Pinoy Boyband Superstar Premieres Tomorrow

ABS-CBN’s own search for an up-and-coming Filipino boyband gets underway tomorrow.

Boys aged 14 or older, with a knack for good looks, charm and excellent singing and dancing talent, will have the opportunity to become one of the five members of a soon-to-be named boyband. Their journey begins this weekend on ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’, the Filipino adaptation of ‘La Banda’.

The original ‘La Banda’ was created by Simon Cowell and former Menudo member Ricky Martin. In order to avoid claims that the show is actually creating a ‘band’ consisting of a vocalist and instrumentalists, ABS-CBN renamed the show as ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ in order to make it clear that they are looking to form a boyband.

The premise of ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ is simple. The boyband aspirants must impress the girls with their looks and talent in order to make it to the next round, after which they face the judges who will evaluate their singing prowess as well as their image.

If one of the aspirants failed to pass the first round, they may be given another chance, provided they show enough potential to convince judges. Eventually, some of the aspirants will be eliminated until there are five left standing.

‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ will be hosted by Billy Crawford. The show’s judges will be Yeng Constantino, Vice Ganda, Aga Muhlach, and Sandara Park.

Even before its premiere, comparisons between ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ and rival GMA’s ‘To the Top’ were very evident from the beginning. Both had a similar premise of forming a boyband, not to mention the journey of selecting the members.

The difference, however, lies on the production. Though ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ is more of a franchise than the originally created ‘To the Top’, ABS-CBN did not seek help from its news and current affairs department to produce the former, unlike GMA whose Public Affairs team was responsible for the latter.

And considering that ‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ will be aired at a more convenient timeslot (unlike ‘To the Top’ which aired on late nights), the former could become even more successful. Still, it will be up to the audience to see how it all happens.

The journey of the next great Pinoy boyband begins this weekend. Good luck.

‘Pinoy Boyband Superstar’ airs Saturdays after ‘Home Sweetie Home’, and Sundays after ‘Goin’ Bulilit’.

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La Banda: ABS-CBN’s Answer to To the Top

‘To the Top’, you’ve got company.

Just recently, ABS-CBN announced audition dates for the upcoming boyband search show ‘La Banda’. The auditions will take place on the following dates:

• June 10: Robinsons Place Pangasinan
• June 11-12: Starmall San Jose del Monte Bulacan
• June 15-16: Centrio Mall Cagayan de Oro
• June 17-18: KCC Mall Zamboanga
• June 18-19: Starmall Alabang
• June 22: KCC Mall General Santos
• June 24-25: Pacific Mall Legazpi

The auditions will begin at 7:00 a.m. Boys aged 14-25 years old and with the ability to both dance and sing are welcome in this competition.

The latest international franchise acquired by ABS-CBN, ‘La Banda’ was created by Simon Cowell and was produced by Univision. The original show, which emphasized on the formation of a Latin American boyband, was aired on Univision in late 2015.

However, this is not the first time that a boyband talent search show will air on Philippine television. Nearly a year ago, GMA did the same thing when they produced ‘To the Top’ in conjunction with GMA Public Affairs.

Unlike GMA, however, ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs will have no involvement in the making of ‘La Banda’. Considering how poorly-received ‘To the Top’ was when it aired, it was only appropriate for ABS-CBN to let the ever-strong entertainment group do the talking rather than share the blame with its news department.

Over the next several weeks, ABS-CBN will have the responsibility of picking the best young boys who will have what it takes to be in a boyband. In the meantime, wait for further updates regarding the hosts and judges of ‘La Banda’.

‘La Banda: the Making of the Pinoy Boyband’ is expected to premiere during the third quarter of this year. Date and time will be determined soon.

For more information on the auditions, go to ABS-CBN’s official website or on their social media accounts for details.