Wikipedia

Lagi (Bini song)

For other uses, see Lagi.

"Lagi" (lit. 'Always') is a song recorded by the Filipino girl group Bini. Star Music released it on June 24, 2022. It was the group's third solo single of 2022, following the non-album single "Pit A Pat". It was also the first single from their 2022 sophomore album Feel Good. "Lagi" is an upbeat bubblegum pop and electropop song about falling in love.

"Lagi"
Single by Bini
from the album Feel Good
LanguageFilipino
ReleasedJune 24, 2022 (2022-06-24)
Genre
Length4:16
LabelStar Music
Songwriter(s)Louie Canaria
Producer(s)Jonathan Manalo
Bini singles chronology
"Pit A Pat"
(2022) 		"Lagi"
(2022) 		"I Feel Good"
(2022)
Music video
"Lagi" on YouTube

Louie Canaria wrote and composed "Lagi". Jonathan Manalo produced "Lagi". Ramaru Mataro is credited for musical arrangement, Anna Graham is credited for vocal arrangement, Theo Martel is credited for additional synths, and Jeremy Glinoga is credited for recording.

The song achieved moderate success when it was first released in 2022. It topped the iTunes Philippines chart and was included in several curated playlists by Spotify. In 2024, following Bini's surge in popularity, "Lagi" enjoyed a fresh wave of success. It debuted on Billboard Philippines' weekly Philippines Hot 100 and Top Philippine Songs chart, peaking at 13 and five respectively.

The 2022 romantic comedy film An Inconvenient Love and 2024 romantic comedy series What's Wrong with Secretary Kim featured "Lagi" in their soundtrack. Bini member Gwen acknowledges "Lagi" as a musical turning point for the group. It is also widely regarded as a showcase for the members' singing abilities.

Background and release

edit

Bini, a Filipino pop girl group, dabbled in different genres before returning to the bubblegum pop and electropop sound of "Lagi".[1] It was the first single from Bini's second album Feel Good.[2] It was released in June 2022, months before the album itself was released on September 29, 2022. It followed the non-album single "Pit A Pat"[3], as well as the final single from their debut album Born to Win, "Na Na Na", their official cover of The Itchyworms song "Kabataang Pinoy" with SB19, and their collaboration with BGYO, "Up!". The Feel Good album includes both the original version of "Lagi" and an acoustic version.[4][5]

The song was later included in the soundtrack for the 2022 romantic comedy film An Inconvenient Love[6], as well as the 2024 romantic comedy series What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, the Philippine adaptation of the 2018 Korean series of the same name.[7]

Composition and lyrics

edit
 
"Lagi"
A sample of the song's final chorus. Colet, a main vocalist in the group, sings the chorus in a higher key and with more intensity than the previous choruses, representing the heightened emotions of the narrator.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Jonathan Manalo produced the song, with musical arrangement by Ramiru Mataro and vocal arrangement by Anna Graham. Additional synths were provided by Theo Martel. Jeremy Glinoga is credited for recording "Lagi" at the AORG Studio. It was written and composed by Louie Canaria.[8][9] Lyrically, "Lagi" describes the giddy thrill of falling in love.[10] The narrator in "Lagi" talks about constantly singing in joy for their new lover and being unable to suppress their feelings for the person.[11]

Music video

edit
 
Most of the music video for the song "Lagi" by Bini was filmed in the Dessert Museum.

The music video starts with the Bini members in an online class with a young man who hides his face behind a teddy bear mask. The members are then magically transported to a colorful candy land, sharing romantic moments with their masked classmate.[8][12] The masked classmate is played by model Brian Santamaria.[12]

Creative content agency YouMeUs MNL produced the "Lagi" music video. The video's director Amiel Kirby Balagtas, production manager Xavier Alfonso, creative producer Dale Reciña, assistant director Troi Bautista, and director of photography Jireh Bacasno were all from the agency.[8] It was filmed in the Dessert Museum, a candy-themed interactive art exhibition in Pasay, Philippines.[13]

Live performances

edit

The group first performed "Lagi" live in July 2022, on the variety program It's Showtime.[9] In the following week, "Lagi" was one of the songs that Bini performed at the first-ever Tugatog Music Festival, which took place in the SM Mall of Asia Arena on July 15, 2022. Nikko Tuazon of PEP.ph reported that the group faced technical difficulties, but continued to perform.[14]

In June 2023, the group's official YouTube channel uploaded a dance practice video for "Lagi" with live singing. The members' vocal stability as they danced was praised and the clip went viral.[15]

Bini opened with "Lagi" at a 2024 celebration of Philippine Independence Day, which was held in the Quirino Grandstand. However, serious safety concerns arose during their performance of "Lagi", as some fans in the crowd collapsed. Others climbed the scaffolding so they could enter the venue and approached the stage at alarmingly close proximity. The chaos forced the group to cut their show short without performing any other song.[16][17]

At the Grand Biniverse in November 2024, Bini performed a brand-new R&B arrangement of "Lagi".[18]

