P-pop on the rise: Why the world should be watching the Philippines
A growing pride in homegrown acts is reshaping how Filipinos consume music and leading to P-pop going global
BGYO is a five-member boy group that's a significant part of the rise of P-pop.
ABS-CBN Music
Words by Michelle De Pacina
The Philippines has long been known as a nation of singers. From karaoke-filled homes to viral covers online, music is a part of the Filipino identity that is soulful, emotional, and unshakably communal. But in the last few years, that energy has taken a new shape. A new generation of artists is writing, producing, and performing their way into global consciousness.
This is the rise of P-pop, or Pinoy pop. It’s a movement that combines the technical polish of K-pop, the emotional and sometimes humorous storytelling of OPM (Original Pilipino Music), and the warmth of Filipino culture. As the rest of Asia, and increasingly, the world, begin to listen, it’s becoming clear that the Philippines might be the next big pop powerhouse.
“The first thing that hits you, as a music producer working in the U.S.-American market, is the seemingly unending abundance of vocal ability in the Philippines,” says Michel “Lindgren” Schulz, a Grammy-winning producer known for his work with BTS, TXT, and Dua Lipa, who helped shape early K-pop and is now bringing his hitmaking touch to today’s P-pop and OPM scene. “Everyone, and I mean everyone I met, can sing as good, if not better, than anyone in the western market. It’s truly astounding. It’s just such a new challenge to take on—to just focus on the best possible song while the ‘singability’ of it all is just a given. I felt like the proverbial ‘kid in a candy store.’”
This past year has been monumental for artists from the Filipino diaspora. Boy band SB19 continues to elevate P-pop on the global stage with sold-out shows and international nominations, while girl group BINI made headlines as the first P-pop act set to perform at Coachella. Singers Sofronio Vasquez and Jessica Sanchez have also brought Filipino vocal talent further into the spotlight with their wins on The Voice and America’s Got Talent, respectively. Their achievements are helping more P-pop acts and OPM artists gain recognition internationally, with more groups now touring North America, and more fans at home proudly supporting local music than ever before.
The next chapter of Filipino music
One of the acts embodying this evolution is BGYO, a five-member boy group who recently headlined their first concert. Their new EP, Headlines, features collaborations with international songwriters including Grammy-nominated artist JBach and American producer-rapper Tommy Brown. BGYO’s album stands as a statement of ambition. It symbolizes a turning point for the Philippines’ music industry, in which global pop frameworks are now being utilized to expand and innovate the Filipino sound. It signals how Filipino artists are no longer content to stay local. They’re ready to play on the world stage.
“This new chapter really shows how much we’ve grown as artists,” says Gelo, the group’s leader. “We learned a lot from working with both international songwriters and producers, and our fellow Filipino talents. Their guidance and fresh ideas helped us explore new sounds and elevate our artistry, while still keeping our identity as BGYO.”
The members of BGYO use every stage as an opportunity to share and celebrate Filipino music with the world.
ABS-CBN Music
Main dancer Nate adds, “I see this as bridging the sounds from different worlds to come together and strengthen the sound of Filipino pop.”
BGYO members Akira, JL and Mikki emphasize that while they continue to explore new genres and experiment with their sound, they remain grounded in their roots. Whether through lyrics that reflect their culture and emotions, or by performing Tagalog songs at international shows and Filipino community events abroad, they see every stage as an opportunity to share and celebrate Filipino music with the world.
Rooted yet evolving
While going global is now the most visible goal for many Filipino acts, the heart of OPM remains deeply local. It is rooted in storytelling, emotion, and authenticity. The old-school OPM of the 1970s and 1980s—popularized by icons like Apo Hiking Society, Gary Valenciano, and Regine Velasquez—was built on heartfelt lyricism and timeless melodies. It reflected the Filipino soul: tender, melancholic, and always hopeful.
But today, OPM has evolved into something more dynamic and borderless. As social media, streaming, and cross-cultural collaboration expand creative horizons, the genre has transformed into a multifaceted landscape that blends nostalgia with innovation.
Nhiko Sabiniano, the lead vocalist of the indie band Nameless Kids and a sought-after producer and writer in the Filipino music space, explains, “The current sound of OPM is very diverse in so many different ways. The writing and production locally has mixed the niche into the mainstream and the mainstream into the niche. I would describe it as a melting pot of external influences coming from both Western and Southeast Asian artists that have been making waves here.”
However, this fusion doesn’t dilute OPM’s roots. In fact, it strengthens them. The genre’s new wave of artists proves that you can honor tradition while experimenting with sound, genre, and now more than ever, be louder about one’s Filipino identity.
Nhiko Sabiniano is the lead vocalist of indie band Nameless Kids and a sought-after producer and writer in the Filipino music space.
ABS-CBN Music
The Kolorcoaster Generation
A perfect example of this new era is 25-year-old artist Maki, who turns emotion into color with his debut album Kolorcoaster, which previously ranked at number 10 on Spotify’s Top Album Debut Global list. A visual artist before he became a singer-songwriter, Maki fuses his love for art with pop sensibility, creating music that feels both personal and cinematic. The album explores the spectrum of human feeling, with each track painted in vivid emotional hues.
“For me, Kolorcoaster has been a long-time-coming concept since I was a kid,” Maki says. “I’ve always enjoyed doing art. That’s why this concept album means a lot to me, not just because it’s my album but because it carries an advocacy I want to amplify. The art industry in the Philippines is thriving, but I feel like it deserves more attention. As an artist, I want to use my voice to represent that community…I want to use my platform at the moment to let people know that I’m the type of artist who is for the artists.”
