If you were a K-Pop fan, you would think you’re listening to a Korean group when you hear the song, “Go Up.”

Well, it sounds like K-Pop, but listening closely, you will hear Filipino lyrics. And it goes like this: “Yeah, we gonna go up//Yeah, yeah, we gonna go up//Tanging liwanag ang nakikita//Sa tuwing ipipikit aking mata//Bituin ko’y lalong nagniningning sa dilim//Walang makakapigil.”

It is performed with the beat and rhythm of a K-Pop bouncy tune with a similar harmonic blend of voices.

Don’t blame Sejun, Stell, Josh, Ken and Justin for sounding more K-Pop than the usual Pinoy boy band we’ve heard in the past, because they are the first five-member, all-Filipino group trained by a Korean entertainment company based in the Philippines, ShowBT Philippines Corporation.

The boys underwent an intensive three-year training under the world-renowned K-Pop system.

At the launch of the boy’s single, “Go Up,” last Friday at Luxent Hotel, ShowBT founder and CEO Geong Seong Han said in halting English, “I want to spread a new culture across the globe, starting with South East Asia.”

That’s why after establishing ShowBT in 2003 in Korea, he went to the Philippines in 2015 and put up the same company here called ShowBT Philippines Corporation. Why did he set it up here in the country?

“I’ve seen how Filipinos have been loving K-Pop, and how the K-Pop stars in Korea love the Filipino fans. And if I can put up a group of Filipinos who can be as popular as the K-Pop stars now famous around the world, I’ll be very happy.” Geong is moved by the motto “Power to transform culture.”

The boys who go around with the name SB19 actually underwent an intensive three-year training under the now world-renowned K-Pop system.

Sejun recalls, “For three years, we would be training three times a day. We tackled different aspects of being in show business – performance, self-development, music and many others. It was also when BT would eliminate those who couldn’t cope with the training. At the end of the day, lima na lang kaming natira (only five were left).”

With their new single “Go Up,” the quintet is now ready to conquer the local music scene. The single is considered SB19’s breakthrough single after their debut track “Tilaluha” was released in October last year.

“‘Go Up’ talks about the hardships and overall journey in reaching one’s goals. Through this, they wish to inspire other people — especially the younger generation to never give up on their dreams.

The boys worked with the music producer group RealBros, the team behind numerous K-Pop

“Go Up” was written and produced by Oh-won Lee who also goes by the name Jinja Sanai.

The single comes with a music video directed by JC Gwellidon (he has done music videos, too, for other Filipino and international stars like Donnalyn Bartolome and Brian Puspos).

The song was in the music sites worldwide since 19 July. It can be streamed from Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Google Play Music and other digital sites.

Sejun, Stell, Josh, Ken and Justin had their first taste of public performance last year dubbed SB19: Start of The Best, a two-day show at Teatrino in Greenhills on 19 December and another in Davao 23 December at NCCC Mall Buhangin.

The shows were a follow-up to the group’s release of “Tilaluha” on 26 October.

Sejun (leader, dancer, rapper), Stell (main vocal), Josh (dancer, rapper), Ken (main dancer) and Justin (maknae, vocal, rapper) were officially introduced in May 2018. The group has since been active, appearing in TV5’s variety show Aja Aja Tayo and attending several Korean cultural events in the country.

Justin said before the presscon ended, “We want to break into the music scene, set new standards. And then, other than that, siyempre we want to be successful here sa Philippines, since we’re Filipinos. And then, hopefully in Korea rin, since we’re under a Korean management. And then, hopefully, globally.”

Haeng-un-eul bibnida boys. That’s good luck in Korean. And to Geong Seong Han, gamsahamnida, for training Filipinos to be excellent performers just like your K-Pop stars in Seoul.

JAMES Reid ends contract with Viva Entertainment after seven years.

A seven-year itch was what Filipino-Australian star James Reid had that led to his leaving Viva Artists Agency.

Reid’s former management agency has not released an official statement regarding his turning freelance.

According to Reid’s camp, his father, Robert Malcolm Reid, is now in charge of the business affairs of his son.

Reid’s showbiz career picked up four years after he became the Big Winner in Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash in 2010. That was when Viva signed him and gave him an assignment as lead actor in the teen movie called Ang Diary ng Panget with his now girlfriend Nadine Lustre.

Showbiz vultures are watching the moves of Reid and where will he go with no contract with Viva.

Will Star Magic take him, or will the Kapamilya agency defer to Viva and not make any move without Reid’s former agency’s go-signal? It’s going to be a complicated life for Reid. He knows Philippine show business is a small world, after all.

ALDEN Richards says his new look was achieved by going through an “intensive diet.”

Many are asking if Alden Richard’s new look is “organic,” meaning, he hasn’t submitted to invasive cosmetology procedures.

If you take a look at his before-and-after photos, you’d know, unless you are a blind follower who thinks of Alden as the boy-next-door type and doesn’t need cosmetic procedures to achieve his look now.

I always pass by EDSA on my way to Mandaluyong or Makati and I see a couple of Belo Skin billboards along the way with the actor’s before-and-after photos. Some say that he just underwent a non-invasive procedure called Ulthera Plus. But I did read up on it, and it can help with anti-aging, skin tightening and it will take three to six months before one can see the results.

Korina Sanchez, before she had her twins, Pepe and Pilar, underwent the same treatment and it did have positive results on her.

But, in Alden’s case, perhaps the Belo group did something else to make sure the face looks nearly perfect. Did the actor go through a procedure to enhance his nose, chin and create a perfect jawline?

Belo is not saying, and Richards is just saying he went through an intensive diet. I didn’t know diet could alter physiognomy. Maybe you can lose the fat, but the bone structure will definitely remain.