How SB19’s Stell, Justin were included in Streetboys’ reunion show
SB19’s Stell and Justin graced the reunion concert of the ’90s dance group Streetboys. Image: Instagram/@newfrontiertheater
Many people know Stell Ajero and Justin De Dios as members of SB19. But before debuting in the P-pop group, they used to hit the dance floor as members of cover groups in their youth.
Ajero was part of the cover group SE-EON (along with eventual bandmate Josh Cullen Santos and YARA’s Gelou Villanueva), while De Dios was a member of Zero To Hero (with Josh as well). In other words, dancing is somehow their first love.
This explains why majority of the audience was shocked when the SB19 members appeared at the Streetboys’ reunion concert in Quezon City last Friday, November 8.
SHOW OFF THOSE MOVES, JAHSTELL! 🕺🏻
WATCH: Overwhelming screams were heard as SB19’s Stell and Justin were revealed as the special guests of the Streetboys’ show in Quezon City. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/56jfyKKgjx
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) November 8, 2024
Fresh from attending the premiere of Pablo’s short film “Una,” Ajero and De Dios—while donning ’90s-inspired ensembles—grooved to 69 Boyz’s “Tootsee Roll” and Hanson’s “MMMBop” with the popular dance group.
Article continues after this advertisementAjero faced off against Vhong Navarro while De Dios charmed the crowd with Jhong Hilario at one point during their routine.
Article continues after this advertisementAccording to Navarro, SB19 was invited to be part of Streetboys’ concert, however, their schedules didn’t match. This led to the quintet’s team reaching out to them to make necessary adjustments, just to be part of the show.
“Nag-press con po kami, narinig po namin na inimbitahan ang SB19 pero hindi sila available. So ang ginawa, sila ang nag-reach out sa’min, gumawa sila nang paraan kahit hindi kumpleto para makapag-guest lang,” he told reporters after the show. “Kaya naman tinawag na ‘SB90s,’ kasi gusto namin silang gawing guest para maging SB19.”
(We heard SB19 was invited during our press con, but the full group wasn’t available. What they did was they reached out to us and found a way—even if they’re not complete—to guest in our show. This is why the show was dubbed ‘SB90s’ because we wanted to make a wordplay to SB19, in reference to their guest appearance.)
Hilario also shared that rehearsal with Ajero and De Dios lasted for “two hours,” while noting their professionalism despite being tight on time. “Nag-video kami tapos pinasa namin sa kanila. Pagdating nila, nagulat kami. Sobrang hataw agad sila.”
“Professional. World class eh. Gan’un talaga kapag world class. Trained talaga sila. Nakuha agad nila,” he continued. “Kanina lang kami nakapag-rehearse sa stage—first time lang namin mag-rehearse ngayong araw lang din.”
(We recorded a video of ourselves and then passed it to them. When they came, we were surprised. They went all out. They’re professional and world-class. That’s how it is. They are really trained because they got the steps right away. We also rehearsed onstage on the same day, which was our first time to do so.)
#ICYMI: Jhong Hilario shared in an interview that the rehearsal of the Streetboys’ routine with SB19’s Stell and Justin lasted for two hours.
Hilario added that the rehearsal began with them recording themselves before sending the routine to Stell and Justin.
This, according… pic.twitter.com/ywDqyHs75U
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) November 9, 2024
The “Mr. Suave” star also praised Ajero and De Dios’ dance abilities. “Ang galing nilang sumayaw. Nakuha nila ‘yung dance steps (They dance well. They got the hang of the steps).”
Also part of the show was eight-year-old Kryzl Jorge, tagged as the country’s “youngest CEO” of the supplement company Purple Hearts, who discovered the dance group after watching the noontime show “It’s Showtime.”
Formed in 1993, Streetboys is composed of Navarro, Hilario, Danilo Barrios, Sherwin Roux, Jhonnel Tan, Richard Semira, Sphencer Reyes, Michael Sesmundo, Nicko Manalo, Meynard Marcellano, Christopher Cruz, Joey Andres, Joseph De Leon, Jayvee Amurao, and Winferd Chia.
De Dios was the fourth SB19 member to make his solo debut with “surreal” in February 2024. He released the follow-up single “kaibigan” four months later. Meanwhile, Ajero debuted with “Room” in June of the same year, then dropped his first solo EP last August.
