BINI’s Coachella Breaktrough
BINI for Coachella Day 1 (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN Star Music)
It was never going to work, it was just a novelty, were some of the respondents’ thoughts on P-Pop. Fifteen years later, things are looking drastically different for the industry. At the forefront of P-Pop’s rise is BINI, an eight-member girl group.
Have you ever thought you would someday hear Tagalog being spoken onstage at Coachella, one of the world’s buzziest music festivals? How about Tagalog and other Philippine languages like Cebuano (Bisaya), Ilocano, and Bicolano? Well, on April 17, BINI did exactly that.
That weekend, the octet performed for the second time on the Mojave Stage in Coachella Valley, California. Their excellent performances earned rapturous praise. And their Weekend 1 set garnered more than 3.1 million views altogether online.
However, even their little gestures were celebrated by netizens too, such as their spiel with each member briefly introducing herself in her native language: Bicolano for Gwen; Cebuano for Aiah and Colet; Ilocano for Stacey; Tagalog for Maloi, Jhoanna, and Sheena; and English for Mikha.
Will 2026 be the year that Filipino music breaks into international consciousness like Korean pop (K-Pop)? Well, I can’t look into the future, but I can tell you about BINI. Fresh from their historic Coachella and GRAMMY Museum debuts, as well as their new album Signals, the girls will also embark on another world tour in June.
If you ask other Filipinos, many will tell you that so much of the P-Pop industry’s – even the nation’s – future lies within BINI’s. That amount of pressure is unfathomable, especially for a bunch of young women aged 21 to 25.
I’m their age and I damn well know most people in our generation would collapse if we had to bear the expectations of millions of people on our shoulders. But to quote one of their songs, “Zero pressure, zero diamonds.”
A Pre-Coachella Treat
BINI released the mini-album/extended play (EP) Signals on April 9, a day before their Coachella debut. None of BINI’s records since their sophomore album Feel Good (2022), which contains fascinating rock and jazz elements, have come close to its innovative edge.
But Signals is their best album since Talaarawan (Diary) in 2024. It’s certainly a massive improvement from their weakest record so far, Flames (2025).
Countless haters and Blooms (BINI fans) alike unleashed their outrage at the group’s first all-English EP, BINIverse (2025), due to deeply misguided notions about “authenticity” (i.e. Tagalog = authentic, as if all of the members speak it as their first language). However, the Taglish Flames had far lower quality.
The album’s bright spots were its more experimental moments, like the excellent First Luv’s use of a church organ or the zippy tropical hip-hop of Shagidi. But the rest of it ranged from listenable but dull (Katabi, Infinity) to downright subpar (Bikini, Paruparo).
Signals doesn’t break new ground for BINI sonically. However, the composers and producers have packed this EP with irresistible melodies, which is really the most important thing. It might not reinvent the wheel, but what a gorgeous wheel it is.
Track two, Unang Kilig (First Kilig), is the group’s finest lead single in months. The song feels complete. Its producer Jeremy Glinoga is actually young himself, just 26 years old, but crafts songs like a seasoned pro with several decades of experience. His talent for structuring songs is undeniable, even when I’m not the biggest fan of some – e.g., another BINI song he made, Infinity, has a clever looping structure that reflects the lyrics, which I love despite my other criticisms towards it.
BINI for Unang Kilig. (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN Star Music)
Sugar Rush is possibly one of the best songs in BINI’s entire career. Although they’ve explored ‘90s-inspired R&B soundscapes before, Sugar Rush is another reminder of how vital an effective topline (the vocals sitting on top of the instrumentals) is.
Samantha, another writer for our Visayan zine kasing2, astutely pointed out that Sugar Rush has a subtle rock-and-roll flavor to it. That part of her review made me realize why Sugar Rush is so satisfying compared with other retro R&B tributes. The base melody is already so catchy, but the bridge and outro take us to the sky, holding nothing back.
In particular, main vocalists Colet and Maloi go toe-to-toe with the intensifying drums through their extreme high notes. It’s a rock star moment hidden in a new jack swing track.
Even the softer tracks like Blush, Honey Honey, and Tic Tac Toe avoid being boring with their fast-moving, well-composed toplines. The closing song Step Back is a hip-hop number with energetic hooks and chants, as well as cool electronic riffs and funk accents. The song is like a 2020s update of Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani minus the racism. Although its last chorus lacks the oomph that you might expect from the finale of Signals, it’s still a nice-sounding track from a high-quality EP.
BINI Conquers Coachella
As mentioned, the views on BINI’s Coachella set exceeded 3.1 million for Weekend 1 (April 10) alone. Their view count online was second only to headliner Justin Bieber’s.
Newness aside, what could’ve made people so curious about BINI? Appearance seems to be a factor. Although they’re all conventionally pretty, I’ve noticed a lot of people appreciating that they don’t fully conform to the toxic beauty standards that other countries’ groups might enforce. For one, some BINI members like Aiah have glowing tanned skin. Their healthy-looking visuals were also highlighted by their meticulously crafted outfits incorporating everyday Filipino items like the salakot (conical hats worn by farmers).
