A Fight Song For The People: SB19’s “DAM”
Serving as a loud roar of victory over adversity, the Kings of P-pop have unleashed a heavy-hitting battle anthem that has deeply resonated with listeners in the Philippines and beyond.
SB19: Photographed by Easel Manes/Billboard Philippines
SB19: Photographed by Easel Manes/Billboard Philippines
Wherever you are in life, there will always be victories and losses, progress and setbacks. And whether you’re chasing your goals or desiring for a better tomorrow for everyone around you, you need to let your voice be heard in order for things to change. SB19 know this very well and perfectly encapsulate the feeling in their explosive comeback single “DAM.”
Released on February 28, 2025, it served as the prelude to the P-pop icons’ latest EP, Simula At Wakas. Beyond proclaiming the group’s hopes of pushing creative boundaries, the song ultimately serves as a reflection of what they have endured in the past seven years or so. “It’s about our journey,” states SB19’s leader Pablo to Billboard Philippines, noting how “DAM” captures both the wins they’ve achieved and the struggles it took to do so.
With a strongly relatable message such as this, the single soon found itself resonating with countless people. With the track expressing both frustration and resilience in the face of life’s trials, sure enough “DAM” soon made a profound mark on many.
Photographed by Easel Manes
Stell notes that one of the reasons he’s seen why people deeply relate with it so much is because it reflects that state of our nation, noting how “DAM” has become a “fight song” for these people, especially against injustice. “Kung alam mong may maling nangyayari, kailangan mo ipaglaban at gamitin ang boses mo para marinig ka at itama ‘yung mali… ‘Yung boses mo, ‘yun ang sandata mo. (If you know that there’s something wrong happening, you need to fight for and use your voice so you can be heard and right the wrongs… Your voice is your weapon).”
In bringing this impassioned track to life, the members of SB19 admit that their abilities as artists and as performers were tested and often pushed to the limits. “Kinailangan talaga na sanayin namin sarili namin, like, kailangan na conditioned ‘yung boses (We really needed to condition ourselves, like, our voices needed to be conditioned),” Justin reveals, specifically noting how vocally demanding the song’s chorus can be for him, even until now. Ultimately, recording “DAM” served as a fulfilling creative experience for them, aligning with one of their major goals for this new era: to outdo themselves like never before.
Aided by this strong show of artistic resolve and the support of SB19’s loyal fanbase — the A’TIN — “DAM” quickly soon found massive, record-breaking success. In a week alone, it achieved rapidly growing streams and sales from all over the world, with Justin proudly highlighting the fact that its music video gained over four million views in the first 24 hours alone.
With this came two of their biggest milestones so far: attaining the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart for the first time, and “DAM” becoming their first song to enter the Billboard Philippines charts as well (peaking at No. 3 on the Top Philippines Songs chart and No. 4 on the Hot 100). “Until now, hindi kami makapaniwala na umabot sa ganun ‘yung ‘DAM’ (Until now, we still can’t believe that ‘DAM’ reached that point),” states Stell, expressing his awe and heartfelt gratitude for their rapidly growing following.
With “DAM” achieving milestones in both streams and consumption, Ken expresses hopes that their listeners can learn a lot of valuable lessons from the track, encouraging them to always move forward with eyes on their goals: “‘Wag sila sumuko. Mag-focus lang sila sa mga gusto nilang ma-achieve (They shouldn’t give up. They should just focus on the things they want to achieve).”
Josh echoes these sentiments clearly, stating that, if “DAM” were to leave any sort of impact behind on its listeners, he hopes that it can be a much-needed reminder for them to keep fighting despite life’s trials. “It still amazes me na marami talaga kaming na–i-inspire and I hope patuloy lang namin magawa ‘yun (It still amazes me that we are able to inspire a lot of people and I hope that we can continue doing so).”
Ultimately, in further expressing the group’s gratitude, Pablo proudly recognizes how their fans have always been there through thick and thin, describing them as the reason why SB19 have always managed to bounce back, even from the worst of challenges. “Kahit gasgas na, ‘Thank you.’ Walang SB19 kung walang A’TIN (Even though we keep saying it again and again, ‘Thank you.’ There is no SB19 without the A’TIN).”