Southeast Asia’s homegrown artists are knocking K-pop off its pedestal

Filipino call centre worker Jaycer Bajo’s Spotify playlist has changed a lot over the past few years. Bajo used to mostly listen to chart-topping hits from the United States, but these days, he has a steady stream of Pinoy Pop, or P-pop, artists on rotation: from boybands ALAMAT and BGYO, to the girl group BINI, which in April became the first all-Filipino girl group to perform at the Coachella music festival. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list “Over the past five years, I think I’ve switched from 70 percent Western music to, right now, around 70 percent Philippines and then 30 percent elsewhere,” Bajo, who lives north of Metro Manila, told Al Jazeera. “There were bands and groups in the Philippines that were making quality music before 2020, but it just boomed after that here,” Bajo said. ALAMAT, BGYO, and BINI, all of whom released their debut singles in 2021, draw heavily on influences from K-pop, J-pop, and Western pop, R&B and hip-hop, while incorporating Filipino themes and languages into their music. “They borrowed structure from K-Pop, but the talent elements are homegrown,” Bajo said. Across Southeast Asia, homegrown acts are increasingly displacing their Korean, Japanese and American counterparts on pop-lovers’ playlists. …