JBK was formed in 2015 and, like some bands, they had a hard time coming up with their name.

Pinoy boy band JBK showcases global Pinoy talent in TribuneNOW’s Friday Mixer. Yummie Dingding @tribunephl_yumi

There have been many times Filipinos have proven that local talent isn’t just for the local stage but also stuns audiences from different parts of the world. Filipinos have been able to showcase and win even the highest prizes with their prowess whether it be through song, magic or something as creative as shadow dancing.

One of these talented Pinoys is boy band JBK which showcases global Pinoy talent in TribuneNOW’s Friday Mixer. Composed of Joshua Bulot, Bryan del Rosario and Kim Lawrenz Ordonio, the group talked about their journey as rising talents to what they have achieved so far.

JBK was formed in 2015 and, like some bands, they had a hard time coming up with their name. So they stuck to something that could keep up with the likes of APO Hiking Society whose members derived their band name from initials of an already existing name.

“The name JBK started when group messages were still a thing. When Bryan messaged us when we had gigs, we didn’t have a name yet and Joshua, Bryan, Kim was too long, so we shortened it to JBK which we continued to use until we had a number of gigs already,” Joshua recalled in Filipino.

They went on to do a lot of gigs using their combined initials and eventually took an opportunity to join an internationally-known reality TV competition called The X-Factor UK.

“In 2017, X-Factor UK opened online auditions worldwide for the very first time. Since we were fans of the show, we thought of trying to join. We submitted a two-minute video but didn’t expect anything to happen afterwards,” Brian stated.

The way they found out about their acceptance in the talent show was amusing in itself.

“I rarely check my emails. We had a gig in Bukidnon at that time and the event organizer asked for my email address because he would be sending pictures. As soon as I opened my account, I saw a two-day-old email from X-Factor UK. We even thought it was a scam but we called them and proved it was really them. Afterwards, we went straight to the airport to fly to the UK,” Joshua mused.

On the way there, they told Daily Tribune, their supposedly 18-hour flight became 24 hours.

“The total travel time is 18 hours but ours lasted almost 24 hours because there were delays on each flight — our layover in Qatar was five hours delayed. When we arrived, the audition was scheduled the day after so it gave us a slight headache. We only had four hours of sleep because we had to wake up early for the 9 a.m. call time. We had a shoot the whole day then we waited. We only got to sing when it was 11 p.m. or 12 midnight already,” the boys shared.

Despite their hardships, they were able to get four astounding yeses from the X-Factor UK judging panel who, at that time, were composed of Sharon Osborne, Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh. They sang Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down” during the auditions. The Filipino trio even made it up to the Sing-off challenge but was voted out which made Nicole Scherzinger walk out during the show.

Nevertheless, after their X-Factor UK stint and a very successful UK tour last 26 January to 11 February 2018 where they performed in seven key cities of the UK, it opened many doors for them when they got back home.

Currently, they are promoting their original music distributed by Warner Music Philippines. They are also one of the newest GMA Kapuso Artists and has appeared on different GMA 7 shows. Aside from being a part of a boy band, Joshua and Kim are part of major musical plays.

JBK described themselves as a boy band which doesn’t act like a boy band.

“We really try to produce our original music as opposed to covering songs. In reality, we write our own music. We try our best to be involved in our music whether on music video conceptualization, among others. We own our band as a trio,” they stated.

One song that Bryan wrote is called “Letting You Go.” The songwriter shared, “I finished writing the song in 10 minutes because, when I get hurt, I write what I feel instead of talking to the person who hurt me.”

On another song called “Maibalik,” the band described it as a song about second chances.

(FROM left) Kim Lawrenz Ordonio, Joshua Bulot and Bryan del Rosario. yummie dingding @tribunephl_yumi

“The guy is saying sorry to the girl or vice versa and he or she wants to bring back their happy moments. Sometimes, if we hurt the person we love, it will be hard to gain back their 100 percent, there’s tension already,” Joshua stated.

“We made the theme a little different from the usual. The song talks about the perspective of the person who caused pain to the other. Second chances are always on the plate when it comes to relationships and you do things like sing to your partner or try persuade them,” he added.

Meanwhile, “Anestisya” is the perfect song for broken-hearted people who are looking for ways to ease the pain as per JBK.

According to the band, it was newspaper editor and songwriter Jojo Panaligan who wrote the song. Back in 2015, they met with him and he wanted the group to do a demo to give a new flavor to his song.

“A few years after our recording, (Jojo) thought that he would just release it. Since the way we sang the song passed his standards, he gave it to us,” they added.

Going back to how the song is perfect for the broken-hearted JBK described, “Sometimes, when the pain is too much, we need a reliever even if it’s only for a while. But once it wears off, you have to face the problem.”

“It’s not just about love. No matter what problems you face, if you can’t stand it, you’ll find ways to ease the pain. In this case, it’s the alcohol. At the end of the song, he eventually admits that it hurt,” they added.

Before X-Factor UK, the boy band joined the local competition called McJim: Dreams Get Real: Search for the Next OPM Star and was one of the winners of the said event. Their winning piece was entitled “Anong Meron Ka?”

The song speaks about the charisma of a girl they are talking about, how she has a different aura from most girls and how that aura struck them really hard that she’s unforgettable.

Expect more from JBK as they rise to fame. Follow them on their social media accounts @JBKBandOfficial on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to their YouTube channel JBK Band Official for more updates and videos of their performances.