There is a new boy group taking the Philippines by storm! The P-pop group, is cleverly called BGYO which reflects the Filipino word for storm or typhoon "bagyo". In this instance the group brings about a wave of positive influences through their music. After being picked out of 250 candidates and two years of rigorous training by the Star Hunt Academy, BGYO was launched with the release of its music video of their song "The Light".
The music video already has a combined total of over 1.68 views so far from its official YouTube channel and Facebook page, which continue to grow.
Composed of Gelo, Akira, JL, Mikki, and Nate, the group was initially known
as SHA Boys, which first got TV audiences and netizens’ admiration as the
group made the rounds of television shows. Their “It’s Showtime” performance has over a million views and earned praises for its outstanding precision.
As the music video premiered at the launch, the group got the chance to show off their skills once more. For the boys, it was a result of many hours of hard work.
For group leader Gelo, it was the culmination of their long and daunting journey. “Nakakaiyak yung Makita mo yung journey naming leading to this,” he said.
The Australian Filipina is glad to share BGYO guys' responses in a Q&A interview to share some insight into their persona, their views on life and what the boys wish to achieve in their journey.
Q&A INTERVIEW WITH BGYO
CAN EACH ONE OF YOU PLEASE GIVE BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF.
AKIRA: I’m Akira, 19 years old and I’m originally from Bulacan. I used to act before becoming BGYO.
GELO: My ful name is Angelo Troy G. Rivera. You can call me Gelo. I’m 19 year old from Pasay City. Before I joined BGYO, I competed locally and internationally in dance. I am the leader of BGYO.
JL: I am JL Toreliza, 19 years old from Naic, Cavite. I used to join singing contests before I joined the group. I’m a volleyball player in our school before and I like playing other sports too.
MIKKI: I’m BGYO’s Mikki, I just turned 19 and I’m from Quezon City. I enjoy writing and making music. I am also into fashion and watching anime.
NATE: Hello po, I’m Nate Porcalla and I’m the youngest in the group. I have been dancing for 12 years.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST BEING A MEMBER OF BGYO? WHAT DO YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE AS PART OF THE GROUP?
AKIRA: What I enjoy most is that I get to learn new things and skills. I want us to perform all the way until we can’t anymore.
GELO: Aside from the brotherhood and inspiring other people, what I enjoy most about being a member of BGYO is the new things we learn every day. As part of the group, my wish for us is to be international artists, who is known for having great personalities, talent, purpose and visuals.
JL: The one thing I enjoy most about being a member of BGYO is having a new family and new learnings. My wish for my group is for our song to be famous so we can spread the message.
MIKKI: What I enjoy most about being a member of BGYO is being able to perform in front of people and the camera.
NATE: What I enjoy most being a BGYO member is performing on stage with the Kuyas. I wish to have a world tour po.
WHAT ACHIEVEMENTS DO YOU HOLD FONDLY IN YOUR HEART?
AKIRA: It’s an achievement when we inspire other people by our performance.
GELO: The fact that we were able to debut in this challenging time is already a great achievement.
JL: My achievement that I will never forget is being able to help my family and making them proud.
MIKKI: The achievement that I hold fondly in my heart is the time that we were able to debut as BGYO, it is special to me because it is the start of a new chapter of my life.
NATE: The achievement I remember the most is our first ever sing and dance performance when we performed Sarah Geronimo’s Kilometro and Tala in ASAP, which became a viral hit. It was so surreal po.
ON THE FLIP SIDE, WHAT CHALLENGES IN LIFE OR YOUR PROFESSION HAVE YOU FACED AND OVERCOME?
AKIRA: Dancing is a challenge because I didn’t really dance before.
GELO: Before I joined BGYO, I used to maximize my everyday life with school, intense training, time with family and friends. It’s very draining because I didn’t have enough rest that I needed but all of it was worth it because I’m happy with what I’m doing, I grew and learned a lot.
JL: Before I joined here, I always auditioned for different shows but I was always rejected. I wanted to quit that time. But I did not give up and I continued and became one of the members of BGYO.
MIKKI: The challenging part for me is catching up with my group mates. Since I was the last trainee to join, I had to train harder and take extra classes to catch up to their skills.
NATE: One of the most challenging moments in my life was when we started vocal training. I was confident at dancing only.
WHAT DO YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE IN LIFE?
AKIRA: I want to inspire and help people in the future. I want our music to touch their souls and make them feel that they are not alone.
GELO: What I wish to achieve: finish my studies, have healthy relationships, have a successful business, my own clothing line, own a restaurant, write my own music in the future, try other things like acting, be healthy and financially stable so I can help my family and have enough money to help others as well.
JL: I want our name BGYO to become popular so we can spread our message to all of the world. As individual, I want to have a successful business and to help my family financially.
MIKKI: I want us to win awards and perform in different countries. For myself, I want to share more of my music and I also want to become a fashion icon.
NATE: I want to get my family everything they want. I want our group to perform with perfect synchronisation.
WHAT DOES THE SONG "THE LIGHT" MEAN TO YOU? WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE TO YOU [CAN SHARE PAST EXPERIENCE TO GIVE EXAMPLE OF THE RELEVANCE.
AKIRA: I remember the time when I’m finding something else to do besides acting. A staff from ABS-CBN contacted me and told of this audition. At first, I wasn’t sure because I don’t know how to dance but I took the opportunity and I got in then I saw the light that I was looking for.
GELO: When I overthink, feel down or when other people doubt in what I can do, this song helps me to bring out the best in me. It tells me that I coulld achieve excellence every day and be a good change to the world by just using the light within me.
JL: The light speaks about empowerment, hope and self-love. It is relevant to me especially when I think that I almost quit on this path. I believed in myself and I didn’t give up.
MIKKI: There are a lot of meaning for The Light but for me, The Light means not giving up on your dreams. I can relate it to myself because there were a lot of times that I was having a hard time but I chose not to give up and continue fighting.
NATE: When I listen to our song The Light, I always feel motivation and a fire in my heart coming out. The lyrics are so perfect for us. I would listen to this when I’m down, weak or when I’m going to face my fears.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?
AKIRA: Success to me is being happy in what you’re doing while reaching for your goals.
GELO: Success is when I’m happy doing what I’m doing with the people that I love, without stepping on others.
JL: For me, success is when we reach our dreams and we spread our music around the world.
MIKKI: For me, success means that I am happy and my family, friends and supporters are happy. Success also is being able to help my family and other people.
NATE: The definition of success for me is when I have performed around the world, every country. Success is when we perform and the people who are watching can’t forget us.
"The Light" can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music and over 30+ digital music platforms all over the world. You can also stream the official music video and performance videos on the group's official Youtube account – BGYO Official.
With their talents, passion for music and their desire to touch many lives, these young men collectively known as BGYO are on their way to more success.