For their latest Riff Off, LA-based group The Filharmonic take on P-pop hits like Bazinga from SB19 and The Light from BGYO.
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When Pitch Perfect first hit theaters in 2012, it became a sleeper hit that ushered in a time when a capella groups and a capella in general was the hottest musical genre. With nothing but the voice, a capella captivated people around the world with how you can take on popular songs through this unique orchestration. While it isn’t a new genre, the movies brought it renewed attention. Aside from nearly everyone having an obsession with cups, the Pitch Perfect movie franchise also introduced to the masses the Riff Off, an event where a capella groups would come together and sing songs based on certain topics and themes. Competing groups can come in so as long as the last word of the other team’s song is the same as the first word of the song the team will come in with.
One such group who has mastered the art of the Riff Off is acapella group The Filharmonic. The LA-based group composed of Filipino-Americans first got our attention when they competed in The Sing-Off and had a memorable cameo in Pitch Perfect 2. Among other things, they have also appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden whenever he does Riff Offs with his guests. More often than not, these Riff Offs revolve around international music. So, for their latest Riff Off, The Filharmonic decided to get back to their roots in a K-pop x P-pop Riff Off.
CATEGORY IS: P-POP AND K-POP
While a capella music may not be the most popular of genres these days, The Filharmonic proved that the it is still home to exceptional music. The theme of their latest riff off was P-pop and K-pop. The vocal group, composed of members Joe, Jules, Trace, VJ, and Niko, was on team P-pop as they delivered a capella covers of Born To Win by BINI, The Light by BGYO, and Bazinga by SB19. They sang both in English and Tagalog all while using their voices to replicate the pop beats of the songs. On the other end was a group of Korean a capella singers doing covers of The Feels by TWICE, How You Like That by BLACKPINK, and Butter by BTS.
Needless to say, both groups slayed their covers. In particular, hearing these P-pop classics in this new light gave it a fresh yet familiar feeling to it. When The Filharmonic started the video with Born To Win, it was hitting in all the right places. Their covers of Born To Win, The Light, and Bazinga were more mellow than the originals but it still hyped us up. The group looked at ease and were having fun as they made their way through the songs.
High-key, we need full covers of these songs and more because they sounded so good. Also, while some people still insist that P-pop is just a cheap imitation of K-pop, this Riff Off shows us that both genres can co-exist peacefully. And if The Filharmonic decide to do another Riff Off, they could include more P-pop songs from other groups. A capella and P-pop was a combination we weren’t expecting but are happy it’s real.
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