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Pagtatag!

Pagtatag! (stylized in all uppercase; lit. 'strengthening') is the second extended play (EP) recorded by the Filipino boy band SB19, released on June 9, 2023, by Sony Music Philippines. The EP experimented with different genres, comprising six songs with pop, hip hop, EDM, soul, R&B, ballad, and acoustic elements, all co-written by the band's leader, Pablo. The songs were produced with an ensemble consisting of Pablo, his brother Joshua Daniel Nase, Simon Servida, August Rigo, Brian Lotho, Len Calvo, and Ohwon Lee.

Development of Pagtatag! began in 2022 while the boy band embarked on their first world tour with the WYAT (Where You At) Tour and continued after departing from ShowBT to pursue self-management. The EP is centered on artistic themes of "identity strengthening", and serves as the second installment in the band's ongoing music trilogy—following Pagsibol (2021). The songs explored topics on empowerment, commitment, love, mental health, and liberation, which were inspired by the band's struggles. Of all the tracks, "Gento" was released ahead of the EP as its lead single to critical acclaim, reaching top 15 chart positions in the Philippines and on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart.

Pagtatag! received generally favorable reviews from music critics with praise on the boy band's creative evolvement and the EP's musicality, lyricism, and diversity, but its closing track, "Freedom", was deemed lacking; nevertheless, the EP has been featured on 2023 year-end rankings and several of its songs received awards from local award-giving bodies. To support Pagtatag!, SB19 performed its tracks through television and public appearances and embarked on its supporting tour, the Pagtatag! World Tour (2023–2024), whose set list consists of each of the EP's songs.

Background and development

The Filipino boy band SB19 was formed by a local subsidiary of the South Korean entertainment company, ShowBT, in 2016 through a talent search and subsequently released three singles—"Tilaluha" (2018), "Go Up" (2019), and "Alab (Burning)" (2019). The singles were included in the release of their debut studio album, Get in the Zone, in 2020, which was characterized by its dance-pop genre. The band's agency influenced the creative process of their releases up to the album. In 2021, the group began gaining creative control of their work, starting with the release of their first extended play (EP), Pagsibol. SB19 worked with several record producers—including Pablo's brother, Joshua Daniel Nase, and Simon Servida—and experimented with different genres for the EP—exploring sounds such as pop rock, hip hop, and EDM—departing from the dance-pop production of their debut album and instead proceeding with themes about artistic origins and growth. Its single, "Bazinga", was once among the most talked-about songs on Twitter, topping Billboard's Hot Trending Songs Powered by Twitter chart for seven weeks.

Later on, SB19 released three standalone singles—"Ligaya" (2021), "WYAT (Where You At)" (2022), and "Nyebe" (2022)—and embarked on their first world tour with the WYAT (Where You At) Tour in 2022. Amidst touring, the boy band told in an interview with CNN Philippines that they were working on a new music release and preparing for another concert tour in 2023. The band later confirmed in a press conference that their upcoming release would based on the word "pagtatag" (lit. 'strengthening'), and that, in it, they would continue to explore different genres and life experiences, with inspirations drawing from their shortcomings, frustrations, and identity. The group's leader, Pablo, revealed in an interview with Zach Sang that Pagsibol and their forthcoming releases would be part of a trilogy. Conceptually, the trilogy would focus on the evolution of the band's artistry—from discovering their origins in Pagsibol to strengthening their perceived identity in Pagtatag!. SB19 left ShowBT Entertainment and proceeded with self-management by establishing their own talent agency, 1Z Entertainment. It would be the band's first release to have complete control of, from its development leading up to its release, which the group was fond of: "And now that we have the full control, the full capacity... we can freely express and maximize what we've been doing before".

In December 2022, SB19 recorded their cover version of Eraserheads' "Christmas Party" to celebrate Eraserheads' reunion concert, Huling El Bimbo. The boy band worked with the songwriter and record producer August Rigo for the record, where Rigo acknowledged the possibility of him and the SB19 working together in the future. On April 29, 2023, the band posted a trailer on YouTube, set in a post-apocalyptic world, and announced that their second EP, Pagtatag!, would be released on June 9. Aside from the EP release, the trailer also indicated that it would be preceded by an untitled single and that the group would embark on a world tour. They later confirmed the single's title on May 10, 2023, and announced the EP's tracklist, songwriters, and producers on May 31, 2024.

Music and lyrics

Pagtatag! consists of six tracks spanning 26 minutes and 11 seconds. All songs on the EP were co-written by the band's leader, Pablo, along with his brother Joshua Daniel Nase, August Rigo, and the band members Ken and Josh. The majority of the EP was produced by Pablo and Joshua Daniel Nase, also enlisting Simon Servida, Brian Lotho, Len Calvo, and Ohwon Lee in its production. The EP's lyrics were written majority in English and Tagalog, while its third track, "Crimzone", contains lyrics in Cebuano.

