The Beat Manila’s Up-And-Coming: P-Pop Group GAT
The Beat Manila’s Up and Coming is a series where we feature rising talented artists from the Philippines, giving them a platform to share what they’re passionate about and to promote the music they (and us too!) would love for the world to hear. Do you want or know someone who wants to be featured? Email us at [email protected] or slide through our DMs on Facebook or Instagram!
It’s a known fact that Viva Artist Agency (VAA) is in the business of showcasing the brightest young talents of this generation. From musicians to actors, Viva is continuously searching for the next big thing, fostering talent that inspires, entertains, and promotes Filipino music and artistry.
This March, the company launched a new boy group set to conquer the P-Pop scene. Introducing GAT, our featured up-and-coming artists gearing up to shape the OPM (Original Pinoy Music) landscape one explosive performance at a time. Under the collaboration of Ivory Music and VAA, the quintet consists of Ethan David, Charles Law, Michael Keith, Derick Ong, and Hans Paronda. The name “GAT” is derived from the Tagalog honorific “Gat,” which means nobleman, symbolizing excellence and respect.
The boys made their first impression among P-Pop fans with the release of their pre-debut cover of James Reid’s “Huwag Ka Nang Humirit,” which showcased their talent and charisma. They gained momentum with another cover single entitled “Daleng Dale,” which recently ranked #3 in the Viral Songs PH Chart. The single was the official opening track of Viva One’s hit series “Ang Mutya ng Section E,” in which some of the members are currently participating as supporting actors.
In our latest exclusive, we got the whole gang together for a fun chat about their music, their most memorable training stories, and what we can expect from the group this year. Read on to get to know P-Pop’s newest eye candies and discover what makes them a fresh sound you should keep on your radar.
Hi GAT! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and your roles in the group?
Ethan: We don’t have any positions right now because we value our craft, and we don’t want to confine ourselves to a particular role. We want to be able to explore other things. I’m a singer myself, but I also want to be able to rap and dance. Ayaw naming ma-stuck dun sa roles (we don’t want to be stuck in just one role).
Michael: Same as what Ethan said, but I guess for my role, I’m more of the singer and producer for the group. But wherever I can help, I like to pitch in.
Hans: I’m more of dancing and singing.
Charles: I’m the youngest of the group and do more rapping.
Derick: I like singing the most, although dancing has been a favorite of mine ever since I joined the group. Seeing how good and talented my teammates are made me want to step up!
Is there a story behind the group name?
Michael: GAT stands for “Gawang Atin ‘To” and we look up to our kuya (big brother) groups like ALAMAT, and the idea is that it’s purely Filipino. Everything we make is made in the Philippines by Filipinos.
How was the group formed? Did you know each other beforehand?
Michael: Yeah, it started with me, Ethan, and Hans being called into a meeting. Boss Vic [Vic Del Rosario] told us how we were talented artists on our own and that they had this idea of forming a boy group with us in it and just combining our talents. He got us three first, and then Charles and Derick got added.
We all kind of knew each other from previous projects and from being with Viva. Derek is the one who's pretty fresh to us. But we all clicked right away and so it all worked out that way!
Ethan: Michael and I were friends, and I met Hans casually at the events from Viva. As for Charles, I met him when he was just a baby — he was just thirteen! He was quite shy and quiet then, but I think we’ve influenced him to be more makulit (playful). Derick is pretty new. He only started training with Viva for about eight months.
We all have different personalities, but when we’re together, we’re solid. We’re playful and clingy with each other. We’re definitely like brothers!
Cool! Given your individual training before GAT, how was the experience transitioning into becoming a P-Pop group? Did you always want to be part of a group?
Charles: Back then, I went into Viva thinking I would just do acting. But when I got to meet some P-Pop group members, I got inspired. Two years before my audition, I told myself that I wanted to be in a boy group because the idea of being part of one amazes me. I thought it would be really fun!
Can you tell us about the kind of training that you do as a group?
Ethan: Right now, we've been a little bit busy because we've been doing taping for the series 'Ang Mutya ng Section E,' but we try to train in between.
I’m sure after this project, we’ll be focusing more on training as a group. Before, we did training three to four times a week. An interesting thing about our vocal training is that we only did a couple of weeks of vocal sessions before heading into the studio for recordings! It’s so amazing to see our commitment and how our passion is for this craft. So, I felt like, 'Wow, this is going to work!'
Do you have any memorable experiences while training?
