The Light is the debut studio album of Filipino boy band BGYO. It was released by Star Music on 7 October 2021. The album contains twelve tracks, with "When I'm With You" as its key single, four new tracks "Kundiman," "Fly Away," "Sabay," and "Rocketman", which BGYO co-written, four versions of the band's debut single in Bahasa, Japanese, Spanish and Thai, along with the group's signature hits The Light, He's Into Her and The Baddest. The album's lyrical content transcends the spirit of resilience, empathy, and love.[1]
| The Light | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 October 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2021 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:25 | |||
| Language | ||||
| Label | Star Music | |||
| BGYO chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Light | ||||
| ||||
The album debuts and peaks at number 1 on iTunes Albums Chart in 5 countries—Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It also charted in Canada, Thailand, Qatar, Australia, Norway, Malaysia and Mexico;[2] and has achieved the coveted feat of being the longest consecutive charting album by a Filipino act to stay at number one on iTunes Philippines of all time.[3]
The album surpassed 5 million Spotify streams, 2 weeks since its release.[4]
Background and release
editOn 11 June 2021, ABS-CBN Entertainment head Laurenti Dyogi made a statement during the official debut of BGYO's sister group Bini on the upcoming projects of the sibling groups—full-length albums, merch and the "One Dream: The BINI x BGYO Concert".[5] On 28 September 2021, the group's official social media account announced the schedules and the release of the debut album.[6] Tracklist of the album was revealed on 29 September 2021[7] and audio sampler on 6 October 2021.[8]
Composition
editWe hope they'll [listeners] be inspired listening to the songs. We hope they'll [listeners] be able to feel their journey and not just hear or see their journey.
— Lian Kyla, one of the songwriters of "Rocketman", Bandwagon Asia [9]
The Light embodies [BGYO's] journey, and it’s powerful, moving, and anthemic. The Bahasa, Thai, Japanese, and Spanish versions of the group’s debut single (also called "The Light"), feels like it needs to impart a good lesson [that] can be very well used as a campaign song for change. "Fly Away", [is] an extremely relatable track [with] compelling encouragement [to deal with struggles in life]. "Sabay" seemingly echoes that sentiment [too] but uses more danceable beats. On the other hand, "Rocketman" is a proud anthem for Filipinos, our resilience, and our undying spirit to move forward. Radiating around matters of romance are "Kundiman", "He's Into Her", "The Baddest", and "When I’m With You".
— JE CC, Lionheartv.net[10]
The Light is a reflection of the group’s past, present, and possible future. Naming the 12-track album after their debut single "The Light", is a way to symbolize the album’s message [and] it's clear that for their first album, the group wanted to give the feeling of resilience, love, and inspiration.
— Rafael Bautista, Nylon Manila[11]
Singles
editThe Light yielded four singles. The debut single, "The Light", was released in January 2021. The music video of "The Light" has received more than a million YouTube views, 6 days after its release, and its the fastest debut music video by a P-pop group to reach 1 Million views in YouTube. It also broke the record for being the "Most Liked Music Video in a Debut Song" by a P-pop group of all time.[12] The album's second single "He's Into Her" was released in April 2021 and became the official soundtrack of the original iWantTFC series He's Into Her.[13] "The Baddest" was released in August 2021 as the group's sophomore single and released as the album's fifth single.[14] American hip-hop dance crew Jabbawockeez posted a dance cover of the track in social media and went viral in October 2021.[15] "When I'm with You" was released in October 2021 as the album's third single and key track.[16]
"The Baddest", [is] the song that arguably helped put BGYO on the map internationally.
— Rafael Bautista, Nylon Manila[11]
Track listing
editAll song credits are adapted from the album sampler released by BGYO's label Star Music in YouTube, unless otherwise noted.[8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Light" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 2. | "He's Into Her" |
| Jonathan Manalo | 4:01 |
| 3. | "When I'm with You" |
| Jonathan Manalo | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Fly Away" | Akira "Aki" Morishita | Jonathan Manalo | 3:31 |
| 5. | "The Baddest" |
| MU Doctor (뮤닥터) | 3:16 |
| 6. | "Rocketman" |
| Jonathan Manalo | 3:25 |
| 7. | "Sabay" | Michael "Mikki" Claver Jr. | Jonathan Manalo | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Kundiman" | Akira "Aki" Morishita (additional lyrics by Jerwin Nicomedez) | Jonathan Manalo | 3:27 |
| 9. | "The Light - Bahasa Indonesia Version" |
| Jonathan Manalo | 3:11 |
| 10. | "The Light - Japanese Version" |
| Jonathan Manalo | 3:12 |
| 11. | "The Light - Spanish Version" |
| Jonathan Manalo | 3:11 |
| 12. | "The Light - Thai Version" |
| Jonathan Manalo | 3:11 |
| Total length: | 40:25 | |||
Awards and nominations
edit| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Academy Creative Awards | 2021 | Best Theme Song or Title Theme (Philippines) | He's Into Her | Won | [17] |
| Best Theme Song or Title Theme (Asia) | Finalist | ||||
| RAWR Awards | Song of the Year | The Light | Nominated | [18] | |
| 7th Wish Music Awards | Wishclusive Pop Performance of the Year | The Light | Nominated | [19] |
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 7, 2021 | Airplay, Digital download, streaming, video streaming | Star Music |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ For citations about "The Light" album as BGYO's debut album.
