MANILA, Philippines – It’s difficult to choose just one word to describe how 2024 was for BINI. Busy, jam-packed, grand, special — these don’t even begin to summarize half of it. 

It was the year the “nation’s girl group” marked an outstanding series of firsts. For one, they became the very first Filipino act to rank first on Spotify Philippines’ Daily Top Artists chart. And in July 2024, they became the first Filipino act to perform at KCON LA, one of the biggest K-pop festivals in the world. 

They also successfully staged several sold-out shows, like their BINIverse concert and its succeeding regional legs, and their three-day “Grand BINIverse” concert at the Araneta Coliseum. The girls eventually capped off the year as the Philippines’ top group for Spotify Wrapped 2024 — beating out big international acts like LANY and One Direction. 

“Everything still feels like a dream and we’re just so grateful for everything we’ve experienced. From performing on international stages like KCON LA to seeing sold-out concerts back at home, every milestone reminds us of how far we’ve come,” BINI told Rappler. 

It’s safe to say that the girls really saw a steady rise to fame, and there’s been several constant groups of people behind them through it all: their families, their management team, each other, and of course, their BLOOMs. 

“We’ve worked so hard to get here, but it’s really the love and connection we share with others that has made all of this possible,” they said. 

Pillars of the stars

Fans, new and old, have witnessed all the work Colet, Aiah, Maloi, Jhoanna, Gwen, Mikha, Stacey, and Sheena put into cementing their impact in the music scene. We saw it in their grueling pre-debut days at Star Hunt Academy, their impressive practice videos, and in their documentaries, where the members got real about what it’s been like to pursue their biggest aspirations.  

With all this success comes fame, which is a pretty daunting thing to navigate as young individuals in an environment as fast-paced as the music industry. When the going gets tough, BINI turns to their BLOOMs — whether it’s through lighthearted online interactions or quick face-to-face conversations. 

“[They reassure] us that they’ll always be there for us. They never fail to send warm messages to us and show us how loved we are. That helps us keep going,” the girls shared. 

“The BLOOMs always show up. We’ve had multiple back-to-back sold-out shows which sell-out in mere hours. We try to reciprocate this support by giving them the best performances we possibly could give every time we step out onto the stage,” they added. 

BINI doesn’t exaggerate when they say that. At their La Union show, and later, at their solo concerts, they’ve proven that they can shine both as individual performers and as members of a group. Their secret? All the time they’ve spent together. 

“We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we’re able to balance each other out. We’ve spent countless days training together so that definitely helped us work together better,” they said. 

If you’ve scrolled through X and TikTok in early 2024, you likely would have seen clips of the girls weathering through technical difficulties with grace. Recall that one performance of “Pantropiko,” where they realized that some of their mics weren’t functioning when the instrumental had already begun to play. 

@margielyn.due Pasahan ng mic pero ang galing pa rin!???? Galing! @BINI PH #bini in pampanga @Jhoanna Robles @Stacey Sevilleja @Aiah Arceta @Maloi Ricalde ౨ৎ @Gwen Apuli @Colet Vergara @Mikha @Sheena Catacutan ♬ Salamin, Salamin – BINI

They girls had seamlessly passed their mics around to each other to signal that the show must go on — a seemingly trivial yet clear indication of how BINI is really in tune with their craft. It is also where so much of the praise they receive is rooted in. 

World domination

The girls have gone on to receive international recognition, too, as aside from their KCON LA performance, they were also among the Grammy’s list of “Rising Girl Groups to Know Now” — one of the accolades they admitted they could have never seen coming when they were just starting out. 

“We’re definitely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Knowing that our music is prominent outside the Philippines is a dream come true. We’ve always dreamed big and worked hard but to be here now is beyond what we could’ve imagined when we started. However, we know that there is still a long way to go and so we are excited to see what is ahead of us,” the members said. 

The P-pop girl group has achieved much within the span of a year, so it’s clear that their dreams of doing world tours across all the continents and performing at large international festivals like Coachella are well within their reach. 

With BINI already on the road to world domination, the only way to go is up. And as more people continue to discover their music, they have just one wish in mind.

“We hope that our music empowers our listeners and boosts their confidence. We want it to bring them joy and remind them that they’re never alone in whatever they’re going through. We also want to give them music that will help them unwind and just enjoy life.” – Rappler.com

View your 2024 Spotify Wrapped results here.