(From left) Elisia Parmisano, Lim Seowon, and Gehlee Dangca of K-pop girl group UNIS, and BINI. Images: Screengrabs from YouTube/1theK Originals, ABS-CBN Corporate Communications
Elisia Parmisano of the K-pop girl group UNIS said she was thrilled at the opportunity to do a cover of BINI’s hit song “Pantropiko” with her bandmates Gehlee Dangca and Lim Seowon.
Parmisano, Dangca, and Lim made headlines after they performed a cover of “Pantropiko” in an episode of “World Pop Live: Global Hit Songs by K-pop Idols” by the Korean entertainment platform 1theK Originals on Friday, April 5.
They were also joined by bandmates Bang Yunha, Nana, Oh Yoona, Kotoko, and Jin Hyeon-ju who did covers of Karol G and Tiesto’s “Contigo” (Colombia), Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” (US), Noa’s “Any Angle” (Japan), and Plave’s “Way 4 Luv” (South Korea).
Days later, Parmisano spoke about the cover in a fan call with one @WATERTHUNDERTWT, who shared a snippet of their conversation on X (formerly Twitter).
“Alam mo, ‘yung na-receive namin [‘yung information] na kailangan naming kantahin ang ‘Pantropiko,’ me and Ate Gehlee were so happy noong nalaman namin na kakantahan namin ‘yun,” she said.
(Did you know? When we received the information that we had to do a cover of “Pantropiko,” Ate Gehlee and I were so happy when we found out we would do the song.)
Hereee hahaha, she shared a little backstory when it was announced that they will cover PANTROPIKO by @BINI_ph 🏝️
Bakit ang cuteee mo ELIIIII 😭 #ELISIA #UNIS #엘리시아 #유니스 https://t.co/cK9lAsgwUy pic.twitter.com/yEro2CZpna
— WATER THUNDER SERVICES 🌊✨ (@WATERTHUNDERTWT) April 7, 2024
Philippine-born Parmisano was the first “Universe Ticket” contestant to be named a member of UNIS after advancing to the competition show’s PRISM rank. She was confirmed as the main vocalist in the Korean streaming platform Melon.
Fellow Filipina Dangca was the fourth member to be announced, while Filipina-Korean Jin was confirmed as the final member in the show’s finale.
Meanwhile, BINI gained widespread popularity after “Pantropiko” went viral on social media. The eight-member girl group dropped their first EP “Talaarawan” on International Women’s Day on March 8.