P-Pop is on the Rise - Meet the Emerging Next Generation

The rise of P-Pop began with talented artists who wanted to be more than a shadow of cover groups. The 1st generation of P-Pop artists created a genre of their own, and now, a new generation is rising. This 2nd generation of P-Pop artists were the stars of an entire day for P-Pop fans at two events across Metro Manila. We spent the day celebrating the up-and-coming stars of the rising generation at Eton Centris.

The opening of PPOPCOM felt like a school fair - highly organized but just a simple celebration among fans. Twelve short hours later, it became something no one could expect - an inter-fan meeting and music festival rolled into one. PPOPCOM2023 was made for the fans and by the fans, and it was a music festival of equal caliber to any that P-Pop has seen before. The most amazing part? It was imagined, created, and executed in just 9 days. Those 9 days were enough to secure a location, fill it with fanbases and vendor booths and recruit more than 20 artists to perform.

The performers at POPCOM2023 represented the 2nd generation of modern P-Pop performers. Still, the energy of the first-generation groups filled the venue as the rising generation celebrated their predecessors with song and dance covers. The crowd responded in kind, giving each of them the same love and energy they would have given the original performers. Get ready to meet some of the hottest new artists from PPOPCOM2023.

First-Timers Take to the Stage

More than one group made their debut on the PPOPCOM2023 stage. Between artists taking their first live stage to the cover performers and the unreleased tracks - these rising artists of the 2nd generation made some noise and grabbed some attention.

The first P-Pop group to perform, SMS of Enchanted Kingdom, was not what the crowd expected. This 5-member girl group is still in their pre-debut stage, but they wowed the crowd with their set.

“We were really surprised. They were fantastic,” said P-Pop fans and Dominican Republic influencers Sol & Luna.

5-Member Girl Group, Haliya.

Haliya is one group we’ve been watching for a while now - ever since they released early teasers for the group in 2022. This group fits their name - intense and aggressive choreography is reminiscent of the warrior moon goddess they’re named after. Like other rising groups, they’re looking to define themselves as a new kind of P-Pop artist with a distinct branding as strong storytellers through dance and song. Like other groups in this section, they’re still in their pre-debut stage, but we’re waiting for them to drop that first single.

He’s more popularly known as the choreographer of such tracks as Stray Dogs and MicTest by FELIP, so it was no surprise when J2X started off by showing his dance moves from FELIP’s COMPLEX EP. The real surprise came when he performed 2 original rap songs. Knowing his reputation, we thought he was just there as a dancer. Both tracks were self-written and produced. We can only imagine how nervous he was, but it never showed - J2X is ready for that career as an all-arounder.

Soloist, J2X

Blvck Flowers is very new to us, so we were surprised by their already large following - not to mention being in love with their fandom name, SkyLace. These girls are so new to the scene that we’re still trying to track down their social media accounts, but they kept up their stage presence with their pleasant voices and fluid movements. We’re excited to see their progress by next year.

[Rey Cariaso is a] strong rapper with excellent breath control, we’re excited to see how his career begins and progresses.

Rey Cariaso has gained some attention lately for some stellar covers - and he proved that he deserved every bit of that attention when he opened with some serious rap numbers, JoshCullen’s ‘Wild Tonight’ (complete with choreography) and PABLO’s ‘La Luna’. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand as they started chanting for him to cover FELIP’s ‘MicTest’, but he said no - mostly because he doesn’t speak Bisaya. A strong rapper with excellent breath control, we’re excited to see how his career begins and progresses.

Soloist Swaggy with her dance partner, AJ Rances

Last but certainly not least, We don’t think anyone expected the welcome that dancer/choreographer Swaggy got at PPOPCOM2023 – including Swaggy herself. She performed an intricate routine, including a duet with fellow dancer and choreographer AJ Rances. Highlighting both new choreography and highlights from JoshCullen’s Wild Tonight, where she was one of the lead dancers. With seamless transitions and perfect form, this performance only thrust Swaggy more firmly into the spotlight - all eyes were on her.

Future Vanguards Building Their Fanbases

The 2nd generation of P-Pop performers made their mark at PPOPCOM2023 in true P-Pop style - by stealing the hearts and minds of the collective community. These groups weren’t shy to start recruiting to their fandoms - and they did it by performing their own original songs - some of them for the first time.

We’ll be honest; this was the first we’d heard of the 4-member boy group HYV, but don’t worry, we’ve made up for it since. They’ve got one single out on streaming services, ‘Alawkulay’, and that first single says it all - it’s entirely self-created. Their stage presence keeps turning heads, and personally, we’re waiting for the video content to match the quality of that debut single.

