Empower: A Glimpse of SB19’s What?

Written in 2021.

“Nagsimula na pero wala na ‘kong balak na tapusin. ‘Di ibig sabihin ‘pag ‘di tinapos, ako’y hihinto na rin.” (“I just started but I don’t have any intention of finishing this anymore. Not finishing this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.”)

Such is the opening line from Ppop group SB19’s newest single, ‘What?’ This is just the first line, but it already hits home for many of us. Most of us have dreams we want to achieve for ourselves, and we spend every waking moment, every ounce of our energy, striving towards that dream. Sometimes, we do so to the point that we neglect other important aspects of our lives. We strive and fight and push forward, not realizing that it’s not healthy anymore. This reminds me of that story about a fly who wanted to get out of a room. He repeatedly slammed against the closed window, trying to break through, until he eventually died of exhaustion. If he only flew around, he would have seen the open door.

There’s no question that we must persevere and do our best in anything that we do, but we also have to acknowledge when it’s time to give up. Giving up on something doesn’t necessarily mean giving up on your dream. There may be other paths and opportunities waiting to be discovered, if we try to take off our blinders and just look around. Giving up on a certain path towards your higher goal doesn’t make you weak or any less deserving of success. It is actually a sign of bravery and strength—accepting that that you may not be on the right track at the moment, but still hoping that you’ll get to your destination one day.

“Alam ko naman na ‘di ako’ng pinaka-ano, magaling. Got no biz with all of you please, destiny’s I’ll be better and…” (“I know I’m not what you call the best but I got no biz with all of you, please, destiny’s I’ll be better and…”)

The second line speaks volumes as well. It is a fact that there will always be people better than you in whatever area you are—better singers, better writers, better speakers, etc. And there goes the danger of comparing ourselves with others, which is something inherently human and face it, we can’t help it sometimes. It’s as if it is something wired into the human brain—to always measure yourself against the successes and failures of other people. And it doesn’t help that there will always be people who do the comparing for you, even to the point of throwing hurtful words and wanting to see you fail. So it really takes much of our willpower to stay on our lane, and compare ourselves with nobody but ourselves. It takes much of our willpower to have the patience and grace to deal with people with negative opinions about us. This is the kind of society we’re living in now, and letting these things consume us may lead to self-hate instead of self-love. So the message is actually simple: I know I’m not the best in what I do. I know not everyone will like me. But my business is not to compare myself with anyone else or please everyone. I need only to focus only on what I can do, competing with myself and working on a better version of myself. We must not confuse this with selfishness, because becoming a better person actually benefits the people around you in the end.

There’s so much more to learn and to unpack from the rest of the lyrics, but I just wanted to share these first few lines of the song because I believe a lot of people need to hear them, especially now. The current situation has thrown many of us, especially the youth, into a state of existential crisis and demotivation. It’s already 2021, yet the future still remains bleak and it feels like there is no end in sight. This is why I believe the message of this song is timely, because change starts within ourselves. Somehow, if we work on self-love and empowerment, we will not just get through this trial, but even influence and inspire others amidst these dark times. Hope is not something we just pick up off the ground. It’s more of a bubbling hot spring within each of us, just waiting to surface and soothe our hearts, if we let it.