BINI members (upper, from left) Colet, Jhoanna, Stacey, Aiah, Gwen; (bottom, from left) Maloi, Mikha and Sheena. Image: X/@bini_ph
The members of BINI couldn’t help but say “Ohmigosh,” as they recalled the “Pantropiko” cover of Mamamoo’s Solar in her recent Parañaque show. As fans of the group, seeing the latter’s performance was a surreal moment for them.
While holding a rainbow flag, Solar surprised her fans with a cover performance of “Pantropiko” at her “Colours” concert at The Theatre at Solaire last June 16. Aside from her solo career, she debuted as the leader and vocalist of Mamamoo in June 2014.
“I’m still so shocked, she was so cute! It was crazy because her pronunciation was so good,” Mikha said of Solar on the sidelines of a fast-food launch. “I didn’t expect that Solar of Mamamoo would do that. She’s my bias. The audience was even saying that BINI are fans of Mamamoo.”
SOLAR SANG BINI’S PANTROPIKO WHILE HOLDING A PRIDE FLAG 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/Er5MRfgi6S
— gabríella (@wheeix) June 16, 2024
Before Solar, UNIS’ Gehlee, Elisia and Seowon did a rendition of BINI’s smash hit at a “World Pop Live: Global Hit Songs by K-pop Idols” segment. Red Velvet’s Irene also danced a bit of “Pantropiko,” while aespa’s Ningning did a snippet of “Salamin, Salamin” in different fan calls.
240214 IRENE InterAsia Chill Kill Fancall Event #IRENE #아이린
I mentioned how 🐰 was always doing Tiktok challenges during Chill Kill era and asked if she can do the ‘Pantropiko’ challenge by @BINI_ph & showed her @bini_aiah’s video doing the challenge! pic.twitter.com/Ez0TGBSGEJ
— ੈ✩ nicole ಹ (@baechustokki) February 14, 2024
ningning salamin salamin 🥹💗 pic.twitter.com/D48rKACSBX
— phoebe (@pebicart) June 8, 2024
“We didn’t expect that we would reach the point where K-pop idols would do ‘Pantropiko’ and ‘Salamin, Salamin’ like Irene of Red Velvet,” said Stacey. When the writer pointed out that Ningning did “Salamin, Salamin,” Maloi didn’t hold herself back from squealing.
Stacey added that BINI is grateful that many K-pop fans came together to show support for the group. When asked about QueenzEye and other rising K-pop groups admiring them, she likewise notes it as a humbling experience for the octet.
“Of course, we’re thankful to K-pop fans supporting us,” Stacey said. “Before we would look up to K-pop idols but now, we can’t believe that they too admire BINI. It’s very humbling to see and we really appreciate them. I hope P-pop Rise will continue.”
Jhoanna agreed with her bandmate’s thoughts, saying she hopes the growing support for BINI will extend to their fellow P-pop groups as well.
“I hope they wouldn’t only support BINI. I hope they would support P-pop groups as well,” she said.
BINI met hundreds of fans at a fast-food launch last June 17 in Quezon City. At the time, Aiah was absent since she was “resting,” according to the group’s leader Jhoanna. Image: X/@bini_ph
On busy schedules, brand darlings
The meteoric rise of BINI led them to be the face of many brands including a fast-food chain, grocery chain, e-commerce platform, skincare line, shampoo, napkin and gadgets, among others.
Maloi said their recent endorsements are products they actually used behind the scenes. But for them to be chosen as its faces is a heartwarming feat for the group. “The brands that we’re endorsing have been used by BINI ever since. It makes my heart happy. We hope we can get more.”
Jhoanna also recalled a time when they had brand shoots for three straight days. Despite it being a “very busy” time for the group, she considers it a blessing.
“We had brand shoots for three days straight. We didn’t feel how tired we were because we’re very blessed,” she said. “When we receive offers, we keep on accepting them. We may never know when these blessings will come.”
BINI during their third anniversary celebration. Image: X/@bini_ph
Touching on their busy schedules, Stacey admitted that the girl group hasn’t had many rest days lately. But with their three-day concert coming up, they make it a point to work hard to give their fans a good show.
“We don’t have many rest days recently. We’re really preparing a lot for our three-day concert so we asked if we could have more rehearsals. We want our show to be of quality and show something beautiful to the audience,” she said.
BINI recently celebrated their third anniversary last June 11 in Makati. The eight-member group consists of Jhoanna, Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha and Sheena.