The musical arrangements caught many people’s attention as well. The team (including Choi Padilla, Nikko Rivera, and Errol Apacible) added native Southeast Asian instruments like the kulintang to the songs; but something I haven’t seen others talk about is that several of the tracks also received a rock remix: awesome guitar riffs and hard-hitting percussion.
Last but absolutely not the least, the girls are incredible performers, plain and simple. True live vocals while dancing at full energy is a P-Pop trademark that BINI demonstrated well at Coachella. That’s not to say that other countries’ musicians don’t have live vocal skills either, but P-Pop tends to prioritize them.
Even though their sets on both days entailed more than 40 minutes of nonstop performance, the BINI ladies continued to deliver impressive raw vocals and dancing. With their innate singing talent, musicality, and athletic stamina, the octet is one of the finest examples of P-Pop power out there.
Their hunger to prove themselves was palpable. The sets gave me a newfound appreciation even for some BINI songs I don’t like, e.g. Bikini. The beat is still a mess, among other problems. But like KATSEYE’s Gnarly, it functions well as a live performance song, if nothing else. And each member of BINI is a powerful performer through and through.
In particular, the livestream camera seemed to focus on Maloi on the first day. A lot of people have chalked it up to her vibrant stage presence and ever-passionate vocals.
Each woman in BINI was really impressive, though. For me, Gwen was a pleasant surprise. She used to favor a super airy, safe singing style. I was aware that she’d been improving over the years, but she solidified it here. On both days, she projected her voice beautifully and improvised note changes like in Strings (Weekend 2).
BINI for Coachella Day 2 (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN Star Music)
Speaking of Strings, the Weekend 2-only opener has my favorite moment from their Coachella sets. The song is originally from BINI’s 2022 album Feel Good. It was never much of a hit and is stupidly difficult to sing, so I didn’t expect them to perform it in their Coachella debut.
A notable moment in Strings is Colet speeding through 25 notes in 9 seconds – not even in falsetto either, where such a fast run is far easier to execute, but using chest voice. She has pulled this off so many times live (I lost my mind when she did it at BINIverse London), so I don’t doubt her abilities. It’s just risky to attempt at Coachella, especially for a first-timer.
But not only did Colet nail it, she also sustained the end belt for longer than she did in the studio version as the instrumental dramatically stopped for her. Just glorious.
“Aminin (let’s admit), Colet has the most stable and powerful voice in BINI. She’s the backbone of their vocals,” a netizen commented on a clip of Strings at Coachella, amassing more than 6,300 likes (and counting) in under 24 hours. This is true.
Colet is frequently denied the spotlight for whatever reason, whether it’s a song not making use of her vocal abilities, or a camera not showing her at all when she’s performing. But give this girl a chance to shine, even if it’s just one moment, and people will take notice.
Maloi and Jhoanna have sugary sweet, delicate tones, the types that the pop market can’t get enough of. The emphasis on them and their voices is understandable, especially because BINI usually makes bright pop music.
Colet’s timbre may not be the most marketable in this context, but it’s definitely the most striking to me and plenty of other people. Utilizing her well gives the group a better sonic balance. Rich, round, and robust, her voice strongly reminds me of Perrie from Little Mix. (Maloi is totally Jade.)
It’s clear that she’s an irreplaceable part of BINI’s sound. Her Strings highlight at Coachella should be proof enough. Give her more of those moments, please!
The views on BINI’s Coachella set exceeded 3.1 million for Weekend 1 (April 10) alone. Their view count online was second only to headliner Justin Bieber’s.
More to come
So, what’s next for P-Pop? None of us can say for sure, but this P-Pop group is certainly making their mark in the U.S. That’s a good sign, right? All of the BINI girls have rightfully earned Pinoy pride with their lovely music, talent, and hard work.
But how do we pay it back? A good place to start is by supporting and listening to their music, especially their new EP Signals. They’re going to announce U.S. stops for their upcoming world tour very soon, so you can keep your eyes peeled for that as well.
As someone who listens to so many P-Pop groups, I’m also hoping BINI’s success will make other people curious about the industry in general. Unlike K-Pop (Korean pop) or Western pop, P-Pop groups tend to lack money and resources. They have very little infrastructure to thrive, but they’re all so, so talented. There’s a whole realm of P-Pop goodness waiting to be discovered: SB19, YGIG, ALAMAT, KAIA, G22, and countless others.
BINI has given the world a taste of P-Pop. But this is just the beginning for them and the industry in general. We can only go up from here.
Julienne Loreto (they/them) is a non-binary university student with roots in Bohol and Leyte. They are also a writer whose articles have been published in the prestigious music magazine The Line of Best Fit, as well as the Asian-American magazine JoySauce; their fiction stories have also been selected for publication by 8Letters and sold at the Manila International Book Fair.
More articles from Julienne Loreto
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