His storytelling is deeply Filipino—emotional, poetic, and universal in its honesty. Yet his appeal, like much of modern OPM, breaks geographical boundaries. His hit single “Dilaw” has charted across the world, appearing on Spotify Viral and Daily Top charts in Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Canada, as well as on iTunes charts in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
What is driving the music revolution?
If there’s one force driving this renaissance, it’s the people. Support for homegrown artists has never been stronger, both in the Philippines and among Filipino communities abroad. The rise of acts like BINI and SB19 has shown that authenticity and embracing one’s roots is what truly resonates.
“With the help of many veteran artists throughout the years, artists now have the urge to speak up and be themselves,” says Maki. “They walked so we could run. Now that we are here, we all want to show the world that Filipinos can do it, and that Filipinos are incredibly talented, personality wise and skill wise, with so much to offer from the Philippines.” He adds that they’re thriving, not just because Filipino singers are talented. But also because of the support. It’s the opposite of the crab mentality and is “truly revolutionary,” he says.
That growing pride in local talent is reshaping how Filipinos consume music. As Sabiniano observes, “In the past years there has been a huge jump in the support Filipinos have shown to local talents, to the point where it has been obvious that nowadays it’s more common to see casual-turned-die-hard listeners. From what I’ve seen being a relatively young member of the industry, I think the push from fellow Filipinos has helped shift the narrative from Pinoys always feeling like it’s cooler to be listening to foreign music, to being loud and proud about their love of the ever so bold and brilliant local artists.”
This movement, powered by fans, amplified by social media, and sustained by creative collaboration, is what’s transforming P-pop and OPM from niche genres into global forces.
Michel “Lindgren” Schulz is a Grammy-winning producer who's bringing his hitmaking touch to today’s P-pop and OPM scene.
ABS-CBN Music
The balancing act
As Filipino music continues to reach new audiences, artists and producers acknowledge both the momentum and the growing pains that come with going global. For Lindgren, one of the biggest challenges lies in defining what distinguishes P-pop from the larger Asian music wave dominated by K-pop and J-pop. But he believes that this distinction will eventually become P-pop’s strength. The more the world embraces Asian music, he says, the easier it will be for the Philippines to carve its own identity.
“It’s no secret that the west has slept on Asia, culturally, for too long. So it’s time for the rest of the world to catch up,” Lindgren says. “This is the moment for the Philippines to show what P-pop is all about.”
“It’s no secret that the west has slept on Asia, culturally, for too long. So it’s time for the rest of the world to catch up. This is the moment for the Philippines to show what P-pop is all about.”
The producer stresses that the true test for the industry will be staying authentic. As Filipino acts begin to enter Western markets, the temptation to conform to familiar pop formulas can be strong. He believes that the goal is not to dilute what makes Filipino music unique, but to build on it.
“The biggest asset a pop act has, will always be their audience—their fans. And these fans love you for a reason. Read that again with the emphasis on ‘you,’ not reason. So don’t change who YOU are,” he says. “P-pop is special and unique and I feel honored every day to play a little part in its creation.”
For Sabiniano, P-pop’s dual identity rooted in both English and Tagalog presents both opportunity and tension. Filipinos’ fluency in English gives them an edge in reaching global listeners, but locally, Tagalog songs still hold emotional power. That balance between accessibility and authenticity is one the industry is still learning to master.
He also points out that the Philippines’ music infrastructure needs to evolve alongside its artists. He believes the industry tends to favor established acts rather than nurturing emerging ones. “The music industry here could be so rich if only more amazing artists were given chances. Also, the people working on these songs deserve to be compensated better so that rising artists could actually find a sustainable career in music,” he says.
The ‘next big thing’
For many artists, the dream is not just global recognition, it is transformation. Maki envisions a thriving community built on mutual support rather than competition, in which artists lift each other up instead of being weighed down by the country’s notorious crab mentality. To him, genuine collaboration will be the key to sustaining the movement.
“Music isn’t just entertainment,” he says. “It sparks people to pursue what they truly want.” In a country where creative careers are still often viewed as impractical, Maki hopes that the continued rise of OPM and P-pop will inspire the next generation of Filipino children to dream bigger and see representation as power.
Lindgren shares that optimism, comparing today’s P-pop scene to the early days of K-pop: fearless, confident, and proudly rooted in its own identity. “And that’s why all my chips are on P-pop for the ‘next big thing.’ I think there is so much more to be found and defined as quintessentially P-pop and I’m excited for that process,” he says.
For BGYO, the vision is clear. “Five years from now, we hope pop from the Philippines continues to grow and be recognized globally,” Gelo says. “We want to see more artists proudly representing our culture and sound on bigger stages, and for the world to see how much talent and creativity Filipinos have. More than just the music, we hope the community stays united and continues to lift each other up, showing that Filipino pop can stand alongside the best in the world.”
Published on December 9, 2025
Words by Michelle De Pacina
Michelle De Pacina is a Filipino reporter whose work spans breaking news, music, entertainment, crime, culture, and politics. She earned her master’s in journalism from NYU and is now based in Los Angeles. Michelle is driven by a commitment to elevate diverse voices, with a particular focus on championing stories from the Filipino community. Follow her on Instagram at @michdepacina.