P-pop boy group ALAMAT led the forefront as the country’s representative for the growing music genre in one of British news outlet BBC News’ podcasts.
In an episode of BBC’s “What in the with World”, BBC reporter Hannah Gelbart joined the “behind-the-scenes” of what she described as “one of the country’s top P-Pop groups”.
With P-pop rapidly gaining momentum as it captivates audiences both locally and abroad, it is commonly compared to another internationally acclaimed music scene, K-pop, which the podcast will delve into as it sets apart the genres’ similarities and differences.
Gelbart began by introducing ALAMAT and its six members, Taneo, Mo, Tomás, R-ji, Alas, and Jao, who each represent their own different regions of the Philippines and sing in their local language such as Ilocano, Waray-Waray, Bicolano, Kapampangan, Hiligaynon, and Bisaya.
Among the topics they discussed were their concepts and the influences of K-pop in their music.
“Are there any influences of K-pop in your music? Do you incorporate anything from that at all?”, the reporter asked.
“When it comes to K-pop, we got more inspiration from K-pop for our training, but when it comes to music, it roots more from the Filipino culture like Filipino instruments and Filipino music,” one of the members answered.
BBC also mentioned the group’s unique concepts including singing about the country’s past such as the Spanish colonization era in their music video of “kasmala” and their representation of overseas Filipino workers’ lives in “ily ily“.
When asked about the future of P-pop, the members expressed their hope and anticipation in contributing to the milestones and achievements of the local music scene.
“Definitely, P-pop is growing big and we’re always hoping and aiming for more growth,” a member said.
Additionally, BBC News also uploaded a solo interview with one of ALAMAT members, Jao, on their official TikTok page uploaded on Saturday, April 27.
“Some people think that K-pop is like P-pop. There may be similarities like the dancing while singing but P-pop sounds completely different. We aim to promote our culture,” Jao emphasized the group’s unique approach to representing the Filipino culture.
He described the country’s culture as “very rich and beautiful” and expressed their aim to “keep it living” by promoting it through everything that they do including “fashion, music, and dances”.
@bbcnews BRB adding some P-pop to my playlists. #Music #Philippines #Ppop #Kpop #Alamat #PinoyPop #Pop #Stan #BBCNews ♬ original sound – BBC News