The EP's opening track, "Gento", is a pop and hip hop song with clapping sounds, strong bass beats, and EDM break accompaniments. An empowerment anthem, the song talks about how success is as rigorous as excavating gold, using gold mining as a metaphor for the group's career, and suggests taking tasks incrementally to achieve one's goals. Critics were fond of its lyricism, finding it catchy. In the sensually-themed song "I Want You", SB19 sings about the desire for a person against a slow soul R&B production reminiscent of 1990s music.

"Crimzone" is a reggaeton-influenced EDM pop track accompanied by hard-hitting beats and "adrenaline-activat[ing]" production, with lyrics that reflect the boy band's struggles and triumphs. "Ilaw" (lit. 'light') is an emotional ballad, led by acoustic guitar instrumentals and a vocally-belted bridge, which discusses vulnerability and the need for self-care, especially when feeling overwhelmed, through metaphors on blinding lights. "Liham" (lit. 'letter') is a power ballad driven by strings and piano, where SB19 narrates someone's relationship, whose expressed love, devotion, and gratitude towards the other person. The EP's closing track, "Freedom", is an upbeat pop song about escaping from struggles and challenges and celebrating one's achievements with people who helped along the way.

Release and promotion

Sony Music Philippines released Pagtatag! on June 9, 2023, through digital download and streaming formats. Its opening track, "Gento", was released ahead of the EP as its lead single on May 19, 2023, and entered two Billboard record charts: World Digital Song Sales and the Philippines Songs charts, peaking at numbers eight and eleven, respectively. It marked SB19's first entry for both charts and became the first entry among Filipino groups on the former. The single also became the subject of a dance challenge that trended on the video sharing service TikTok, which accumulated over 1.7 million user-generated videos using the song on the platform. The single won Song of the Year at the 2023 TikTok Philippines Awards, Gen-Z Approved Hit at the 2024 Nylon Manila Big Bold Brave Awards, and Wishclusive Pop Performance of the Year at the 2024 Wish 107.5 Music Awards. "I Want You" and "Ilaw" also earned nominations at the latter for the Wishclusive R&B Performance of the Year and Wish Ballad of the Year, respectively, with "I Want You" winning the category.

Three songs from the EP—"Gento", "I Want You", and "Freedom"—were accompanied by music videos that were released to YouTube on May 19, June 9, and October 28, 2023, respectively. The music video for "Gento", directed by Kerbs Balagtas, was grunge-themed and depicts the boy band mining for gold and dancing in a large quarry. Jed Regala directed the "I Want You" video, which was "sultry-themed" with clips showing the group drenched and underwater. The video for "Freedom" premiered at the Our Zone fifth-anniversary fan meeting, showing the group wandering in outdoor spaces.

To support Pagtatag!, SB19 embarked on their second world tour with the Pagtatag! World Tour; it ran 18 shows across Asia and North America from June 2023 until May 2024, which kicked off and concluded in Quezon City, and visiting countries including the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan. Aside from touring, the boy band also made television and public appearances to promote the EP, with various live performances of songs from its tracklist. They first performed the EP's first two tracks, "Gento" and "I Want You", on the noontime variety shows All-Out Sundays and ASAP Natin 'To on May 21 and June 11, 2023, respectively. In the United States, the group put on street performances of songs from the EP on Hollywood Boulevard and at Times Square. They also performed "Gento" during their appearances on two U.S. television shows—KTLA 5 Morning News on August 2, 2023, and Good Day New York on August 9, 2023.

Critical reception

The EP was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. Rafael Bautista of Nylon Manila described the EP's tracks as an "emotional rollercoaster", and opined that the two-year gap since the release of SB19's first EP, Pagsibol, was "worth it". Bulatlat's Janess Ann Ellao commented that the EP proved the boy band's uniqueness, diversity, and versatility, asserting that the boy band have never failed to evoke and resonate with their listeners and that the "P-pop movement only seems to grow". Jelou Galang of Inquirer remarked positively on the EP's release, stating its essence matches the boy band's career path as "history-making P-pop phenoms". Writing for Billboard Philippines, Gabriel Saulog applauded SB19's creative evolvement in the EP and considered it a "masterclass in confidence and versatility". Saulog also named several tracks as highlights from the EP, commenting that "Gento" is a strong EP opener and finds "I Want You", "Ilaw", and "Liham" surprising additions. In a separate review by Billboard Philippines, they praised most of the EP's musicality and lyricism, considering it a "great EP"; however, they deemed the closing song, "Freedom", the weakest among the EP, criticizing its rap, instrumentals, and abruptness, drawing comparisons to the band's earlier releases: "rap sections feels out of place and forced into the track. [...] There's too much going on in the backing instrumentals, making the track cluttered. The jumps from each verse [...] are abrupt and disjointed."

Year-end lists

Two publications, Esquire Philippines and SunStar Davao, listed Pagtatag! in their lists of best Filipino albums of 2023, all ranking the EP within the top 10.