Commercial performance

edit

When it was first released, "Lagi" topped the iTunes Philippines chart. The song was featured on three of Spotify's officially curated playlists: P-Pop on the Rise, Radar Philippines and New Music Friday.[8] In 2024, following the group's exponential growth in popularity, "Lagi" entered charts again, despite having been released two years prior. In July 2024, "Lagi" peaked at number five on Billboard Philippines' Top Philippine Songs chart.[19][20] "Lagi" peaked on their Philippines Hot 100 chart in the week of August 3, 2024, at number 13.[21]

Reception

edit

The Bini members' vocal performances in "Lagi" have garnered praise[12][22][15][2], especially the climactic bridge and final chorus sung by the group's main vocalists Colet and Maloi and one of their lead vocalists, Jhoanna.[12][22] Rafael Bautista of Nylon Manila wrote, "From the lyrics, production, and vocals, Lagi hits the mark as a modern love song and wonderfully captures the feeling of having butterflies when you think about that special someone."[2]

The track steered the group towards the "cutesy" bubblegum pop niche for which they are now known. In a 2024 interview for The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Bini member Gwen identified "Lagi" as a major turning point for Bini. She said that after trying various genres, the group finally found success with "Lagi".[1] Mallorca later quoted Lai Frances, a Filipino-American journalist and moderator for the KCON LA panel, naming "Lagi" as an example of P-Pop songs promoting "honesty". Frances said, "It's refreshing to hear. It makes you feel like you're catching up with somebody and they want to get to know you. I think that's what I love about it the most."[23]

Adaptations

edit

In August 2024, a remake of "Lagi" called "Rexona Lagi" was released for the roll-on deodorant brand Rexona, alongside a music video.[24]

Accolades

edit
Awards and nominations for "Lagi"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
Awit Awards 2023 Record of the Year Nominated [25][26]
Song of the Year Nominated
Best Performance by a Group Recording Artist Nominated
Best Pop Recording Nominated

Charts

edit
Weekly peak chart positions for "Lagi"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[21] 13
Philippines (Top Philippine Songs)[19] 5

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Mallorca, Hannah (March 29, 2024). "BINI wants to help women realize their worth through music". The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Bautista, Rafael (April 5, 2024). "Oh, So You Want To Stan BINI? Here Are 8 Songs You Can Listen To First". Nylon Manila. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024.
  3. ^ "BINI Albums, Songs - Discography". Album of the Year. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "Watch BINI's colourful music video for new single 'Lagi'". NME. June 27, 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "BINI drops sophomore album 'Feel Good'". Manila Bulletin. June 27, 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Batislaong, Acer (November 15, 2022). "'An Inconvenient Love' Has A Soundtrack That Will Give You All The Feels". Nylon Manila. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  7. ^ "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? (Original Soundtrack)". Apple Music. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Dumaual, Miguel (June 24, 2022). "WATCH: BINI drops glossy 'Lagi' MV on heels of chart-topping debut". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "WATCH: BINI opens 'Showtime' with stage debut of 'Lagi'; Vhong takes on dance challenge". ABS-CBN News. July 8, 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  10. ^ "BINI conveys giddiness of falling in love in peppy new single 'Lagi'". Manila Bulletin. June 29, 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "Blooming Season: All Of BINI's Songs On The Billboard Philippines Hot 100 This Week". Billboard Philippines. August 7, 2024. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Carbonilla, Hans Ethan (June 26, 2022). "SOTY? BINI's Back With a Bubblegum Bop, Lagi". Parcinq. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Bautista, Rafael (July 18, 2024). "ICYDK, You Can Visit These IRL Locations That Were Used As BINI Music Video Sets". Nylon Manila. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Tuazon, Nikko (July 17, 2022). "BGYO, BINI, MNL48, VXON, and more unite at Tugatog Music Festival". PEP.ph. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Sarmiento, Kate (June 15, 2024). "Mickey Perz On The BINI Buzz: How BINI Keeps Slaying". Cosmopolitan Philippines. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Severo, Jan Milo (June 13, 2024). "BINI stops 'Araw ng Kalayaan' show due to rowdy crowd". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  17. ^ Magno Ranara, John Patrick (June 13, 2024). "Why BINI's Independence Day performance got cut, sparked discussion over safety of viewers". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  18. ^ Severo, Jan Milo (November 19, 2024). "BINI opens 1st 'BINIverse' concert day with a bang". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Top Philippine Songs Ranking - Week Of July 13, 2024". Billboard Philippines. July 13, 2024. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024.
  20. ^ Go, Mayks (July 10, 2024). "BINI Continue To Dominate The Top Philippine Songs Chart This Week". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Philippines Hot 100 Ranking - Week Of August 3, 2024". Billboard Philippines. August 3, 2024. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Carandang, Justin Kenneth (April 16, 2024). "Beyond 'Pantropiko': BINI song guide for new Blooms". GMA News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Mallorca, Hannah (July 27, 2024). "How BINI's historic appearance at KCON LA 2024 will promote P-pop's rise". The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024.
  24. ^ "BINI slays the stage in their Grand BINIverse concert". ABS-CBN News. December 12, 2024. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  25. ^ "The 36th Awit Awards". Awit Awards. November 9, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2024 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ "The One Music PH 36th Awit Awards Picks". ABS-CBN News. November 9, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2024.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lagi_(Bini_song)&oldid=1262660346"