Just before their breakthrough moment at Coachella, the nation’s girl group BINI reflected on the lessons and advice they got from OPM acts such as Gary Valenciano and KZ Tandingan that helped shape their journey.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, BINI shared that one of the advice that they cherish was from Gary V who emphasized the importance of self-care beyond the demands of stardom.
“One of the many artists that we look up to in the Philippines is Mr. Gary Valenciano. He’s known as Mr. Pure Energy of the Philippines. He actually gave us a lot of advice, and he always tells us to take care of ourselves and to focus on the things that make us happy. Mentally, physically, because, you know, in the industry, there will be times you get tired, but it’s how we try to push through all of it,” BINI Aiah said.
The message resonated deeply with the group.
“There’s actually one time we were talking about it inside a room and he requested for all cameras to leave. There would be no recordings, because that’s how much he really meant all of his words. I remember also there was one time he asked us, his very first question was 'How are you?' and we all cried because it just felt very pure and sentimental!” Aiah recalled.
Alongside caring for their well-being, BINI also learned the value of humility and respect from KZ Tandingan. BINI Colet and Jhoanna relayed that KZ told them to be respectful and show a good attitude to everyone they work with or meet along their journey.
“She said to us that your talent will make you stay in the industry, but your attitude will make you stay longer. So you treat everyone equally. The staff, the artists, everyone, you respect them equally,” Colet said.
Jhoanna went on: “Because you’ll never know, maybe next year they’re above you or, you know, you’ll never know.”
As BINI marks its fifth year as a group, the members revealed how they are strengthening their bonds and shaping their growth both as artists and individuals.
“I strongly believe that it is our perspective on everything. Personality, the way we look into our lives, the way we make decisions, small or big, work ethic, and the way we deal with our everyday lives,” BINI Maloi said.
She added that having lives outside of the group has also helped them grow and bring fresh energy into their dynamic.
“It also helps that we have our own lives. We used to all live together, but now we live separately. And we make our own worlds and for me, it’s helpful that we do things on our own. We have our own friends, we have our own worlds, and when we meet, we have so much to share — new ideas, new perspectives, that help us to push further, to grow, and to see that each and every one of us is growing and changing, embracing change,” she added.
BINI Aiah, on the other hand, emphasized how they faced all the challenges and difficulties while learning a lot from the past years.
“Throughout the years, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, really. We’ve had a lot of storms. We have gone through the pandemic together. That itself was really hard. We’ve had a lot of struggles internally, mentally, and even face a lot of challenges online, which sometimes it can really be hard and it can be testing, especially with our insecurities and we tend to overthink things and have self-doubts, but it’s through that that we learn a lot,” Aiah explained.
“I think over time, we’ve grown to be mature as well, and we’ve grown to understand some things, and we’ve learned how to maneuver away and just rise above it all,” she continued.