Filipino singer-songwriter (born 1993)
Josh Cullen Santos (born October 22, 1993) is a Filipino singer and songwriter. He is the lead rapper and vocalist of the Filipino boy band SB19 managed under 1Z Entertainment.
Early life.
Santos was born on October 22, 1993, in Las Piñas, Metro Manila, Philippines. He revealed on a YouTube vlog that a single mother raised him and he never met his biological father. In the same vlog, Santos revealed that he was a victim of domestic violence by their nanny while their mother was at work. Santos and his family struggled financially leading to his intermittent schooling, and graduated high school at a later age. After graduating, Santos worked as a computer technician and a call center agent prior to auditioning as a talent. He has one older sibling.
Career.
2016–2018: Pre-debut.
In 2016, South Korean entertainment company ShowBT branched out in the Philippines and opened a talent audition for Filipinos aspiring to become professional performers. Santos, among the participants, was chosen later on for a 5-member boy band. Santos started training which is a common practice for K-Pop bands prior to debut. Voice and dance classes, body conditioning, personality development, and the like were trained. On several accounts, the SB19 members recalled how rigorous the sessions were wherein hours of nonstop and unpaid training daily while juggling with their work. But more than the training, it was the threat of failing their weekly evaluation and the possibility of being eliminated. According to Santos in an interview, “the weekly evaluations were really nerve-wracking. That’s the performance that you’ll have to prepare for. Other trainees and teachers will watch you[...] You’ll really get nervous. And if you don’t perform well, you’ll be eliminated right away."
During his training, he drew inspirations from Filipino hip hop artists Loonie, Gloc-9, Shanti Dope, and Smugglaz. He also admired the styles of Bigbang's G-Dragon, and BTS.
2018–2022: Debut as "SB19" and breakthrough.
On October 26, 2018, Santos debuted with fellow members Pablo, Stell, Justin, and Ken as P-Pop group known as SB19. Their debut single "Tilaluha" was written by fellow member Pablo, but its success was not widely acclaimed. With a message centered on heartbreak and unrequited love, the song was intended to introduce the band and their powerful vocals in which it debuted poorly to charts. The initial poor reception for the group and their singles almost led to the band's disbandment. SB19's second single "Go Up" was released on July 19, 2019. They described the song as their "last shot" because they had decided to disband if their career would not progress after. The group had gained public attention after the dance practice video of the song went viral due to a tweet of a fan account. Opportunities opened and the group started to appear in multiple radio and television outlets, both local and internationally. On 2021, SB19 became the first Filipino and Southeast Asian act to be nominated in Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist along with BTS, Blackpink, Ariana Grande, and Seventeen—which BTS won. It marked the first-ever appearance of a Filipino artist in the Billboard Music Awards.
In 2022, Santos joined his independent musician cousins Ocho the Bullet and Carrot Mayor on their track "Sofa (Remix)", released on YouTube and Apple Music.
2023–present: Wild Tonight, debut as solo artist.
On February 24, Josh Cullen made his debut as a solo artist, releasing a single called "Wild Tonight". He co-produced the material with Ace Santos, his cousin.
References.
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