7 things to look forward to at the 2022 PPOPCON

PPOPCON is finally happening this weekend! This unprecedented gathering of the biggest and best P-pop artists has long been a goal of global chart-topping group SB19 to help take the local music industry further.

The Convention will be held on April 9 and 10 at the New Frontier Theater, featuring live performances, merch booths, games, and other fun activities for fans.

The two-day hybrid event culminates on April 10 with a live concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, featuring SB19, 4th Impact, BGYO, MNL48, ALAMAT, BINI, 1st.One, and Press Hit Play with opening acts by KAIA and VXON.

So why exactly are music and pop culture fans so hyped about it? Here are seven things you can look forward to at the 2022 PPOPCON.

1. It's a historic first

There's a fan convention for practically anything, from anime to K-pop to food to Star Wars. But although Pinoy pop has been around for decades, the PPOPCON will be the first time fans of various P-pop groups can get together as a community.

"We're very proud and thankful that they have joined us in this battle," Josh of SB19 said during the media conference. "The battle of proving to the world that we can go toe to toe with international talents, and of course, be able to promote our culture."

2. It spans generations

One of PPOPCON's headliners is 4th Impact, the Cercado sisters, who started their group in 2001 and gained global recognition after making it to the finals of UK's "X-Factor." Meanwhile, some of the artists haven't even been born by then!

"We would like to thank our seniors for working hard to raise our flag by introducing P-pop to the international scene," said C13 of VXON (pronounced "vision"). They are one of the groups that debuted only this year.

3. From livestream to live

The entertainment industry took a huge hit with the restrictions on concerts and events, but this hasn't stopped aspiring artists from working on their dreams. Most of the P-pop groups in the lineup were formed or debuted in the pandemic, so being part of the PPOPCON lineup is a huge milestone for them in more ways than one.

"We were locked up—not only [the newer ones], but all the groups here were locked up for about two years or more," said 1st.One's Ace.

The members of 1st.One prepared for three years under the South Korean idol training system and made a splashy debut in July 2020 with "You Are The One." For them and their batchmates, PPOPCON would be their first time performing live on stage.

4. Celebrating Pinoy diversity

With 7,000-plus islands and anywhere from 120 to 187 languages in the Philippines, it's inevitable for our diversity to reflect in our music. This is one of the reasons to celebrate P-pop, with the groups taking inspiration from their members' respective cultural backgrounds. ALAMAT, for instance, sings and raps in at least seven different Filipino languages and often incorporates snippets of history into their music videos.

"In our sound, our fashion and everything, we try to fuse it with cultural elements," Jao of ALAMAT said.

SB19's Ken, who hails from Mindanao, has also released an R&B single called "PALAYO" which he wrote mainly in his native Bisaya.

Other groups have members who grew up abroad, like Reina and Riyo of the Filipino-Japanese girl group R Rules, and Fil-Australian Jaz of G22. Press Hit Play also has Filipino-Japanese members Yukito and Yuuki. 

5. It brings fandoms together

PPOPCON has two lineups: one for the Convention on Day 1 (KAIA, VXON, G22, Daydream, R Rules, Calista, PPOP Generation, Dione) and one for the Concert on Day 2 (SB19, 4th Impact, MNL48, ALAMAT, BGYO, BINI, 1st.One and Press Hit Play). That's 16 fan bases coming together for the love of P-pop.

"I think part of the purpose of PPOPCON is really to unite the P-pop community," said Sheki of MNL48, and it won't be possible without the fans.

"They have a huge contribution to the P-pop movement. Through their efforts, P-pop is becoming more known abroad and not just in the Philippines, slowly but surely. What more if we have an event like this where everyone can be united?" BGYO's Gelo said.

6. Waving the white flag

Fandoms can be a great source of comfort and social connection, but when you have impassioned people who care deeply about the groups they idolize, things can heat up and lead to "fan wars." For the artists of PPOPCON, this event emphasizes that there is no need for toxic rivalries—the P-pop industry is big enough for everyone's dreams.

"We're really happy because when we were starting out, we had no friends. Now we have everyone here," said Pablo, SB19's leader and songwriter.

His group has time and again asked their fans, A'TIN, to "always choose to be kind" when dealing with other fandoms, just as the groups genuinely respect one another.

"I think this PPOPCON can help reinforce unity among the fan bases," Pablo added. "Because no matter what happens, all of us here are really good friends... If the fans can have that as well, I think it won't be long before our culture becomes known worldwide."

7. Taking P-pop global

K-pop's world domination didn't happen overnight—it took decades of small steps and tiny milestones and pioneering groups paving the way for today's biggest idols. For the Pinoy pop industry, PPOPCON is set to make history as one of those milestones.

"I feel like P-pop in general is gaining a lot of attention globally because we do have a lot of world-class talent here in the Philippines; it just has yet to be discovered," said Denise of Daydream.

"P-pop, a few years from now, will be very big," added 1st.One's Ace.

But for that to happen on a global scale, the industry would need to overcome a few hurdles, such as misconceptions about what P-pop is.

"A lot of people say that it’s a copy of K-pop or whatever. But for us, P-pop was never a copy of K-pop or American pop. K-pop as well took its roots from American pop. It doesn't really matter," he said. "What's important is we get to make it our own and through time, we get to incorporate Filipino elements."

The hope is that through events like PPOPCON, artists can take one step closer to taking P-pop global. It's definitely something to get excited about.

—MGP, GMA News