On December 14, the 2023 Asia Artist Awards (AAAs) took place in the Philippines, celebrating a year of music and entertainment.
Along with the numerous Korean entertainers, there were many other Asian celebrities in attendance, including several Filipino stars.
Some of the most anticipated stars of the night were SB19, the popular boy group behind the absolute banger “Gento.” The group walked the red carpet wearing Barong Tagalog, a Phillippine national dress.
The group had a very successful night, winning the “Best Artist Award (Music)” and “Hot Trend Award.”
SB19 also were among the performers for the event and presented a nearly eight-minute long stage with K-Pop group &TEAM as special guests.
However, the great night for the group meant so much more to many of their fans than just award acceptances and a performance.
When SB19 debuted, they were under ShowBT, a company founded by South Korean comedian Jung Seong Han. With the release of Pagtatag in June 2023, the group announced they had established their label, 1Z Entertainment.
In November, the group began going by another name as ShowBT fought them on the rights for it. On December 5, it was announced that SB19 had successfully negotiated the rights to use their name.
Fans found it iconic for the group to return to the stage using their name in such a big way.
do you understand how absolutely iconic it is to have weeks of not being able to use your original group name — plus a cancelled asian tour — and then have your comeback performance to finally use your grp name again like THIS?
damn, sb19.pic.twitter.com/XLjEZohsn1
— gwy(neth) (@ini_si_gwy) December 14, 2023
SB19!!!! IS SO FREAKING SO REAL TO SEE THEM. PERFORM LIVE IN THE PH ARENA AND TO SEE THE SB19 NAME AND LOGO!!! I’M SO PROUD 😭😭😭😭
SB19 SA PH ARENAAA2023@SB19Official #SB19 #SB19atAAA2023 pic.twitter.com/rCFV6T5wPL
— ≡❖Jhunebeth 💛 (@jhunebethsj) December 14, 2023
IMAGINE ALMOST LOSING YOUR GROUP NAME, YOUR BRAND AND SHT THEN A MONTH LATER HAVING TO RECEIVE AN A BEST ARTIST AWARD FROM A PRESTIGIOUS AWARD GIVING BODY
SB19 SA PH ARENAAA2023@SB19Official #SB19 #SB19atAAA2023 pic.twitter.com/h3pt5TLxTr
— 𝐉𝐉 (@jjakiii__) December 14, 2023
SB19’s presence at the 2023 AAAs also stirred feelings within non-fans.
One netizen shared that seeing a Southeast Asian group take the stage as the main characters, rather than just be part of a viral trend, made them happy.
I’m not exactly a fan but it makes me happy seeing a Filipino group do collabs where they are the MAIN character and not the side chara ifywim. For once, SEA representation where the viral music isn’t treated simply as a random tiktok trend, but an actual work of an artist. https://t.co/T3FmF1xbgS
— G씨 ♚ (@ready4BoA) December 14, 2023
Many were especially proud of SB19 appearing in front of so many K-pop acts and showing off how they earned the title of “P-Pop Kings.”
SB19’s Acceptance Speech for AAA Best Artist (Singer) Award 🏆
This is their 2nd award for tonight. Congratulations again, SB19! You are truly a Filipino Pride! 🇵🇭
SB19 SA PH ARENAAA2023@SB19Official #SB19 #SB19atAAA2023 pic.twitter.com/49aVpWLgmN
— c/za ⚠️ (@loveyoubujing) December 14, 2023
The power that Gento holds.
The power that @SB19Official’s story holds.Filipino pride indeed!
The universe is definitely for the Ppop Kings! https://t.co/QuGtEAn10X— LUWI (@johnlouiedv) December 14, 2023
The famous “GENTO” SB19 Performing it infront of kpop artists!!!
FILIPINO PRIDE🔥🇵🇭!!#SB19
#AsiaArtistAwards2023#AsiaArtistAwards #AAA2023inPH pic.twitter.com/04kEEJsvK1— Gossip_PH (@Eyechismis) December 14, 2023
Congratulations to SB19 on all their achievements so far!
