BINI members (from upper left) Aiah, Colet, Stacey, Maloi, Jhoanna; (from lower left) Mikha, Gwen and Sheena. Image: Shaira Luna via Instagram/@bini_ph
Telling the story of BINI’s pre-debut experiences, early beginnings, and rise to superstardom was a “labor of love,” according to Jeff Canoy, a journalist who served as the co-creator of the P-pop powerhouse’s docuseries.
Composed of three chapters, the BINI docuseries is a deeper glimpse into the girl group’s journey through their auditions, training process, debut, and how they dealt with their meteoric rise to fame. Each scene offers a glimpse into Jhoanna, Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha and Sheena’s thoughts, coupled with recollections of their team.
“BINI Chapter 1: Born to Win,” released last September, looks back at the formation of the girl group including how the ABS-CBN shutdown, tight lockdowns, and pandemic made the members into who they are — done in the background of their “BINIverse” concert. It also explored the octet’s silent cries, including the death of Sheena’s mom, Aiah battling with anxiety, and Gwen dealing with sickness during the concert.
The second chapter, “Here with You,” explores more of BINI’s thoughts as they navigate through their massive fame. It is set for a Nov. 8 release.
“Who they are on TV, on your screens, or your phones is exactly who they are in real life. It sounds so showbiz but it’s so true,” Canoy said of BINI in a brief chat with INQUIRER.net, weeks before chapter two was released to the public. “It’s different to be a fan from the fringes and to be a documentarist seeing their lives up close.”
“They are really the most kindhearted and beautiful people inside and outside of the industry. Nakakahanga (it’s worth admiring),” he continued.
As a fan of music documentaries, Canoy shared that the media giant had long wanted to bring back the art of long-form storytelling, citing it as one of the factors behind the creation of the docuseries.
He also considers himself a fan of BINI for quite some time, or an “OG (or original) Bloom,” which added more weight to the purpose of doing justice to the girl group’s story.
“Everyone who knows me knows this. I’ve been a fan [for a long time]. They call me as an OG Bloom. Even the management knows me as a BINI fan. I think it was the pandemic when I first discovered them, and I stuck with them, hoping they’d have their breakthrough moment,” Canoy said.
Bringing their story to life
At one point in the docuseries, BINI opened up about each other’s first impressions. For some, many were confused as to why Stacey wore pink from head to toe (she even wore heels) at the audition. Stacey, on the other hand, jokingly noted Jhoanna as a “clout chaser.”
These first impressions, along with tough training sessions and remaining at the BINI House for extended periods, were among the unglamorous experiences they went through. Yet they noted those were some of the moments that brought them closer, where they now consider themselves as family.
“2024 is a great year for them. I’m proud to tell their story. They showed that success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes grit and perseverance. Excellence is forged with sacrifice and hard work, which we’ve seen with BINI,” said Canoy.
“In many ways, it also reflects our journey of trying to bring documentaries back. We want to be as resilient and excellent in terms of telling BINI’s story,” he further explained.
The first part of the docuseries explored Aiah opening up about her battle with anxiety – and she was even encouraged by her bandmates and team moments before their concert started – which, the beauty queen hoped could help someone going through the same thing.
“It was a labor of love and care for these girls. We knew we’re going to tackle sensitive topics but we made sure to approach it as sensitively as we can,” Canoy said of the process, which was done with the help of a team who are “certified Blooms” as well.
The journalist then pointed out that Aiah sharing her struggles with anxiety “was her choice” while hoping that it would be a form of comfort to viewers.
“We’re just grateful that Aiah decided to tell us her story. It was her choice [if she didn’t] want to tell her story. But we’re so grateful to Aiah because her story really is going to help people who are dealing with the same thing,” he said.
BINI made their debut in June 2021 with the single “Born to Win.” Apart from their chart-topping hits, the eight-member group is considered one of the biggest P-pop acts to date, holding sold-out shows, gracing packed venues, landing several brand endorsements, and taking over people’s playlists.