Michael: There are so many! Actually, there’s one recently, but I’m not sure if I can talk about it. We were at 7-Eleven and decided to joke around. I won’t tell exactly what happened, but we got a good laugh out of it. *laughs*
I feel like with the way our group is because of our ages, we have so many moments when we kind of forget that we're working because everything's just so fun. We know when to lock in, but we know how to have fun as well.
Hans: Usually after training, we always eat out together. We always go on 'food trips.'
Charles: Learning choreography together was memorable. It’s super simple, but we learn it together. If I’m having trouble, they always try to help me. They’re all my kuyas (big brothers), and I look up to all of them. It just makes me very happy — that bond between us.
Speaking of training, did some of you have to learn a skill from the start? What was the experience like?
Ethan: I’ve been singing since I was three, and I grew up with a family of singers. But with dancing, I only learned to do it through training. I’ve been with boy groups before, and that’s where I mostly learned how to dance. I don’t think I’m a natural dancer though. *laughs*
Hans: For me, it’s the same with Ethan, I’ve been singing and dancing since I was a kid. But dancing was where my true interest was. Meanwhile, my older brother was good at singing. But then somewhere along the way, we kind of exchanged talents, and he became the dancer while I became a singer in a group. When I started with P-Pop, I could do both, so it was an easier transition for me.
Ethan: *jokes* Sobrang Latina na (“Sobrang Latina” is a viral phrase used when one is feeling themselves).
Hans: Yes, sobrang Latina! *laughs*
Michael: As for me, I’ve been singing since I was four. I was inspired by my older sister who used to do a lot of stuff for Disney, and so I got involved with that. And then, it got to the point where I was just doing it on my own, and my parents noticed and asked if I wanted to do lessons. From a young age, I’ve been doing classical training just to get a good base and tried to figure it out on my own and find the singing style that’s comfortable for me. Singing is my strongest point, while dancing is where I struggled. Even now, I have really bad hand-eye coordination.
Charles: I’m not really a born singer or dancer, but I’ve been rapping since I was a kid. It was during our training that I learned these skills, and I’m thankful to my teammates for helping me out along the way.
Any important takeaways from your journey so far?
Michael: I think it's safe to say that despite all of our experiences, we learn all these things on our own. And right now, one thing that our coach, Kevin Antiquera, reminds us of the most is that when we join the boy group, we start from ground zero again — we're starting at the bottom, and so we're all collectively learning everything together and learning something new together so that we can be on the same level and be aligned with everything.
Derick: We recently performed onstage, and it feels so different compared to our training. Our coach has been teaching us a lot about how to perform; for example, when you train, even if it's already 100%, on stage, it has to be 200%. The other members have experience with performing, and they’ve helped and uplifted me through it all. We help each other.
Michael: He's [coach] literally like our dad, and so we thank him so much for everything he's done for us and for just keeping our group together and helping us strengthen our bond.
What makes GAT unique from other P-Pop groups?
Michael: I think we bring such a unique sound and flavor to the P-Pop world. When you listen to our music and the music that we have planned on releasing, it's nothing that you've heard before from other P-Pop groups. And I love that because we all have such influences as individual artists. We're able to come together and collaborate and create such a unique sound and take inspiration from this or that to create something new.
And because we are a proudly Filipino group and we include Filipino history in our work, we are going to be able to make music that will help enhance the meaning of P-Pop.
We’ve yet to hear GAT’s first original song. How would you describe your forthcoming debut single?
Ethan: We already have songs lined up and are preparing for it. We just want to choose the best song to release, so we can’t say anything yet.
Michael: But the song that we will put out will express all of the members' individuality and also our collective efforts.
What’s your dream for Gat? What do you want to achieve for the group?
Ethan: I would like to release songs that will stick to people’s hearts. We want to release music that would not change OPM, but be part of the OPM and the P-Pop [industry] that we know right now. We also want to keep inspiring people.
Michael: I think it’s safe to say that we’re heavily inspired by other groups right now, and I think for me, I want us to be the group that another group of boys or girls will look at and they're going to be like, oh, I want to be just like them. I want to be able to make music that impacts people whenever they hear it. If you think of P-Pop, you think of us.
What can we look forward to from GAT this year?
Ethan: We could promise them we will release some music this year. We've actually had a pre-debut performance already in Zambales recently, and that was really fun! We would like to promise the fans that we will have more events lined up.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Don’t miss GAT’s upcoming music and performances by following them on Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), and TikTok pages.
Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous Up-and-Coming articles here.
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