2018–2020: Formation and first album In 2016,
ShowBT Philippines, a subsidiary of the Korean company ShowBT Group, conducted a talent search for performers, with the aim of localizing
K-pop in other Asian countries. The candidates went through a difficult South Korean-inspired training camp, including physical training and "personality development". Trainees who were judged inadequate were sent home, until the final seven members were chosen. The training continued, with over-nine-hour work days; of the seven members,
Stell remained with ShowBT, three quit, and
Pablo,
Josh, and
Justin left but changed their minds later.
Ken, a previous candidate, also joined the group. These five became the current members of SB19. SB19 debuted on 26 October 2018, with the single "
Tilaluha", a
sentimental ballad. It was followed by their fast-paced second single "
Go Up", The group received little attention following this regrouping, and its members began to grow disheartened. On 20 November 2019, SB19 became the first Filipino act to appear on the
Billboard Next Big Sound chart. They also became the first Filipino act to enter the
Billboard Social 50, debuting at number 28 on the week of 28 December 2019. Jeff Benjamin of
Billboard noted that a growing international fan-base had aided their appearance in the chart. He added that "more artists [will] continue to look East for inspiration and a larger audience". in
Smart Araneta Coliseum on January 17, 2021 When a free nationwide concert tour for 2019 and ticket sales were opened for their concert in
Cuneta Astrodome in
Pasay, tickets quickly sold out in three minutes. They were able to perform in three other cities –
Silay,
Cagayan de Oro and
Legazpi. However, the planned concerts to be held in other major cities in the Philippines were indefinitely postponed because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2019,
Sony Music Philippines signed a recording contract with the group, and on the same day, the group released their third single, "
Alab (Burning)", under the new
record label. On 9 March 2020, SB19 was added to the roster of artists of
Spotify's RADAR Program, which supports new artists through marketing campaigns. The quintet released their debut album
Get in the Zone, featuring nine tracks, including three released singles and two unreleased tracks, on 31 July 2020. Two weeks after the release of the album, SB19 achieved its highest position on the Social 50 chart at number two on the week of August 15. A week later, the group peaked at number five on the
Emerging Artists chart. On November 21, they held their first-ever online concert streamed live via the platform Global Live. It was later re-broadcast on November 28 as a fundraiser event for the communities affected by recent typhoons. On December 3, SB19 appeared at number six on
Billboard Year-End Social 50 chart, making them the first Southeast Asian act to reach the top 10 of the magazine's annual chart.
2021–2022: Pagsibol in
Smart Araneta Coliseum on January 17, 2021|alt=|left The group released "
What?" on 9 March 2021, as the first single off their upcoming
extended play (EP), initially planned for in June 2021. On 24 April 2021, their first-ever fashion collection, in collaboration with Chynna Mamawal, was released that featured two limited premium sets, shirts, and dresses, all inspired by the single. On 29 April 2021, SB19 became the first Filipino and Southeast Asian act to be nominated at the
Billboard Music Awards for
Top Social Artist alongside
BTS,
Blackpink,
Ariana Grande, and
Seventeen—which BTS won. It marked the first-ever appearance of a Filipino artist at the
Billboard Music Awards. Their second pre-release single, "
Mapa", was released on May 16, 2021, as a tribute to parents. A band version in collaboration with
Ben&Ben was released on 27 June 2021. Their first EP
Pagsibol was then released on 22 July 2021. On August 1, the group held their first concert in 2021, titled
Back in the Zone and streamed online on KTX. It became the top-selling concert on the platform. SB19 performed at the
Forte: A Pop Orchestra Concert on October 17 with the SSC Chamber Choir, Battig Chamber Orchestra, and
4th Impact for the benefit of Sr. Baptista Battig Music Foundation scholars. On October 21, SB19 was nominated as Best Southeast Asia Act at the 2021
MTV Europe Music Awards. On November 4, "
Bazinga" entered the newly launched
Billboard Hot Trending Songs chart at number 14 for the 24-hour and number 20 on the weekly. SB19 is the first Filipino artist to debut a track on the chart. On December 16,
National Commission for Culture and the Arts appointed SB19 as new Youth and Sentro Rizal ambassador. As part of the celebration of their 3rd anniversary, SB19 released a 6-episode series featuring the each group member on WeTV and
YouTube. They also held the
SB19 2021: Our Zone Third Anniversary Concert on December 18 and 19. The concert was streamed live online and later released on WeTV. On the week of December 11, "Bazinga" reached number one on Hot Trending Songs. It later became the song with the most weeks at number one on the chart surpassing the six-week run of "
Butter" by
BTS. On 9 January 2022, the group performed at their first international music festival, representing the Philippines at the
2021 ASEAN-Korea Round Festival with the goal of celebrating and bridging cultures within the ASEAN region. On 16 March 2022, they attended
Expo 2020 and performed at Dubai Exhibition Centre, marking SB19's first international live performance. On April 10, after two years of restrictions on live activities because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, SB19 headlined the first-ever
P-pop Convention (PPOP Con) at
Araneta City. On April 23, SB19 held their first paid live solo concert at the
Araneta Coliseum hosted by
Dunkin' Philippines. On June 28, SB19 landed spots on
Twitter Philippines "
#WorldMusicDay" 2022 lists. The group was able to snag the top spot in the Top Music-Related Handles in the Philippines and the Top Hashtags Around Music in the Philippines lists on Twitter from May 31 to June 1. It was revealed during the celebration of
Fête de la Musique (World Music Day), which aims to laud artists and communities locally and in South East Asia. On July 5, Ken performed his newest solo single, "Bulan", at the
Recording Academy Grammy's online series Global Spin, which celebrates global music, international artists, and the world's sounds. He is the first Filipino act to be featured in the online series. On July 31, SB19 opened the
Binibining Pilipinas 2022 Coronation Night with the pageant's theme song, "Win Your Heart". The theme song was originally written by Dero "Nonong" Pedero in 1999. It was last given a new sound by Ballad King
Martin Nievera in 2013 for
Binibining Pilipinas' 50th Year. Being the first P-pop group to make the most significant changes to the song, they added rap lines in SB19's signature style and gave the traditionally sung parts their own interpretation, bringing the song firmly into the realm of
P-Pop.
