SB19's Pablo, Ben&Ben's Paolo Benjamin on the relatability of their songs

Songs like "MAPA" by SB19 speak about wanting to take care of one's parents, while "Pagtingin" by Ben&Ben is about the fear of expressing one's love. It is songs like these and many more that serve as the soundtrack of Filipinos today.

At the launch of Sony Music Publishing Philippines on Tuesday, GMA News Online had the opportunity to ask Pablo of SB19 and Paolo Benjamin of Ben&Ben about the relatability of their songs.

"I think it's the highest honor a songwriter or composer can reach, to like, somewhat, people tell you your songs help them in some way," Pablo said.

However, he added that he does not force relatability onto people. "I just try to be honest with what I'm writing based on what I've experienced, or maybe something that I've learned from someone through conversations," the SB19 leader added.

Meanwhile, Paolo said that people relating to the folk-pop band's songs "will always be the biggest mystery of my life."

Paolo said, "Like us na you write a lot of songs that have pain in it, that means you yourself are going through a lot of pain in your life. And sometimes, it's not easy facing that."

He added, "'Yung mga moments na 'yun, na makapagbigay ka ng ligaya sa araw ng isang tao, it's more of that eh. Core memories 'yun eh, hindi lang sa mga tao pero sa amin rin. And that's what keeps us going, 'yung mga core memories."

SB19's last release, the "Simula at Wakas: Kickoff Concert Album," came out in January. Their latest single, "Visa," dropped this month.

SB19 staged concerts in 19 cities for their "Simula at Wakas" world tour in support of their third EP of the same name. The "Simula at Wakas" EP completes their EP trilogy, after "Pagsibol" and "Pagtatag."

The P-Pop group is set to hold "Wakas at Simula: The Trilogy Finale" on April 18 at the SMDC Festival Grounds.

They will also be among the performers of the Dance Universe Never Killed, or the DUNK Showcase in Japan in March, alongside Cup of Joe and BGYO.

Meanwhile, Ben&Ben released the song "Duyan" in January. It had a romantic music video starring real-life Kapuso couple Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos.

"Duyan" comes at the heels of Ben&Ben's latest album, "The Traveller Across Dimensions," released in November 2024. It includes the tracks "Could Be Something," "Comets," and "Triumph."

The band went on a world tour in support of the album.

SB19’s Pablo and Ben&Ben’s Paolo speak about the relatability of their songs, and how it became the soundtrack of Filipinos’ lives. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/XE88co5rvb

— Nika Roque (@rqNIKA) February 24, 2026

—MGP, GMA Integrated News