As Pinoy pop (P-pop) music and OPM maintain their unshakable reigns in Filipino media and pop culture, fans and casual listeners have unlimited access to the country’s rich and diverse library of singers, composers, lyricists, hitmakers, entertainers, and performers who’ve defined generations. I’m sure you, your mother, and your mother’s mother all have memories and stories attached to household names and titles in Filipino songs. We’ve weaved music into our everyday lives (who are we to turn down an acoustic jamming session and karaoke party?), and we can’t help but witness it grow and transform into the multicultural phenomenon, creative outlet, and industry it’s become today.
Photo: ABS-CBN Star Music/YouTube
Music knows no age. Thanks to these remarkable P-pop groups, we can revisit these feel-good OPM classics and find new meanings in them as they transcend artistic eras.
Da Coconut Nut – BINI
Photo: BINI Official/YouTube
In 2020, when the country was still under lockdown and Filipinos existed within the four corners of their virtual meeting rooms, the eight talented Filipinas of BINI took the risk of a lifetime and put their pre-debut single out to the world. Released in November of that year, “Da Coconut Nut” marks their momentous rite of passage and fruit of their rigorous training—from ambitious Star Hunt Academy (SHA) trainees with larger-than-life dreams to up-and-coming P-pop idols destined to conquer the world loudly and proudly as the Nation’s Girl Group. In this rendition of the 1991 Smokey Mountain classic, composed by none other than Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, the girls let their bubbly, high-energy personalities flourish with catchy, upbeat verses and a chorus that’s guaranteed to give you Last Song Syndrome (LSS) for weeks. It only takes one listen to this quirky and endearing number about a coconut tree to catch yourself saying, “I love the coconut, oh my gosh!” out of nowhere. We can’t blame you. That’s the BINI effect. Bright, unwavering, and awesomely infectious.
Kabataang Pinoy – BINI and SB19
Photo: ABS-CBN Star Music/YouTube
What do you get when you put two of P-pop’s show-stopping acts together on a Jonathan Manalo song? Pure magic. And that’s exactly what unfolded when BINI and SB19 joined forces for “Kabataang Pinoy,” an Itchyworms original that the two groups revived with new meaning and purpose for “Pinoy Big Brother (PBB): Kumunity Season 10.” Whether you prefer the band’s nostalgic version written for the first installment of “PBB Teen Edition” in 2006, or SB19 and BINI’s dynamic, remake in 2022 that became a ground-breaking moment in the local music scene’s “P-pop Rise” movement, Manalo’s words and tunes will never lose their authenticity and drive. Now, “Kabataang Pinoy” remains an inspirational reminder to every generation that the youth and their unshakable stories are here to stay. Who better to relay that message than the Nation’s Girl Group and P-pop Kings?
Porque – ALAMAT
Photo: ALAMAT/YouTube
Has the rainy season ever caught you in an overly sentimental mood, channeling your inner yearner and hopeless romantic for a relationship that doesn’t even exist? Ayan, kaka-“Porque” mo ‘yan! This timeless hugot anthem that Maldita dropped in 2011 lives on through generations of Filipinos who firmly believe that, in music, feelings come first above all. Over a decade later, multilingual boy group ALAMAT added their brooding, mysterious, and rich vocals to the emotionally charged song. This remake is straight out of a melodrama, transporting you to your favorite teleseryes and immersing you in their most emotional scenes that never fail to tug on your heartstrings.
Bongga Ka Day – RAYA
Photo: RAYA/YouTube
Viva Records’ newest nine-member girl group RAYA marched into the P-pop world in January this year with pastel get-ups, splits, backbends, and ear-to-ear smiles all wrapped into a vibrant revival of Hotdog’s 1996 bop “Bongga Ka Day.” This pre-debut single is quintessential RAYA—a simple yet charismatic rendition of the unforgettable disco staple that showcases the cheerful, feminine energy of P-pop’s nine unique gems. Following their “Bongga Ka Day” remake, RAYA released an edgier, more versatile performance of Sarah Geronimo’s chart-topping hit “Kilometro” before debuting in April with “Bling!”.
Daleng Dale – GAT
Photo: GAT/YouTube
Sino siya? Ang lakas ng dating! Almost as strong as five-member boy group GAT’s (Gawang Atin ‘To) viral pre-debut single that puts a modern spin on the lively dance track by twin brothers MJ and MM Magno, better known as MMJ. The world first caught “Daleng Dale” fever through “Ang Mutya ng Section E,” with GAT’s remake as the hit series’ theme song. As soon as the song played, everyone and their mothers learned all the steps until they could dance to the whole thing with their eyes closed. With over 16 million views and 13 million streams, the “Daleng Dale” trend even reached BINI and Japanese boy group NCT Wish! A true testament to P-pop’s stars on the rise who aren’t to be messed with.
Bakit Papa? – YARA
Photo: YARA PH/YouTube
The Sexbomb Girls were, without question, one of P-pop’s pioneers. They put the Philippines on the map of girl groups worldwide throughout the iconic Y2K era, and all-female quartet YARA does them justice in this fierce, sultry remake of the Sexbomb Girls’ 2002 single that still withstands OPM’s evolutions and ever-changing subgenres. After performing “Bakit Papa?” in 2021 on TV5’s P-pop competition show “POPinoy” (and winning in the end!), YARA made the song their own two years later as established idols.
Miss Miss – Xerenade
Photo: Xerenade/X
When modern-day balladeer Rob Deniel released “Miss Miss” in 2023, it was a match made in heaven for Gen Z Filipinos and their hopeless romantic fantasies. The feel-good love song, which has garnered over 31 million views and a whopping 135 million streams, found new meaning in playlists for all stages of our crushes and relationships as an unapologetic, regret-free profession of love that we’re often too afraid to say ourselves. Two years later, P-pop’s new R&B crooners Xerenade made Rob Deniel’s melodies even sweeter with lovestruck harmonies and promises of a romance that knows no distance. You can’t help but imagine your admirer or lover singing this version to you with all their heart as you watch them in awe from your bedroom window.
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What’s your favorite P-pop remake of an OPM classic? Tell us in the comments below!
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