2022: "WYAT (Where You At)" and first world tour |alt=|left On August 1, at the stroke of midnight, the social media page of SB19 shared an image of their logos with static interference and glitches. It was a signal that the group had been gearing up for something new. For the first week of August, SB19 had been teasing its comeback. On August 12, SB19 released the single "
WYAT (Where You At)", a
disco-pop song that highlights the urgency of disconnection to reconnection of the times. The group announced a global concert tour,
WYAT (Where You At) Tour, kicking off in Manila on September 17 in
Araneta Coliseum. The group's social media, especially
Twitter, erupted after the boy group released a series of cryptic riddles and videos that led fans to speculate about a world tour. As a result, the hashtag #WhereIsSB19 went trending on Twitter worldwide. SB19 released their final video of the series announcing that the single and tour will be launched in September. Four cities in the Philippines were included on the tour list:
Quezon City Metro Manila,
Clark City,
Cebu City and
Davao City. Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States were also included on the comeback concert tour list. On August 31, SB19 was among the ''"Preview's 50 Most Influential for 2022"''. An annual selection by
Summit Media's "Preview Magazine" honoring individuals and groups that have made the biggest impacts in different fields across the realms of fashion, beauty, and art, these faces have maximized their digital platforms to champion the innate diversity of the Filipino identity. On September 23, the boy band SB19 was on the list of
"The 100 Most Powerful People in the Philippines: Wielders of Soft Power" by the
Esquire Magazine. The 100 people named were a selection of people from different industries of private and public organizations who embody power: authority, control, and influence. On October 10, JCI Batangas awarded SB19 as the "2022 Outstanding Filipino Gamechanger" on the 3rd Gawad Balisong. The JCI Batangas Gawad Balisong recognizes the diverse lineup of individuals who made a notable influence on the members of the local organization and the community in the Philippines. It is a selection of Filipino game-changers who are motivated individuals who lead to a shift when they are thinking or doing things. They are authentic human beings who empower the community through their humble causes and stories of good. On November 4, SB19 made their first live guesting on a US TV show, on
Fox 5's morning show "
Good Day New York". The group performed their single "
WYAT (Where You At)". On November 17, SB19 returned to
Billboard's Hot Trending Songs with their new track "Where You At". Debuted ranked No. 17, the retro upbeat track ranked goes up to No. 4 before midnight. "WYAT (Where You At)" is the second SB19 song to place in the same
Billboard list following "Bazinga", which set the record for most weeks at No. 1 in the Hot Trending Songs chart.
2023– early 2025: Pagtatag! and self-management (2023)|alt=A photo of SB19 on stage, each holding a hand held microphone. On April 30, SB19 released the trailer for their upcoming EP,
Pagtatag!, starring themselves and featuring Filipino actor Pepe Herrera. On May 19, the group released "
Gento", the first single of
Pagtatag!. The song's title was taken from the Filipino words
ganito (like this), and
ginto (gold), as well as
gento, the Caviteño word for
ganito, while the song showcases the group's growth and change after years of refinement, just like gold, as well as everyday acts leading to transformational change. On June 3, SB19 debuted on the
Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart with "Gento" entering at No. 8, granting the group their inaugural top 10 placement. Alongside the album's release, the group announced that they had left ShowBT, with
Pagtatag! being their first release under their own label, 1Z Entertainment, which they formed to establish more creative freedom over their material. SB19 wanted to ensure they have full control of their group and their story. Following the release of
Pagtatag!, SB19 went live for the countdown of the release of the music video for "I Want You". The group held a media conference on the same day and performed "Gento" and, for the first time, "I Want You", before a live audience. They also unveiled the schedule for their
Pagtatag! World Tour which had multiple stops in various cities across the Philippines, United States, and Canada. SB19 started the tour in
Manila with back-to-back shows on June 24–25,
Davao on 5 July 2023, and
Bacolod on 9 July 2023. They next headed to North America in the latter part of July to August. On October 13, SB19's "Gento" was officially approved as an entry to the
66th Annual Grammy Awards.
