Bini (stylized in all caps; formerly Star Hunt Academy Girls or SHA Girls) is a Filipino girl group formed in 2019 through ABS-CBN's televised idol training program Star Hunt Academy, where they spent three years in preparation for their debut. The group is composed of eight members: Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena. They are currently signed with Star Music and Star Magic. Since their inception, they have been referred to as the "Nation's Girl Group" due to their impact on the public and Philippine pop music. Bini became the Filipino pop group with the most monthly listeners on Spotify and the first to top Billboard Philippine Songs chart. Their music is widely associated with bubblegum pop, though they have incorporated a broad range of other genres as well, according to critics.
Before their official debut on June 11, 2021, the group released a pop cover of Ryan Cayabyab's song "Da Coconut Nut" on November 20, 2020. In 2021, Bini released their debut studio album Born to Win, which was promoted with its title track and "Kapit Lang" (), as its two singles. Their second studio album, Feel Good (2022), was certified gold by PARI in August 2024.
In 2023, Bini issued the singles "Karera" and "Pantropiko", the latter of which went viral on TikTok through the "Pantropiko Dance Challenge" and was regarded as a summer anthem in the Philippines. A year later, they released their first EP, Talaarawan (2024), which topped the Billboard Philippine Songs chart. On June 9, 2024, Bini entered the Top Artist Global Chart on Spotify, making them the first Filipino artist to achieve the record. The group also became the first Filipino act to top the Spotify Philippines' Daily Top Artists chart on June 14, surpassing Taylor Swift. In July, Bini became the first Filipino pop act to perform at the KCON music festival, showcasing their single "Cherry on Top" during the pre-show, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. In November 2024, they became the first Filipino act to win the "Best Asia Act" prize at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
In 2025, they surpassed one billion all-time streams on Spotify. They received the Billboard Philippines Women in Music "Rising Star" Award. In the same year, they were named Women of the Year. They were also recognized as the number-one Philippine act by Billboard Philippines, representing their country in the magazine's inaugural Global No.1 series. In May, Bini was included in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list under the "Sports and Entertainment" category. On September 16, Coachella announced Bini as a part of the 2026 lineup, making them the first Filipino group to perform at the festival. They made their debut at the event on April 10, 2026.
History Name
The group's name derives from the Tagalog word , meaning "young lady". It is intended to represent modern Filipino women, who are said to be a mix of different qualities such as "sweet", "confident", "independent", and "informed".
2018–2020: Formation, pre-debut activities
Laurenti Dyogi, the head of entertainment production of ABS-CBN, proposed establishing a training camp for young performers to develop their skills. In 2018, ABS-CBN launched Star Hunt Academy (SHA), which had 250 people auditioning between the ages of 16 and 19 years from all over the Philippines. From this pool, with recommendations from talent scouts, the first set of 12 female Star Hunt Academy Girls trainees was selected. While Dyogi initially planned to debut a nine-member idol girl group, it was eventually trimmed down to eight: Aiah Arceta, Colet Vergara, Maloi Ricalde, Stacey Sevilleja, Mikha Lim, Jhoanna Robles, Gwen Apuli, and Sheena Catacutan, the last two having been housemates on Pinoy Big Brother: Otso (2018–2019).
The group trained from 2019 to 2020 under local coaches, which included Kitchy Molina, a former chair of the Department of Voice, Music Theater, and Dance at the University of the Philippines College of Music; the Austrian-born dance coach Mickey Perz; and South Korean coaches from MU Doctor Academy. On August 3, 2019, the group debuted as SHA trainees during Pinoy Big Brother: Otsos Celebr8 at the Big Night online pre-show. They performed at their first mall show in Taguig on August 15. Later that year, they appeared at a National Youth Commission event, where they were named youth ambassadors. They also participated in the 2019 Manila Southeast Asian Games thanksgiving celebration. For Bini's pre-debut single, South Korea's MU Doctor Academy and the music production group Vo3e collaborated to transform Ryan Cayabyab's novelty song "Da Coconut Nut" into an electropop remake. In addition, choreographers Moon Yeon-joo and Kwak Seong-chan, who had previously worked with K-pop groups, were brought in to create a dance routine. Bini's version of "Da Coconut Nut" was released in November.
On December 4, 2020, Bini signed a contract with Star Magic and Star Music.
2021–2022: Debut, growing recognition Bini released multiple teasers leading to their debut, with the first one coming out on May 4, 2021, through a QR code leading to an image that read "Are you ready for the Biniverse?" The same month, their music label, Star Music, announced the group's premiere with the single "Born to Win", which was released on June 4. On September 10, Bini released their third single, "Kapit Lang" (), a pop track featuring "bright" synths, trap percussion, and "thick [...] rumbles" of bass. On September 30, at the Miss Universe Philippines 2021 pageant, they performed a modified version of "Born to Win", which was used as the official song for the pageant's preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competitions.