5-Member Boygroup, NEO

Giving new artists a chance was the big theme at PPOPCOM2023, and Neo was no exception. This 5-member boy group is still in its cover group phase, but it’s nothing to scoff at because they took on some of the most challenging covers in the business. In the past, they’ve gained some notoriety for pitch-perfect covers of SB19’s ‘Tilaluha’ and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. PPOPCOM was their debut stage, but they put all their jitters aside and performed their unreleased single, ‘Hiraya’, proving to would-be fans what they are capable of. Let’s say this group seems to like the difficult harmonies. They’re gathering new fans and, alongside fellow rookies, Yes My Love, were one of the most memorable new groups of the day. It’s no small feat when you remember that they have yet to release that first single.

In classic P-Pop style, 6ense’s choreography and strong stage presence brought the crowd’s energy even higher. The vocals were a bit soft, but we’ll blame the mics here since we could clearly hear every member. Learning to project over sound system troubles will come with time and experience. The important thing? The harmonization and high notes were there. The boys had a gift of hyping the crowd, especially with their performance of SB19’s ‘Bazinga’ at the end of their set. This 6-member boy group released their first pre-debut single, ‘6ood Boy’, in late 2022, and they’ve since followed with a second pre-debut single, ‘Hindi Na.’ One thing is for sure, they are showing their range and have their eyes on being the leaders of their generation.

One thing is for sure, they are showing their range and have their eyes on being the leaders of their generation.

Ver5us is another strong contender - and it’s no wonder; they’re already champions. Along with Yara, they were the winners of the inaugural season of “PoPinoy.” They’re another group with solid choreography, impressive vocals, and great vocal harmonies. This up-and-coming challenger for top group wove in trick choreography, including a somersault, into their performance. They’ve only released one song, ‘Winner’, and an accompanying performance video, but no music videos. Given their stage presence? We are eager to see what they can do on film.

PPOPCOM2023 was Yes My Love’s debut stage and first time sharing their original song, ‘Rhythm.’ These boys know how to hype a crowd and inspire some serious fangirling. They instantly drew the crowd to their stage - recruiting listeners into their fandom (143) left and right - many of whom had never even heard them before.

6-Member boy group, Yes My Love (YML)

“Omg!. The vocals and the choreography. You’d never guess it was their debut performance because their vocals shocked a lot of people,” said one new fan who’d heard them on the PPOPCOM2023 stage for the first time. With their intense choreography and very high vocal range, we can see them becoming leaders of their generation.

The Rising Veterans of the 2nd Generation

It wasn’t just the rookies that stole the show at PPOPCOM2023. The rising generation has some solid veterans - months and years into their training - these veterans showed how they can hold down a stage and promote their artistry at the same time. Vanguards of their generation? We certainly thought so.

6-Member Girl Group, Calista.

Calista set themselves apart from the other performers with their solid vocals and dance moves. They’re one of the more senior groups who took that stage at PPOPCOM, having debuted just over a year ago with their single, ‘Racecar’. Their strong and vocal fanbase (A-Listas) were equally as passionate in support of their idols’ music, especially during the performance of their latest single ‘Ugnayan.’ They seem to improve every time we see them - and that’s saying something.

4-Member Girl Group, YARA

Despite their recent debut, Yara gained a fair amount of notoriety in their pre-debut phase with their single, ‘Para.’ and their win on the inaugural season of “PoPinoy.” They’ve always been good, but they were phenomenal at PPOPCOM 2023. The quartet recently signed with Sony Music Philippines, giving them even more confidence - and it shows on stage. These ladies kept the audience’s energy high with catchy songs and 100% on-point choreography. With the release of their formal debut single, ‘ADDA’, these girls are set to take off.

Soloist, Valfer (left) and Duo, Z2Z (right)

PPOPCOM was hardly the first stage for P-Pop soloist Valfer. Originally known for his role as the Ilonggo speaker in P-Pop group ALAMAT, Valfer has since launched his own solo career and released two singles, ‘Sumpa’ and ‘Sana Naman’. Despite his experience, even he seemed overwhelmed by the audience’s response, who chanted his name and sang along. With his gift for controlling a crowd and pulling them into his performance, he gave off the aura of a headliner.

It’s easy to love the story of Z2Z’s J.O and Soya. It’s a debut that’s been a long time in the making for J.O, and it shows - this P-Pop duo is hungry. With high energy, they lift each other on stage - completing each other as performers. A highlight of the night came with J.O’s teary admission that he couldn’t believe his time had finally arrived after 10 long years of training. They hit the ground running, too - debuting with a full EP, GENE:ZIIZ, that features 3 tracks, all written by J.O himself.

P-Pop itself is still a baby in the world music scene, and it’s hard for us to believe we already have a rising 2nd generation and such a strong one. Bolstered by one of the most supportive communities in fandoms, P-Pop is sure to continue to rise and grow as quality artists emerge. The leaders are emerging of this new generation. Our instinct is that we’ve just met the forerunners and the next wave of vanguards for Pinoy Pop, OPM, and Filipino culture in general. Watch this space as we bring you more info on these rising stars in the near future and check out more videos from PPOPCOM2023 on their YouTube Channel.