It is another major milestone for the P-Pop and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) industries.
Global girl group BINI, the “Kings of P-Pop” SB19, KATSEYE member Sophia Laforteza, and “Pride of the Philippines” Lea Salonga are among the Filipino artists set to take centre stage in DreamWorks Animaton’s upcoming film Forgotten Island, which features a soundtrack packed with leading names from OPM and the Filipino-American music scene.
Scheduled for release in Philippine cinemas on 23 September, Forgotten Island is a Filipino culture-inspired animated adventure directed by Academy Award nominee Joel Crawford and Januel Marcado, following the success of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The film follows best friends Jo and Raissa, voiced by Grammy Award winning singer H.E.R. and Filipino and American actress Liza Soberano, whose plans after high schools to pull them in different directions. What start as a night of karaoke and food soon leads them to Nakali, a mysterious island inhabited by magical creatures inspired by Philippine mythology.
Music plays a key role in the film, helping shape its 1990s setting and themes of friendship, change and growing up. According to Variety, H.E.R., Soberano and Lea Salonga are among the cast members contributing to the soundtrack. H.E.R. and Soberano also perform the film’s title track, “BRB”, written by H.E.R. and featuring Tagalog lyrics that reflect the bond between their characters.
Among the featured acts is BINI, which performs the original song “A Parallel World”, produced by Nathan Matthew David and Shawn Masabi. Angela Leus, Filipino-American Senior Vice President of Film Music at Universal Pictures said the group was a natural choice for the project. “Joel and Jan had a very creative understanding of what the music was going to be, so it was very easy to come to them and say, ‘There’s this group called BINI; they’re amazing.’ It was a no-brainer and easy to get to that point“, she said.
For BINI, being part of a DreamWorks production marks their career big achievement. Maloi described the opportunity as a special moment for the group. “It’s an honour to be part of this because it’s our first time being involved in a DreamWorks project. The fact that it’s a Filipino-centered film and we’re part of it, and that our voices will be heard in a movie that represents the Philippines, is such a big deal for us“, she said.
The girl group also gave fans an early preview of the song by performing “A Parallel World” during their sold out concert at the Mall of Asia Arena of Signals World Tour. SB19 also joins the soundtrack with a cover of the late Filipino rapper and former host of the long-time noontime show Eat Bulaga! Francis Magalonga’s classic “Mga Kababayan”, while rapper Ruby Ibarea teams up with Carlo for the track “Salbahe Ako”.
The participation of some of the country’s biggest artists in major international animated film, it shows the growing visibility of Filipino music on the global stage. With BINI’s appearance at Coachella 2026 and SB19 set to perform at Lollapalooza, Filipino acts continue to gain international recognition, signaling a new chatper for P-Pop and OPM.
