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1st.One: The Quest to Be the Ultimate Showstoppers of P-Pop

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One Music PH Team

In the evolving and dynamic sphere of P-Pop (Filipino Pop), one group has undeniably carved a niche that sets them apart from the rest: <a href="~/">1st One</a>.With their immaculate synchronization and powerful stage presence, they redefine what it means to be showstoppers in the modern music arena; so much so that their growing fanbase, named ‘For One’ knighted them as their ‘Ultimate Showstoppers’.Gen Z fan Chel, says, “I love all of their performances so much. Ibang level. Kahit saang stage sila, big or small, mataas ang level of performance nila! Mapapanganga ka na lang. Yung powerful dance moves, synchronization. I don’t know, they have such a strong stage presence. They eat up the stage with their performances. They leave no crumbs. They slap.”Luna, an OG For One member on the other hand, gushes over the members’ good looks, “Lahat po sila gwapo. Can you imagine six good-looking guys move perfectly on stage, like, there’s no tomorrow?! In every performance, nakakapag-patibok po ng puso. Tumataas po ang blood pressure namin. Their performnces are exciting” he added in jest.Another fan, a choreographer by profession Gio, says, “Oh, this group has been on my radar for quite some time now. What makes them special is that they make these very difficult, very technical dance moves look so easy. When you try them at home, you ask yourself, how did they do that?! I guess it’s because these guys had three to four years of K-Pop training in South Korea. Very disciplined and very technical dancing. For us in the dance world, they are such a joy to watch.”Rem, a 20-something follower says, “At the end of the day, it’s all about the music. I like their songs and the messages behind their songs. Like their song, <a href="~/">“Dito”</a>. Kung tutuusin, nakakakilig ang kanta. Pero pag pinakinggan mo ng ilang beses, may iba pa palang layer ang song. It speaks about the loss of your one true love, who died, but DITO lang siya sa puso mo.”<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4XQetChVwfI?si=EmwXRr2OEi3eiM3s" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align:justify">Origin Story: The Genesis of <a href="~/">1st One</a> </div>Debuting in 2020, <a href="~/">1st One</a> was the creation of the Korean management company—<a href="~/">First One Entertainment</a>—under parent company O Group. As a Korean company that invests heavily in culture, the company can’t ignore the sheer volume of talent that’s found in the Philippines.The group consists of six exceptional members - Ace, Alpha, J, Joker, Jason, and Max - each bringing diverse talents and energies to form a synergistic unit.According to First One Entertainment’s Vice Chairman, “There’s so much talent in this country. You find so many great singers and dancers everywhere. Unfortunately, not all get proper training, guidance and promotion to be the best that can be. As a Korean company, we would like to give back to our host country by sharing our ‘secret sauce’ to Filipino artists--how we train artists, our training system etc. Our hope is for Filipino talents to get the proper recognition. That’s why we decided to invest in Filipino talent. We are not trying to turn them into Koreans ha? They are Filipinos-- heart, mind and soul. It’s just that the training process is foreign or different. It’s one way of giving back. That’s why we decided to call for auditions.”Suffice it to say, the selection process was brutal. From hundreds of applicants, only five were deemed worthy to be called “1st One trainee”.Ace, 1st One’s leader adds, “Jayson, our sixth member joined after the auditions were over; It was much, much later. But the five of us, me, J, Max, Alpha and Joker all came from that very rigid selection process. You have no idea if you’ll be in or out in the next round. We all came from solid dance backgrounds. As former singers, choreographers, dance mentors or former members of a dance crew representing the Philippines in dance competitions abroad we knew one another. We’re friends. Our one unbreakable bond is dance. We’re rooted in dance. We live, breathe, think and dream dance.”<div style="text-align:justify">Defining Their Musical Path</div>It’s unusual for a P-pop group to start from a base of dance. But what’s even more unusual is this group never stopped adding more skills in their stockpile of talents and armory of skills. 1st One wants to be acknowledged as all-around, multi-talented and multi-skilled performers. The group that’s proficient in any artistic area.1st One Max elaborates, “We want to be well-rounded performers and be accepted for our different skills. Much like our role models, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars and Sir. Gary V. Also, we don’t like to be boxed-in or defined for example as rappers only, or vocalists only. We want to be all-around artists. For example, two of our members, Alpha and Jayson, are part of a Thai drama series as actors. We dance, we sing, we act, we can do comedy, we compose, we write lyrics, we share our deepest thoughts, in short, total artists. We want to master the craft of storytelling in all platforms – through our music, our choreography, acting, our videos in TikTok and YouTube, our daily lives.”<div style="text-align:justify">The Name 1st One</div>1st One Joker says in jest, “Well, aside from it being the name of our company, duh, we always do ‘first things, first’. This is our mindset. By definition, 1st means, ‘at the outset, before all else, beforehand, in the first place, to begin with, to start with’. This means we always go back to our roots which is dance and music. Before all else, we dance; before all else we sing. It also holds a spiritual meaning for us. Before all else, we thank the one above. Ang galing mo, Bro. Salamat Guide mo naman kami today.”1st One J chimes in, “Hanggang ngayon kasi, iniisip namin kung bakit kaming anim ang napili. Ang daming magagaling sa auditions. Bakit kaming anim ang naging 1st One? Ano ang purpose or plan para sa amin? Alam naming may higher purpose kung bakit naging 1st One kami. From the people we meet, to the places we go. Alam ko may meaning ang lahat ng iyan. Kaya araw-araw hindi kami nagsasawang magsabi ng Salamat kay Bro. First things, first talaga.”1st One Alpha shares, “As artists, we have a lot of clutter in our lives that weight us in; rehearsals, making music, guesting, social media, obligations, wardrobe concerns, we need to do a lot of different things every day; and talking to ‘The One’ every day, kahit saglit lang, keeps us focused. We do what we do, because that’s His plan; not ours. Our mission is simple—to give joy to our audience.”What Sets 1st One Apart The audience says, that what truly sets 1st One apart is their extraordinary live performances. Renowned for their high-energy shows, the group ensures that every concert is a memorable experience.1st Jayson adds, “I think what sets us apart is our unpredictability. Hindi mo alam kung ano ang mangyayari when you go to our shows. Expect the unexpected. We would do something on stage that has never happened before. We surprise our audience… as well as ourselves. Adlibs are not only for singing &#x27;di ba? but also for dance. There’s something different in every performance, in every show. Mahilig kaming manggulat ng audience.”1st one Ace further emphasizes, “Our audience don’t live in a fantasy world. They live where everyone else does. Maybe some are going through something, depression, experiencing loss, personal and professional problems, they struggle, they cope. Through our song, our music, and through our concerts, we want them to look to us for joy. Ang goal namin when they hear our songs or watch our two-hour shows, kahit man lang sa loob ng dalawang oras eh makalimutan nila ang mga problema at alalahanin nila. Gusto namin nakangiti silang lahat sa tuwa pag uwi nila. Kaya laging may surprise. Good vibes lang.”And the fans reciprocate equally. They see and appreciate the group’s dedication to perfection in every performance that has earned them the title of ‘Ultimate Showstoppers.’ For the fans, they are always joy to watch.<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nx4tD2oxnBc?si=cX9ARK8SkvFaRk7m" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align:justify"> </div>

Elevate and Evolve: A Dance-Dance Revolution, 4th Anniversary Fan Con, Music Museum, Aug3 (Sat) 