The group was trained from 2018 to 2020 under well-known Filipino mentors, including professional vocal coach and former chair of the Department of Voice, Music Theater and Dance at the University of the Philippines College of Music Kitchy Molina, and Austrian-born dance coach Mickey Perz. They were also trained by South Korean coaches from MU Doctor Academy, under the Star Hunt Academy program with the name of SHA Boys.
On December 4, 2020, the group signed a contract with ABS-CBN constituents Star Magic and record label Star Music.
Debuted on January 29, 2021 with the single The Light; they are: Gelo, Akira, JL, Mikki and Nate.
Let's learn more about them.
KZ- How did you decide to enter the musical world?
GELO: At an early age, I was really exposed and inspired with different types of genres. I really love music and I wished to have my own sound but I didn’t have time to focus on it because I focused on my dancing.
Star Hunt Academy/BGYO opened an avenue for me to improve my singing, discover my own style and gave me a way to pursue singing as part of my career.
AKIRA: I was an actor before I went inside the training camp. I did several commercials, I was able to star in a TV drama and I was able to act in an independent film. I was scouted for to be a part of the SHA just when I was looking for an opportunity to expand my skills set.
JL: I was always singing, even at a young age. I used to join singing competitions and reality programs that focused on singing. I was able to perform as front act to our local performers in their concerts.
MIKKI: I was a regular student prior to being BGYO. I did not know how to sing and dance until I entered the camp. However, I have always wanted to rap and I compose songs even before.
NATE: I was a dancer since I was 6 years old. I used to join competitions even at a very young age.
KZ- What are your skills beyond singing and dancing?
MIKKI: Aside from singing and dancing, I also write songs and I make artworks.
AKIRA: I can beatbox and I can draw. I like to draw portraits.
NATE: I discovered in the camp that I can actually rap!
GELO: Same with Nate, I discovered rapping during our trainee days.
JL: I love sports. I play volleyball and badminton.
BGYO: The Prive Alliance collaboration is all thanks to our Visual Director, Mr. DanylGeneciran, who is the co-founder of Prive together with EXO Baekhyun. Sir Danyl saw one of our videos and reached out to the Management to collaborate with us. He has been instrumental in our styling and he oversees all the clothes that we wear.
KZ- Why did you change the name SHA Boys to BGYO? What is the meaning of BGYO?
BGYO: SHA means Star Hunt Academy where we trained for almost 2 years prior to our debut. Back then, we were called SHA Trainees then SHA Boys.
When we debuted in Jan 29, 2021, our official name was revealed to the public. The Head of Entertainment, Mr. LaurentiDyogi, wanted a strong and powerful name for us. BGYO stands for what we represent as a group: B – Becoming the change, G – Going further, Y – You and I showing the world what it means to be O – Originally Filipino.
KZ- Tell us about your single "The Light", how did it come about, what do you want to tell us about it?
BGYO: “The Light” is about hope, empowerment and self-love. It actually reflects what we had to go through during our trainee days so it is relevant to our personal experiences. There is light within each one of us. The power to change yourself and to change the world is within reach as long as you do not give up.
We want to spread this message and to tell them that in the face of uncertainties and challenges in life, we must never give up and we must continue fighting for our dreams.
KZ- How would you define your music? What are your influences?
BGYO: We will define our music as a reflection of ourselves. It resembles what and who we are. It is also one of the ways to show people what we love and what we are passionate about.
Among us, our musical influences range from K-pop powerhouse groups such as BTS, EXO, NCT to Western superstars like Ed Sheeran to our local artists like Gary Valenciano, Inigo Pascual and Erik Santos. We have a wide and rather diverse influences among the group.
KZ- Are you preparing a new single or mini-album? Tell us about your projects.
BGYO: For now, we are focused on the promotions of our song “The Light”. We are planning to have versions of the song in other languages so a lot of people can appreciate the song more so we are preparing for that. We will also have guest appearances in our local variety show so we can showcase our performance repertoire more.
We do a lot of content online as well. So we hope they can follow us on our official social media accounts: @bgyo_ph on Instagram and Twitter and BGYO Official on Youtube.
KZ- If you could collaborate with another artist, who would you like it to be?
BGYO: We would like to collaborate with artists that we look up like BTS, EXO, NCT, Stray Kids, Got7. For our local Filipino artists, we would love to collaborate with Mr. Gary Valenciano and Mr. Inigo Pascual, who are both exceptional performers. We have so much respect for them.
KZ- Si vous pouviez collaborer avec un autre artiste, qui voudriez-vous que ce soit ?
BGYO : Nous aimerions collaborer avec des artistes que nous recherchons comme BTS, EXO, NCT, Stray Kids, Got7. Pour nos artistes philippins locaux, nous aimerions collaborer avec M. Gary Valenciano et M. Inigo Pascual, qui sont tous deux des interprĆØtes exceptionnels. Nous avons beaucoup de respect pour eux.
KZ- When you are able to travel, which country would you like to tour?
BGYO: When we are able to travel, we would like to tour every country possible!
KZ- Lorsque vous serez en mesure de voyager, quel pays souhaitez-vous visiter ?
BGYO : Lorsque nous pourrons voyager, nous aimerions visiter tous les pays possibles !
KZ- Tell us about your hopes and dreams.
BGYO: Our dream is to have a strong, versatile and long-term career for BGYO. We want to be iconic and have a huge impact worldwide so I can inspire a lot of people, especially the youth. We want to be known for our music, talents and personalities. We want to be a game changer in the music/entertainment industry.
BGYO: Thank you so much for all the love and support you give us. We are so happy to know that you appreciate us. You are a big factor in our victories, you are one of our greatest inspirations. When this pandemic ends, I hope we can all meet you.
1 Comentarios
Thank you for interviewing BGYO! <3
ResponderEliminarSe respetuoso o se borrarĆ” tu comentario. Gracias.