josh said, noting that Canada’s weather is “really different” than the Philippines’.
“It’s going to be the first time that we’re going to Canada, the most exciting part is seeing Canada in person,” he continued, adding: “I really want to visit the Niagara Falls. If I have the opportunity, I would visit.”
SB19’s Canadian tour kicks off on August 11 with stops in Pickering, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Edmonton.
