2015 pop culture

10 Legendary Pop Culture Moments That Are Turning Ten This 2025

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Ah, the mid 2010s.

We don’t know whether to be amused or shocked that these moments are now ten years old.

Related: 9 Iconic Pop Culture Moments From 2014 We’re Still Thinking About

Here’s a fun fact: The distance between 2000 to 2025 and 2025 to 2050 is the same. Time is a funny thing actually, and what’s even funnier is that 2015 was a decade ago. For some, 2015 was a lifetime ago, while for others, it was just three years ago. But regardless, 2015 was a time for pop culture, with moments still referenced and remembered to this day. So, for this throwback, let’s stroll down memory lane for the iconic pop culture moments that are turning ten years old this 2025. 

ONE DIRECTION’S FIRST (AND SO FAR ONLY) CONCERT IN THE PHILIPPINES

2015 was a wild time to be a Directioner. For Filipino Directioners in particular, 2015 is remembered as the year when One Direction held their first, and so far only, concert in the Philippines. As part of their On The Road Again Tour, the group held two sold-out shows at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds in March 2015. But what’s even wilder was how the concert marked One Direction’s first show without Zayn Malik, who announced his official departure just a week later. March 2015 will always be a core memory for Filo Directioners, for a variety of reasons.  

THE DRESS THAT BROKE THE INTERNET 

blue and black dress

Remember when the biggest debate on the internet was whether a dress was either blue and black or white and gold? Ah, simpler times. ICYDK, the lore behind the infamous piece is that it’s actually a dress the mother of a bride in Scotland was supposed to wear. The photo seen all around the world was the picture the mom sent to her daughter showing her what she’d wear. While the dress is officially royal blue from the retailer Roman Originals, that didn’t stop the internet from debating what the actual color was. 

JUSTIN BIEBER’S REDEMPTION ERA

Just before 2015, Justin Bieber’s reputation was… less than stellar. Sure, his lightskin era ate when it came to music, but his personal life was the stuff of tabloid gossip. But Justin locked in, got a fresh cut, and gave us the legendary pop album that was Purpose. Filled with timeless hits such as What Do You Mean?, Sorry, Love Yourself, and Company, Justin was arguably at his peak as he ran the pop game for a time. What a moment we wouldn’t mind reliving again. 

PIA WURTZBACH WINNING MISS UNIVERSE 2015

On December 20, 2015, Pia Wurtzbach was in Las Vegas, Nevada to compete in the 64th Miss Universe pageant. Honestly, this whole night had so many memorable moments, from Pia’s blue Albert Andrada gown to her “I want to show the world, the universe rather, that I am confidently beautiful with a heart. Thank youanswer. But the most memorable was the fumble heard around the world when host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez as the winner, only to backtrack to announce that he made a mistake and that Pia was the actual winner. Thus, a Miss Universe legend was born. 

THE ALDUB PHENOMENON

There are love teams in the Philippines. Then there was AlDub. It all started when Maine Mendoza, who built a following online thanks to her Dubsmash videos (remember that?), was cast to play Yaya Dub on Eat Bulaga in July 2015. After the camera caught then co-host Alden Richards smiling at Maine, a pop culture behemoth was born in the form of AlDub. While the love team lasted for a couple of years, AlDub was at the zenith of their power in 2015, which culminated at the Sa Tamang Panahon event at the Philippine Arena in October 2015. 

HENERAL LUNA WAS RELEASED IN CINEMAS

Will you believe us if we say that the movie adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey and Heneral Luna were released in the same year? Well, in this entry, we’re focusing on the latter. Ten years ago, September 2015, to be exact, Heneral Luna was released in cinemas and starred John Arcilla as the titular character during the early stages of the Philippine–American War. 

But what makes the critically acclaimed and patriotic-coded movie more impressive was the word-of-mouth campaign that spawned around it, with people demanding to see it in cinemas after theaters removed most screenings just after a few days. It eventually led to the movie being a box office hit and lowkey changed the game for how Filipino indie movies can still be a hit at the box office. 

ON THE WINGS OF LOVE AIRED ON TV

2015 was an eventful year for Philippine TV with the premiere of shows like the modern reboot of Pangako Sa ’Yo and FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. But the year also gave us On The Wings Of Love, which premiered on TV on August 10, 2015. Starring James Reid and Nadine Lustre, the romantic comedy centered on Clark and Leah as they enter a fake marriage to stay in the US, which, as you know, turns real as the two get to know each other more. Let’s talk about a culture-defining show because On The Wings Of Love was that with how it was both a hit and helped further Nadine and James’ star status. 

ASAP IT GIRLS’ BREAK FREE PERFORMANCE

Some of you might be too young to remember the time when Kathryn Bernardo, Julia Barretto, Liza Soberano, and Janella Salvador were in a girl group that performed on ASAP, but it was a reality. And it was in 2015 that we were blessed with their most viral performance when they covered Break Free. While most remember Kathryn Bernardo’s high note, can we also talk about how The Predator and Groot appear in the beginning of the performance? So random, but it adds to the iconic-ness of it all. This is the stuff that fuels pop culture and we fear we won’t be getting another moment like this. 

K-POP EATING IN 2015

Following a rather dour 2014, K-pop rebounded for a banger of a year. Some of the timeless hits released in 2015 include Call Me Baby by EXO, View by SHINee, Just Right by GOT7, Dumb Dumb by Red Velvet, 4 Walls by f(x), I Need U and Run by BTS, and BIG BANG’s entire MADE series. Oh, and 2015 was also the year TWICE, SEVENTEEN, and Red Velvet’s Yeri debuted. Yeah, it was a good year to be a K-pop stan.

TAYLOR SWIFT’S BAD BLOOD MUSIC VIDEO

Remember when music videos used to be pop culture events? In a year that saw the release of music videos for hits like Hotline Bling and Hello, Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood music video was just that MV. Back when Taylor was in her squad era, the record-breaking and epic futuristic spy-themed MV, which technically used a remix of the song featuring Kendrick Lamar, starred a who’s who of it-girls like Selena Gomez, Hailee Steinfeld, Gigi Hadid, Zendaya, and Hayley Williams. This was our Avengers Endgame before Avengers Endgame was a thing. 

RIHANNA’S MET GALA OUTFIT

Rihanna has always been a fashion icon. But it was in 2015 that gave us arguably her most iconic look yet. For the 2015 Met Gala, the theme was “China: Through the Looking Glass”, and when you’re Riri, you don’t just show up in a simple grown. She showed up to the Met Gala red carpet in a massive and intricately designed yellow gown by Guo Pei that instantly became a social media meme. You really are that girl when your outfit becomes the stuff of pop culture legend. 

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