2025: Simula at Wakas and world tour On 31 January 2025, SB19 announced their third EP
Simula at Wakas through their official social media accounts, releasing a teaser that previewed the project's narrative and concept. The first pre-release single, "
Dam", dropped on 28 February 2025, along with its official music video. On 25 April 2025, SB19 released the EP, along with music videos for "
Dungka!" and "Time". The music video for "Dungka" featured cameos from various Philippine celebrities, artists, and internet personalities, including
Mimiyuuuh,
Maymay Entrata,
Alodia Gosiengfiao,
Sassa Gurl, Jayat,
Kween Yasmin, Malupiton, Ghost Wrecker,
Shehyee,
Smugglaz, Pat Lasaten, Agnes Reoma, and
Vice Ganda. In May 2025, SB19 embarked on a
world tour in support of the
Simula at Wakas EP, beginning with a two-day kickoff concert in
Bulacan on 31 May and 1 June 2025. The tour spanned international stops across
North America,
Asia, the
Middle East, and Oceania. On May 31 and June 1, SB19 became the first local act to hold and sell out two consecutive shows at the
Philippine Arena. During the kick-off concerts, a surprise sneak peek of two upcoming music collaborations was unveiled. On 26 June 2025, SB19 announced on social media the release of the Indonesian version of "MAPA" featuring Indonesian singer-songwriter Aruma. The song, which features lyrics translated in
Bahasa Indonesia, was released on 27 June 2025, on digital music platforms. A lyric video for the song was also uploaded to YouTube on the same day. The song reached one million streams on Spotify on 5 July 2025. On 18 July 2025, singer
Sarah Geronimo posted a photo announcing a song collaboration with SB19 entitled "
Umaaligid," scheduled for release on 30 July 2025. Alongside the track, the release of a music film starring Geronimo and the band was also announced. As part of the pre-release promotional campaign, character posters for each of the band members and Geronimo were slowly unveiled on social media starting on 20 July 2025. On 30 July 2025, "Umaaligid" was released on digital music platforms. It debuted at No. 4 on Billboard's World Digital Songs Sales chart. The music film, a 10-minute video starring Geronimo and the band members as suspects being questioned for murder, also premiered on YouTube on 30 July 2025. The track, a high-energy pop-rock song, thematically explores the prevalence and dangers of
disinformation,
fake news, and
media manipulation. According to Guidicelli, the song collaboration marked G-Music's first project as a new label. On 9 August 2025, Geronimo and the band performed "Umaaligid" live for the first time at the Acer Day 2025 event in SM MOA Arena. In October, SB19 was announced as the official music artist for the 2025 international championship (KIC) of
Honor of Kings (HoK), one of the world's most popular
multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games. As official artist, the group lent their voices to record the championship anthem "Burn the Flame," which was released on 10 November 2025 on streaming platforms. On November 30, the group performed the anthem at the 2025 KIC.
2026–present: Wakas at Simula On January 1, SB19 announced that they were set to hold their EP trilogy finale concert titled "Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Finale" on 18 April 2026 at the SMDC Festival Grounds in Paranaque. On January 30, SB19 officially released a live album of their "
Simula at Wakas: Kickoff Concert" on music streaming platforms. The album's debut charted at number 7 on Spotify's Top Albums: Debut Global List. That same month, SB19 teased their comeback by posting on their official
TikTok account a short audio clip of an unreleased song along with an image containing passports, ID pictures, flight tickets, and foreign currency, prompting speculation that the song would be the group's next release titled "Visa." On 20 February 2026, the group released "
Visa" as their newest single, along with its official music video. The song debuted at number 6 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales Chart and number 60 on Billboard Philippines' Hot 100. On February 28, SB19 announced the upcoming release of their next album titled "
Wakas at Simula" on 27 March 2026. During the album's media launch, Pablo described the project as the culmination of SB19's past releases as well as a fresh starting point. On March 27, "Wakas at Simula" was released on digital streaming platforms, containing the previously released "Visa," as well as five new tracks, including single "
Emoji," which features Taiwanese pop superstar
Jolin Tsai, and the track "Toyfriend," a collaboration with Japanese boy group
Be:First. The album also contains re-recorded versions of all six tracks from the
Pagsibol EP, as well as all tracks from the
Pagtatag! and
Simula at Wakas EPs. In a press release, the group stated that they would not embark on a world tour in support of the album, but teased fans that they would be playing shows across North America, Europe, and the Middle East in the latter half of the year. They were then added to the lineup of
Summer Sonic Festival, scheduled for August 15, marking them as the first Filipino act to perform at both festivals. ==Artistry and legacy==