In February 2022, the group was featured on the cover of the Dubai-based magazine Xpedition as "The Burgeoning Grace", making them one of the first Filipino celebrities, alongside their fellow SHA alumni, BGYO, to have an NFT magazine cover launched through the Metaverse. On April 29, Bini released the electropop single "Pit A Pat". Although the song reportedly garnered mixed responses from fans, critical reception was generally positive. Tara Aquino of Rolling Stone praised the song's "attitude" and lyrics about self-empowerment and ambition. Hans Carbonilla of the Inquirer US Bureau called the track "lively" and a summer playlist staple.
On June 27, Bini released the single "Lagi" (), a bubblegum pop and pop rock song. The song received acclaim from critics, especially for the Bini members' vocal performances. Jelou Galang of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (US Bureau) said that the song effectively conveys the "strange" and "complex" feelings that come with falling in love. In two separate interviews from 2023 and 2024, Bini members Mikha and Gwen identified the success of "Lagi" as Bini's breakthrough moment. "Lagi" would also later peak at number five on Billboard Philippines' Top Philippine Songs chart two years after its initial release in 2022.
Two other singles, "I Feel Good" and "Strings", came out ahead of their second album. The bubblegum track "I Feel Good" was released on September 22. Nylon Manila Rafael Bautista called the song "insanely catchy" and "maybe some of Bini's finest work to date". The next single, "Strings", came out alongside Bini's second studio album Feel Good on September 29. "Strings" is a blend of hip-hop and swing music, featuring a nonlinear structure and a marching band. The track garnered acclaim for going beyond bubblegum pop. The Inquirer Hannah Mallorca called it a "drastic shift in tone and tempo" for Bini, praising Colet, Maloi, and Jhoanna's "powerful" belts in particular. Likewise, Billboard Philippines' Mayks Go described the track as "much darker-sounding" than Bini's other songs, showcasing their range as musicians.
Feel Good contained five original songs, including "Lagi", "I Feel Good", and "Strings". The other tracks were "No Fear", a dance-pop track with a beat drop and "Huwag Muna Tayong Umuwi" (), a power ballad about wanting another person to stay with you. Two bonus tracks, an acoustic version of "Lagi" and a dance version of "Strings", were included as well. Bautista of Nylon wrote that the album showed the group's versatility. In 2026, a retrospective article by Rolling Stone Philippines described "No Fear" in particular as an example of Bini in their less sophisticated early stages. Although he criticized its EDM beat drop as outdated and almost "laughable", writer Elijah Pareño considered the song "a first step nonetheless" towards developing a sound for the group.
2023–2024: Domestic success, "Pantropiko" craze, and Talaarawan
In 2023, copies of the Bini singles "Kapit Lang" and "Golden Arrow" were sent to the Moon as part of the Lunar Codex archive by NASA. Later that year, the group released the singles "Karera" () and "Pantropiko" ().
"Karera" has been described as a disco-influenced dance-pop song about mental health. One of its lyricists, Nica Del Rosario, is clinically diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and wrote the song based on her experiences with the condition. The track earned positive reviews from music journalists. Preen Andrea Posadas praised the song's meaningful themes and "meticulous" execution; Billboard Philippines' Kara Angan lauded the "killer" melody and hook, hailing the track as one of 2023's best P-pop releases.
Meanwhile, "Pantropiko" is a tropical house track with Latin and Caribbean influences. Critical reception for "Pantropiko" was more mixed. Mayks Go of Billboard Philippines considered the song to be "catchy" and "memorable"; Preen Eric Nicole Salta complimented its "twinkling" synths, vocals, and hints of reggae. Conversely, Julienne Loreto and Maddie Armstrong of &Asian considered the song to be "generic" and musically uninteresting, albeit "competently made" and "enjoyable", especially live. The Flying Lugaw Louis Pelingen said that the song's synthetic textures "completely blemish" its summery tone and its vocal mixing is too loud.
Bini gained further recognition after "Pantropiko" went viral on TikTok, being regarded as a summer anthem in the Philippines. Its trend led to the "Pantropiko Dance Challenge", in which millions of users participated. In January 2024, the group's monthly listeners on Spotify surpassed 200,000 for the first time, following the viral success of "Pantropiko". In July, "Pantropiko" reached 100 million streams on Spotify and YouTube Music.
Coinciding with International Women's Day on March 8, 2024, Bini released the EP Talaarawan (), which consisted of six songs, including "Karera" and "Pantropiko". Lugaw Pelingen gave the record a mixed review. He commended the Bini members' performances in the EP and its "well-composed" melodies. However, he found the lyricism to be uninspired and criticized the production, naming "glaring" issues such as inconsistent mixing. He believed that the Bini members were "stuck" in the same sound with only slight or few variations across their albums so far. The B-side "Diyan Ka Lang" (), a bubblegum and electropop love song incorporating retro drums, keyboard, and chiptunes, was identified by multiple critics as a standout track on the EP due to its vocal performances and production.
One of its singles, "Salamin, Salamin", became one of two songs by the group, alongside "Pantropiko", to top Billboards Philippines Songs chart. By late March, Bini had over two million monthly listeners on Spotify, making them the highest-streamed female OPM artist and the most-streamed P-pop group on the platform.
Bini, along with fellow P-pop girl group G22, appeared on the Chinese reality show Show It All, hosted by Lay Zhang, performing "Karera", "I Feel Good", and "Pantropiko" in episodes that aired on April 25 and May 2.