- "BGYO Reveals Album Tracklist & Next Key Track Snippet". onemusic.ph. 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- Miguel Dumaual (7 October 2021). "The full BGYO debut album is here, plus the music video for "When I'm With You"". news.abs-cbn.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- "BGYO inspires people from all over the world with its first album "The Light"". ent.abs-cbn.com. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ For citations of The Light as No. 1 album in iTunes.
- Danielle Domingo (7 October 2021). "BGYO #1 on iTunes & Jabbawockeez "The Baddest" Dance Cover". myx.global. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- Lion's Den (12 October 2021). "BGYO's "The Light" album peaks at the no.1 spot on iTunes albums chart in 5 countries". lionheartv.net. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ RAFAEL BAUTISTA (29 January 2022). "BGYO TURNS ONE: A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THEIR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS". Pop Culture. Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022 – via Nylon Manila.
- ^ Nino Llanera (31 October 2021). "BGYO Celebrates 5 Million Spotify Streams on Debut Album Plus Global Reactions to When I'm With You MV". myx.global. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ "BINI, BGYO to team up for concert this year". news.abs-cbn.com. 14 June 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ Daniel Peters (30 September 2021). "P-pop groups BINI and BGYO announce upcoming debut albums". nme.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "BGYO releases tracklist for debut album". rappler.com. 30 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b Nino Llanera (6 October 2021). "BGYO Drops "The Light" Album Sampler and New Single Teaser". myx.global. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b Kara Bodegon (10 November 2021). "Lian Kyla on writing music for BGYO, BINI and herself: "It's like watching this song you made grow up and become part of something bigger"". bandwagon.asia. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ JE CC (7 October 2021). "BGYO's Debut Album, 'The Light': Powerful, Inspiring, Anthemic". lionheartv.net. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b Rafael Bautista (13 October 2021). "LOVE AND INSPIRATION TAKE CENTER STAGE IN BGYO'S DEBUT ALBUM, THE LIGHT". nylonmanila.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ For citations about the accolades received by the official music video of "The Light."
- "BGYO's debut music video "The Light", breaks record!". kapamilyaonlineworld.com (in Tagalog). 6 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- "RAWR MAG: BGYO Aces P-Pop Stardom bid in a Blazing Pace". lionheartv.net. 27 June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ For citations about He's Into Her as the official soundtrack of the series He's Into Her,
- "Snippet: BGYO records 'He's Into Her' theme song". news.abs-cbn.com. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- "BGYO confirmed to sing 'He's Into You' OST". push.abs-cbn.com. 10 April 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- "Fast-rising P-pop group BGYO drops 'He's Into her' theme song". mb.com.ph. 27 April 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- Kara Bodegon (27 April 2021). "Jess Connelly, BGYO, catriona Gray, Coeli and more release new music - listen". bandwagon.asia. Bandwagon. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- Jacqueline Arias (6 May 2021). "BGYO release rom-com-inspired video for He's Into Her". nme.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ For citations about "The Baddest" being the sophomore single of BGYO.
- Judine Basbas (20 August 2021). "BGYO return with new single 'The Baddest' - Listen". bandwagon.asia. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- "BGYO Drops Sophomore Single "The Baddest"". onemusic.ph. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- "BGYO Drops Sophomore Single "The Baddest"". pageone.ph. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ For citations that Jabbawockeez got viral after the dance cover of "The Baddest".
- Kathleen A. Llemit (11 October 2021). "WATCH: Jabbawockeez goes viral for BGYO 'The Baddest' dance cover". philstar.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- "WATCH: Jabbawockeez takes on BGYO's "The Baddest" in dance video". rappler.com. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- "Jabbawockeez dances to BGYO's "The Baddest"". manilastandard.net. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ JE CC (12 October 2021). "REVIEW: BGYO's Third Official Single, "When I'm with You" is a perfect road trip song". lionheartv.net. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ For citations of He's Into Her accolade in Asian Academy Creative Awards,
- "11 ABS-CBN personalities and programs hailed as national winners at 2021 Asian Academy Creative Awards". mb.com.ph. 1 October 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- James Patrick Anarcon (2 October 2021). "Presenting the TV shows recognized by Asian Academy Creative Awards 2021". pep.ph. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Pauline Songco (1 October 2021). ""He's into Her" wins at Asian Academy Creative Awards". tribune.net.ph. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- Kay Cabral (1 October 2021). "Full Philippine winners of Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAAs)". lionheartv.net. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "RAWR Awards is all set for Another Bigger, Broader Scope of Awards this 2021". LionhearTV. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Here's how you can vote for your favorite artists at the 34th Awit Awards". wish1075.com. 15 November 2021. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.