New P-pop girl group Calista to take on the Big Dome

The P-pop wave continues to grow with seemingly successive debuts of idol girl and boy groups.

The challenge now is how to stand out from the pack where aesthetics, attitude and performance are the rules of the game.

Comparisons are inevitable but for new girl group Calista, they said that they’re not here to compete with anyone but themselves.

Still, it must be said that the management of the group is pulling out all the stops by officially introducing them via a Big Dome concert on April 26, just as live events are returning.

Calista is managed by Tyronne Escalante Artist Management (TEAM) and produced by Merlion Events Production, Inc.

The making of the group started over the pandemic, in March 2021, where over 100 girls were scouted and auditioned before the number was trimmed down to six only, with ages ranging from 17 to 21.

Elle is the lead dancer, lead vocal and sub-rapper, who prior to joining the girl group did commercials. Denise is the main dancer and lead vocal, who has already competed in dance competitions internationally and appeared in a music video for P-pop leader SB19.

Laiza is the visual, lead rapper and lead dancer. She has done TV shows and movies. Dain is the lead vocal, lead dancer and eldest of the group. She used to perform in mall shows and do modeling.

Olive is the lead vocal, visual and the youngest at 17. A former beauty queen, she was being prepped for acting and doing workshops before forming part of the girl group.

Anne is the leader, main rapper, main vocal and lead dancer. She has been exposed to performing since she was a child. For a time, she was a front act for established artists.

Like other P-pop groups, they trained for months — close to a year, to be exact — before dropping their first single Race Car last month.

Elle said their training to this day consisted of “dance rehearsals, voice workshops, personality development, PR workshops and body conditioning.”

Olive also shared that the training has intensified as their debut concert draws near. They clarified though that since they’re still students, mornings are devoted to schooling while afternoons are reserved for the training.

They also live together, which has allowed them to develop a family-like relationship. Anne, the team leader, said, “Super kilala na namin ang isa’t isa. The chemistry in the choreography and performances is really there.”

It was the girls themselves who chose their name Calista. Olive said, “Calista in Greek means most beautiful. Then ‘cali’ (also stands for) caliber, it’s the level of your capability.” The word may also refer to a feature of a handgun, they said, but the literal meaning aside, they want their image as a girl group to be “fierce, strong and at the same time feminine.”

That also set the tone of their debut song, Race Car, the sleek music video of which features helicopters and sports cars. The MV was filmed in a span of three days at the Asian Aerospace airplane hangar in the NAIA Complex, Pasay; the I’M Hotel’s rooftop bar Antidote in Makati City; and the Clark International Speedway in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

According to the girls, besides the song signifying that the group has finally “started the engine” and is good to go after a long wait, the message of Race Car “is all about their drive and courage” to go after what they want and reach the top.

Said Olive, “We can also compare it to lessons in life na parang race and when you race, you really want to win and reach the finish line. Same thing in life, na no matter if you fail, you don’t stop there.”

Laiza added, “With racing, there’s a finish line. And for us, that finish line is our goal to be recognized by more people… not just locally but also internationally.”

First step to that is their debut concert, Vax to Normal, on April 26, 6 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. To be telecast on TV5, it will also showcase guest performances from Yeng Constantino, AC Bonifacio, Elmo Magalona, Andrea Brillantes, Darren Espanto and Ken San Jose. The concert is produced by Merlion Events Production, Inc. and directed by Nico Faustino. Soc Mina is the musical director and Douglas Nierras is the choreographer.

Prior to headlining Vax to Normal, Calista is part of the line-up of groups at the two-day PPOP Convention, touted as the “ultimate gathering of P-pop fans,” at the New Frontier Theater and Araneta Coliseum this April 9 to 10.

Meanwhile, Calista members described their music — from Race Car, which is written by Marcus Davis, to their upcoming releases — as having the “modern, vibe-y sound” and they’re “sticking to that (for now) but we’re very open to other sounds in the future. And we want versatility with our music.”

They also expressed hope to collaborate one day with artists outside the P-pop sphere like Sarah Geronimo, Moira dela Torre, Morrissette Amon, Maja Salvador and Gloc-9.

“We have been training for almost a year now,” Anne said. “So, we’re very excited po to finally show the audience yung mga pinaghirapan namin for almost a year. It’s very overwhelming on our end (to be able to debut).”

The pressure is on as well but more from themselves, and not from being compared or trying to compete with other P-pop groups that came ahead of them, including their idols SB19.

“We love them. SB19 is already there, so we really look up to them, they’re like our Kuyas in the industry. They’re our inspiration, that’s why the management came up with the girl group Calista to be like them. Our goal is to be like them someday,” said Anne.

“We really don’t want to be compared sa mga naunang girl groups because we each have our own styles and concepts. Each P-pop group excels in that. We are in a league of our own.”

For Calista, P-pop isn’t just a music genre or a movement, it’s also an identity. “P-pop consists of talented people or Filipinos who want to show their talents. As a P-pop group, we want to show our Pinoy pride, our creativity and our ingenuity,” said Olive.

“We share the same goal with that of other P-pop groups (which is) to entertain, inspire and give motivation to other people through our music, our choreography and our bond,” said Anne.

If you want to know more about the group and their music, you can check out https://www.calistasocials.com/.