All posts tagged: Filipino

Inside Filipino Girl Group BINI’s Historic Coachella Debut

Inside Filipino Girl Group BINI’s Historic Coachella Debut

Published by Daniella Wilson

It’s a blistering 89 degrees in Indio, California, and the eight members of girl group BINI are packed inside a small trailer. With their team surrounding them, some carrying the flag of the Philippines, the young women are abuzz with nervous excitement. Electropop singer Slayyyter can be heard faintly through the not-so-soundproof walls of the trailer. Outside, a group of longtime fans and curious music lovers at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival await the moment the group takes the Mojave stage. BINI, sporting intricately beaded blue-turquoise ensembles, begins putting warrior-like gold dresses on top of their outfits thanks to the help of their backup dancers, a group of seven men who traveled with the girl group from the Philippines. For a moment, the chaos is put on hold as they begin a group prayer. “That’s the first time we’ve done something like that, where [our performance director] asked us to repeat after him,” BINI member Aiah, 25, tells me that night, hours after their performance is done. Aiah and the rest of BINI …

Girl Group BINI Makes History as First Filipino Act at Coachella

Girl Group BINI Makes History as First Filipino Act at Coachella

Published by Daniella Wilson

Girl group BINI made history Friday, becoming the first act from the Philippines to perform at Coachella. The eight-member girl group, comprising members Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna and Sheena, made their Coachella debut on the Mojave stage. They performed a 45-minute set including several of the group’s hit songs. BINI took the stage in intricate gold dresses, which they wore during their opening song, “Shagidi.” At the end of the song, the women tore the gold outfits off to reveal blue-turquoise beaded looks that they wore for the remainder of the performance. “We are BINI, all the way from the Philippines,” the group shouted to the cheering crowd as they introduced themselves. Fans in the audience raised the flag of the Philippines. “We are so happy to be here to represent the Philippines on the global stage and to share with you guys our music,” Aiah told the crowd. BINI has continued to bring Pinoy pop, a.k.a P-pop, to the global stage since their 2020 debut. The group was formed through Filipino …

The Loneliness Hiding Behind the Filipino Smile

The Loneliness Hiding Behind the Filipino Smile

Published by Jenni Sidey

When the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health crisis in 2023, many assumed severe loneliness primarily afflicted isolated individuals in urban Global North cities. Yet some of the world’s loneliest people live in a country known for packed family homes, vibrant fiestas, and warm hospitality. In the Philippines—where extended families share meals daily, church communities gather weekly, and people spend hours each day on social media—57% of citizens report feeling very or fairly lonely, according to Meta-Gallup’s 2023 Global State of Social Connections report, the second-highest rate globally. Separate surveys suggest Filipino youth are among the loneliest in Southeast Asia. To understand this paradox, an eight-country qualitative study by the Annecy Behavioral Science Lab interviewed 50 Filipinos across age groups and loneliness levels. The findings reveal how a society celebrated for bayanihan—communal unity—can also produce deep, if often invisible loneliness. The Performance of Connection “Disconnection is the unwillingness to connect anymore,” one participant explained. “Loneliness is invisible…we are good at hiding loneliness.” That invisibility is culturally shaped. Filipino social life is guided by …

Inside the covert mission to save Filipino children from UK paedophiles

Inside the covert mission to save Filipino children from UK paedophiles

Published by Sam Flores

She argues that these categories can act as a “funnel” directing consumers towards exploitative content and livestreamed abuse. “It is hugely damaging to children who are being sexually abused and also to men, some of whom will not have had a prior interest in child sexual abuse material,” she warns, referring to unregulated porn as a “public health epidemic”. ‘It can be pure racism’ In his one-on-one work with offenders, Mr Sheath regularly meets men damaged by their viewing habits. He says they sometimes becoming alarmingly desensitised – reducing Filipino children “to flesh rather than persons”. He notes that some offenders use racial difference to justify abuse. “It can be pure racism,” he says, “like these kids don’t experience pain in the way that British kids do.” In the Philippines, Jaika*, a survivor of livestreamed abuse, attests to the reality of her pain. “It’s like I’m being devalued. Yes, they don’t touch me, but I’m being degraded, even if it’s online,” she says. When she was 17, Jaika was encouraged by her best friend Veronica …