RIIZE’s new single ‘Love 119’ is giving Pinoy hip-hop and it’s making everyone have major flashbacks to their “jeje” phases.
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With a chant-worthy hook and a beat that’ll stick with you long after the song ended, RIIZE’s new single Love 119 is a hit, particularly in the Philippines. Making the Top 10 of the iTunes charts here, and going viral on local TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), the song has clearly reached its target market.
these tiktoks 😭😭 no wonder Love 119 easily went #1 in iTunes PH we are truly the target market 😭 pic.twitter.com/F4l3e3fmSG
— 🦌🪽 (@bunniebambie) January 7, 2024
Love 119 is RIIZE’s most recent release, the 5th-gen K-pop group’s third digital single after having debuted in September of last year. The 119 refers to South Korea’s emergency number, alluding to falling in love as so intense, it necessitates calling for an emergency. But the track’s upbeat, addictive chorus and distinct musical style got young Filipinos reminiscing about their old jejemon phases and unmistakably Pinoy moments and memories, so much that the song itself is basically Pinoy-coded.
FLASHBACKS
@ceegayle it’s giving pinoy jejemon core like okay hambog ng sagpro crew?!??? @RIIZE #briize #kpop #love119 #love119challenge ♬ Love 119 – RIIZE
@shinnenuxe i’m in my jeje era.. #riize #love119 #jejemondays #love119challenge ♬ Love 119 – RIIZE
Partly why it went viral is due to Filipinos being reminded of their old, cringy middle- and high-school days—with caps worn backwards, letters replaced with numbers or omitted entirely, piZap collage edits, knockoff Raybans, and what we thought was the coolest of attitudes. We look back on our jeje days often, admittedly, with regret. But as time goes on, plenty of people look back at it with an amused, nostalgic fondness. And as proven by the viral videos and sentiments set to Love 119, there really was no other time like it.
PINOY TIES
@mr_jaydie circa 2012-2016 jejemon era eyyy 🤙 #kpopfyp #RIIZE #Love119 #RIIZELove119 #kpop #jeje ♬ Love 119 – RIIZE
@fl0v3rse no to jeepney phase out❗❗ magpapatugtog pa sila ng l0v3 119💗💗💗🥰 #riize #antonbatumbakal #eunseokmercado #soheecruz #fyp ♬ Love 119 – RIIZE
Why is Love 119 is so Pinoy-coded? Besides being reminiscent of tracks from artists like Hambog ng Sagpro Krew, as many of people have observed, it may be because a Filipino had a hand in composing the track. Colin Mags, born in San Francisco to Filipino parents, is cited as a co-composer on the track. While we can’t say for sure he was inspired by Pinoy music, it’s a fun little tie-in to a song that’s resonated with plenty of Filipinos that have associated the track with things like the jeje era, Cubao party jeepneys, hip-hop musicians of years ago, and the ever-unique modern Pinoy experience. RIIZE giving us another reason to stan them at the start of 2024.
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