MANILA — Filipino artists, including the sensational P-pop group SB19, garnered accolades at the prestigious 2023 Asia Artist Awards held at the iconic Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria, Bulacan.
SB19, the five-member ensemble behind the viral hit “Gento,” clinched two awards—Best Artist (Singer) and Hot Trend.
In a surprising turn of events, Korean acts Akdong Musician (AKMU), The Boyz, ITZY, IVE, and Le Sserafim also secured the Best Artist (Singer) Award. SB19 shared the Hot Trend Award with K-pop group NewJeans, soloist Lim Young-woong, and actors Ahn Hyo-seop and Lee Junho.
Reflecting on their unexpected success, SB19 member Justin expressed, “We really did not expect the first award. Having the second award is really surprising and overwhelming.”
Stell, another member of the group, dedicated the awards to the entire Filipino music community, emphasizing their journey from dreamers to award recipients.
Hosted by entertainment news outlet StarNews Korea, the Asia Artist Awards recognizes outstanding achievements in music, film, television, and online content creation.
The ceremony featured entertaining moments, including actress-comedienne Melai Cantiveros’ humorous antics, who won the Best Actor Award alongside South Korean talents Kim Se-jeong, Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Dong-hwi, and Lee Jun-hyuk.
Kapamilya actors Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla received the Fabulous Award, sharing the honor with NewJeans, Stray Kids, and Lim Young-woong. Notably, local indie-folk ensemble Ben&Ben clinched the Best Choice Award, among 11 other esteemed acts.
The diverse list of winners included Japanese boy band &TEAM, and Korean artists Lee Youngji, Kang Daniel, BOYNEXTDOOR, NewJeans, NMIXX, Dreamcatcher, Lim Young-woong, DinDin, and Kim Jaejoong.
Adding a unique flavor to the event, the all-Filipino boy group HORI7ON, currently promoting in South Korea, received the Focus Award alongside rookie K-pop act LUN8, Younghoon from The Boyz, and actor Ahn Dong-gu.
The K-pop girl group Lapillus, featuring Filipino-Argentinian member Chanty, won the Potential Award with boy band ATBO, Korean-Canadian singer Paul Blanco, and actor Yoo Seon-ho.
Notably, the 2023 AAA, co-organized by Korean company TONZ Entertainment and Filipino concert producer PULP Live World, marked a historic moment as the Philippines hosted this renowned Korean award show for the first time.
(JR AMIGO/AI/MNM)