Grace Cristobal intends to make the quintet an all-around group, which does not settle with only PPOP.
“Kasama na rin sila sa P-POP. Ang pinaka-importante doon kasi, ayoko lang mag-settle lang sa pagiging P-POP.
“(They are also part of PPOP. But perhaps, the most important thing is, we don’t just settle with PPOP),” said Engr. Grace Cristobal, when asked whether BLVCK Entertainment’s first-ever girl group, BLVCK Ace, is a PPOP group.
The launch of the new group came just a few months since Cristobal’s media company was first introduced to the public. It also coincides with the current rise of various P-POP idol groups such as SB19, BGYO, MNL48, and BINI, whose years of intensive training, are something lacking with Cristobal’s new talents.
“Gusto ko siyempre kahit papaano, ma-continue natin ‘yung pagmamahal natin sa OPM (music). So nandito sila para atleast, maipakita ‘yung novelty songs. ‘Yun talaga ang pinaka-ano nila.
“(We want then, of course, to continue the love for OPM music. So they are here to at least showcase novelty songs. That is really the path they are taking right now),” she clarified. She then mentioned the group’s single, ‘Pasahero’, which has a catchy novelty sound.
“Napakinggan niyo naman ‘yung Pasahero di ba? Lahat dito mai-LSS ‘pag napakinggan siya (Youi’ve heard their single ‘Pasahero’ earlier, right? It’s not easy to get LSS with it),” she said.
“Ang market namin ay pangkalahatan. Wala tayong pinipiling market dito. So,importante ay ‘yung novelty songs. Maipakita namin by the way of BLVCK Ace, or their representation.
“(Our target market is everybody. We are not after a specific audience. Our focus is showcasing novelty songs, show it by the way of BLVCK Ace and their representation),” she added.
Given the relentless arrival of new idol groups who all aspire to penetrate the P-POP scene, there is undoubtedly a formidable challenge that BLVCK Ace and its talent management, need to confront head-on. Since the new girl group lacks the years of intensive, KPOP-inspired training of most PPOP groups today, there are some adjustments to be done, especially in how to tackle competition.
Cristobal claims that the girls have shown a preparedness to launch after just three months of training, but even that won’t be enough for the girls to confront the stiff rivalry with other groups head-on.
The decision to focus on showcasing novelty and melding it with current PPOP styles seems to be BLVCK Entertainment’s answer to that challenge. Will they succeed in their bid? The next couple of months looks very exciting for the girls and the P-POP industry–as a whole.
