SB19 Charts Its First Album In A Major Music Market

For years now, K-pop musicians and bands have been scoring huge commercial wins in Western markets, long after the genre took over South Korea’s music industry. For some time, many in the music business have been wondering when other Asian acts will develop similarly-massive fan bases in places like the United States and the United Kingdom. What style and nation will be next to export its own signature sound?

A handful of J-pop and Chinese stars have broken through, and now one Filipino boy band appears to be representing its country and paving the way for what could become a new wave of what’s known as Pinoy pop. SB19 recently released its new EP, Simula at Wakas, and it’s become a commercial win in the United Kingdom.

Simula at Wakas Debuts on the U.K. Charts

Simula at Wakas opens on a pair of U.K.-based rankings this week. The short studio effort starts inside the top 10 on the Official Album Downloads chart, where it launches at No. 4. It also just barely manages to become a top 40 bestseller on the even-busier and more competitive Official Albums Sales roster, where it opens at No. 40.

SB19 Earns Its First Hit Album

The Filipino boy band has only reached two other tallies in the nation before. “Dam,” the lead single from the new effort, debuted on a handful of rankings back in March. “Dam” climbed to No. 4 on both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads rosters. That means SB19 has now cracked the uppermost tier — and coincidentally peaked at No. 4 — on a trio of lists.

SB19 Competed Against Some Heavy Hitters

This week, the Official Albums Sales chart is especially packed with new releases. The all-encompassing ranking of the bestselling titles in the country — which includes both digital and physical purchases — sees 25 new projects start ahead of Simula at Wakas.

When it comes to platforms like iTunes and Amazon in the U.K., the field wasn’t nearly as competitive. Just three projects — Ghosts’ Skeleta (No. 1), Stereophonics’ Make Him Laugh, Make Him Cry, Make ‘Em (No. 2) and James Arthur’s Pisces (No. 3) — kept the Filipino musicians from leading the charge. Still, the group managed to beat out some well-known stars, such as Billy Idol, Wu-Tang Clan, and even Jeff Goldblum, the actor and musician, all of whom start behind the vocalists.