If you’re on TikTok, chances are you’ve seen the P-pop group BINI. They have several viral songs on the platform, from “Na Na Na” and “Pantropiko” to their most recent release “Salamin, Salamin”.
If these catchy tunes have made you curious about the group, here are facts you need to know about BINI, including some of its members’ exciting showbiz experiences prior to their debut.
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GOT7’s BamBam dancing “Na Na Na”
Video credit: @peebs7 via TikTok
Before their most recent hits “Pantropiko” and “Salamin, Salamin”, BINI’s song “Na Na Na” became such a trend on TikTok that even K-pop idols have danced to it. And we have Filipino fans who requested these to thank for that.
In particular, SEVENTEEN’s Joshua, NCT’s Jaemin, and ENHYPEN’s Sunoo have been recorded dancing to the chorus of “Na Na Na” during fan calls.
Filipino K-pop fans even got to see a K-pop idol do this live when a fan asked GOT7’s BamBam to do the “Na Na Na” dance step during his fansign event in Manila.
BINI’s logo.
Image credit: @bini_ph via Instagram
The name “BINI” came from the Filipino word “binibini” which means “young lady”. This reflects the girl group’s aim to represent modern Filipino women.
Their name isn’t the only thing about the group that shows their Filipino identity. Their group introduction starts with “Mabuhay!” (long live) which is a formal greeting in Filipino. Their official color teal also signifies Philippine waters.
If you want to be their fan, you should also know their fandom name, BLOOM.
(From top, L-R) Gwen, Jhoanna, Maloi, Sheena, Stacey, Mikha, Colet, and Aiah.
Image credit: @bini_ph via Instagram
The group consists of 8 members, namely Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Jhoanna, Mikha, Gwen, Stacey, and Sheena.
The oldest member, Aiah, was born in January 2001 while the youngest member is Sheena was born in May 2004. Younger members use the honorific “ate” to refer to members who are older than them.
Despite being the second youngest member, BINI’s leader is Jhoanna, perhaps because of her good grasp of the Filipino language.
Video credit: BINI BEST GIRLS via YouTube
The group members hail from various cultural backgrounds across the Philippines.
Three members are Tagalog: Jhoanna from Laguna, Mikha from Metro Manila, and Maloi from Batangas. Gwen, on the other hand, comes from Albay in southern Luzon and speaks Bicolano.
Sheena and Stacey are both Ilocanas, with Sheena from Isabela and Stacey from Nueva Vizcaya. Meanwhile, Aiah and Colet are Bisaya, with Aiah originating from Cebu and Colet from Bohol.
Angel Locsin as Darna in 2005.
Image credit: Angel Locsin via Facebook
Before becoming part of BINI, Aiah almost had the chance to play the Filipino superhero Darna. She was invited to a private casting call for the 2022 edition of the popular TV series.
Some of the other members have also had their own showbiz experiences prior to being part of the P-pop group.
Gwen and Sheena were in the teens’ edition of Pinoy Big Brother: Otso in 2019 while Jhoanna was an extra in the popular afternoon drama Kadenang Ginto.
The group’s performance as trainees.
Video credit: PHILIPPINEKPOPCONVENTION via YouTube
To start their P-pop career, the BINI members had to audition for Star Hunt Academy, a recently established idol training ground in the Philippines under the media company ABS-CBN.
They had Korean vocal and dance training under MU Doctor which trained K-pop idols such as WINNER’s Mino and Stray Kids’ Changbin. At the same time, they also went through a Filipino idol training system led by ABS-CBN’s Head of Entertainment Production and director Laurenti Dyogi.
After months of rigorous training, the 8 female trainees signed under the ABS-CBN talent agency Star Magic in 2020 and began preparing for their debut.
“Born to Win” music video.
Video credit: BINI Official via YouTube
BINI debuted on 4th June 2021 with the single “Born to Win”. Later that year, on 4 October, they released their first album of the same title.
However, BINI wasn’t unheard of before their official debut. Pre-debut, they released their rendition of the song “Da Coconut Nut” and performed it on the musical variety show ASAP Natin ‘To.
To date, the group has released 3 albums – Born to Win, Feel Good, and Talaarawan, which was released just recently on 8th March 2024.
Video credit: ABS-CBN Star Music
The BINI members not only speak but also sing in different languages.
Their song “B HU U R” incorporates different Philippine languages, including Filipino, Ilocano, and Bisaya.
Additionally, they have recorded different versions of their song “Born to Win” in several foreign languages, including Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Japanese, Spanish, and Latin.
The first episode of their travel vlog series.
Video credit: BINI Official via YouTube
The girl group had a travel vlog series on YouTube called BINI Roadtrip Adventures which they did in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Tourism. The show aimed to boost local tourism and put Filipino culture into the spotlight.
In this show, BINI went around promoting themselves and introducing their viewers to places in the Philippines, starting with Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces.
Some of the places they visited are iconic food spots and museums in Metro Manila. They also went on a beach trip in Batangas.
The members eating balut.
Video credit: BINI Official via Instagram
If you ask BINI who the most adventurous member is when it comes to food, they would point to Aiah. However, their YouTube vlogs show that they’re all quite the foodies.
In one episode of BINI Roadtrip Adventures where they went to the Balut Capital of the Philippines, Pateros, all members enjoyed the balut dishes they were served. Balut is boiled fertilized duck egg and can be polarizing even for Filipinos.
The BINI members love food so much that when asked who the biggest eater in the group is, the members easily answered “BINI”.
BINI in Intramuros, Manila.
Video credit: BINI Official via YouTube
You can count on BINI not only for food trips but also adventures. In their YouTube content, you’d see them enjoying different activities, including riding bambikes (bamboo bikes) in Intramuros.
For BINI Roadtrip Adventures, they also went to Batangas for water activities such as banana boat riding and flyboarding.
The members also rode ATVs across sand dunes in Dubai early this year. Although Mikha and Aiah had a small accident together and fell off their ATV, it’s an experience they laugh about today.
With their growing discography of earworm tunes, we can only expect BINI to give us more songs to dance to in the future. And what makes us want to stan the group even more is the fun content they put out for fans as they wait for new musical releases!
Discover more about local talents by exploring this list of emerging P-pop groups. Or expand your OPM playlist with songs from 90s to contemporary Filipino bands.
Cover image adapted from: @BINI_ph via X
Article originally posted on 3 August 2022, updated on 19 March 2024.
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