BINI looks forward to 2025 world tour, eyes more international collabs
BINI collaborates with Indonesian pop star Agnez Mo (center) for the 'BINIMo remix' of Cherry On Top.
Photo from BINI's Instagram
Nathalie Tomada - The Philippine Star
December 21, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — What a year 2024 has been for BINI. But it looks like 2025 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for the “Nation's Girl Group” with their first-ever world tour.
In an exclusive interview with The STAR on Thursday, BINI members Jhoanna, Maloi, Stacey, Mikha, Gwen, Sheena, Aiah and Colet shared what they were most grateful for this year.
Besides hit songs, they mounted major solo concerts — first with “BINIverse” in July at the New Frontier Theater, with several stops in cities outside Metro Manila, and then the “Grand BINIverse” three-day concert series at the Big Dome in November.
The girls also had their first international collaboration with Indonesian pop superstar Agnez Mo for a remix version of Cherry on Top. The group reportedly met her at the Enterprise Studios in L.A. and later at the Billboard Korea's K Power 100 launch in Seoul earlier this year.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to showcase our song to everyone, especially (to people) in Indonesia. We’re grateful for Agnez Mo’s beautiful voice and for accepting this project,” began Stacey.
“Thank you also to the brands we’ve worked with,” Jhoanna added.
“For this year, there have been so many blessings and achievements that we've gotten. We are grateful because it shows that our efforts have been seen and acknowledged,” Aiah further said.
“And not just the (individual) efforts but also the teamwork. Everyone has put in a lot of work, especially when we did the concerts. Having done two concerts in a year, that was hard to pull through, but we managed. Thank you to everyone who has shown us so much love. Thank you, Lord!”
They also recognized their fans, also known as Blooms, as part of the driving force behind whatever they accomplished this year.
In an exclusive interview with The STAR, BINI members Jhoanna, Maloi, Stacey, Mikha, Gwen, Sheena, Aiah and Colet look back on 2024 and share what they are most grateful for this year.
“Thank you to our Blooms, who are always there for us, voting endlessly for us. They always have our backs,” said Maloi. “This is the time that we give back through our music.”
On what fans can expect from BINI in 2025, Gwen revealed, “More shows and song releases! We’re preparing to release our new song, Blink Twice. Of course, we will also have our grand BINIverse repeat concert at the Philippine Arena in February and a world tour, yes!”
As mentioned, one of the highlights of this year was their first international collaboration. The girls recalled their first impressions of Agnez Mo. “The word is ‘intimidated,’” said Aiah. “If you just look at her before she speaks, you’ll feel intimidated. But when she starts sharing her experiences and everything she knows about the world of music, we feel warm and comfortable just being with her.
“It feels like we have a big sister. That’s very nice because, especially in this industry, it's hard to find someone you can be comfortable talking to and expressing yourself with. This collaboration is a great step, and hopefully, it doesn’t end there. We hope to have more collaborations in the future. If we get to travel, hopefully, we visit Indonesia for work or leisure.”
For Mikha, recording with Agnez “taught us how to mesh three languages — Bahasa, Tagalog and English — altogether. I think it really worked well. Agnez Mo’s verse really amazed us; it brought a different flavor to the song.”
“We hope this collaboration opens more opportunities for BINI, Agnez Mo, other Filipino and Indonesian artists. Imagine the exchange of artistry among Asian (talents),” Jhoanna added.
As for Agnez, she found it easy to build a rapport with the girls due to quite similar backgrounds.
“When I first heard the record — even before Cherry on Top was out — we kind of dabbled into the possibility of us working together. I also did my research on BINI. I love what they stand for — girl power. It’s very aligned with my career and has always been my message throughout my life.
“Honestly, they reminded me of who I was when I was 17, 18, 19 years old. It brought back so many memories, and I definitely wanted to show up for the girls.
“I think the message of doing this is about crossing boundaries and countries, embracing multiculturalism, and celebrating unity in diversity. That has always been a huge part of my campaign as an artist. This collaboration solidifies that. Representing Asia and music on the global stage is something that should be celebrated.”
When asked about the possible impact of this project on the music scene in the region, Agnez shared that the beauty of the collaboration was that she came into it with zero expectations. She said it wasn’t about trying a strategy to break into another music market or vice versa.
“It’s really a genuine connection between strong girls and women, and also about representing Asia on the global stage,” she reiterated.
Given her success and staying power in the industry, Agnez sees qualities in BINI that she believes will help them last long in the entertainment business.
“It’s their curiosity. Every time we met, they would ask questions, they were willing to listen, and they were eager to learn. We connected not just as artists but also on a human level — like a big sister to younger sisters,” she said.
“The reason I’ve stayed at the top of my career for literally 30 years is because I’ve always been curious about what else I could learn — from experiences, life, other artists and established creators.
“On top of that, BINI is surrounded by a strong team that really cares about them. I think that’s also very important in this industry.”
