The Mars Invasion

MANILA, Philippines - At the Expo 2012 in Yeosu, Korea, members of Filipino Interpop boy band Down to Mars were mobbed, kissed and adored by Korean girls just like a typical K-pop boy band.

Down to Mars, together with Ballet Philippines, University of Cebu Dance Company, Kyla and Gian Magdangal, commissioned by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), performed at the Philippine National Day gala in Yeosu, Korea last July 22.

At the Philippine Pavillion, the boys were surprised to see well-behaved Koreans lining up to have a photo with them.

They were further befuddled when, at the gala, the audience, made up mostly of Koreans, gave them a rousing reception while performing a Korean version of their hit single “My Everything.”

“We didn’t expect the response, it was unbelievable,” said Sky, one of the members of Down to Mars, whose ages range from 18 to 22.

After all, it was only a year ago when, as a newbie, they had to practically beg mall owners to give them a slot in their shows. They would also faithfully hang out at Party Pilipinas, GMA 7’s Sunday variety show clad in eccentric K-Pop clothes, all in the hope of getting noticed.

“We were really determined to break into the showbiz industry, we didn’t give up,” Daisuke, another member, added.

Patience and hard work finally paid off when veteran dancer/choreographer and talent manager Geleen Eugenio took them under her wing.

About a year after getting together as a boy band, Kenji Chua, Yheen Valero, Kiro Rivera, Sky Young, Daisuke Hagihara, Jang Amparna and Jeongwon Song are now exclusive contract artists of GMA Artist Center and released their debut album last May.

The album’s lead track, an electronic dance anthem “My Everything,” is on the top ten of the Myx charts.

Their second and only Tagalog single “Nandito Lang Ako” was chosen as the theme song of the upcoming GMA Koreanovela “Smile for Me Donghae.”

They will also headline a concert at the Music Museum within the year.

A soap opera project on GMA-7 and an Asian tour with the Department of Tourism are also in the offing.

The boys of Down to Mars are still doing mall shows but now, they’re getting paid, with thousands of swooning and shrieking fans backing them up. Registered fans, called Marsians, number 32,000 and growing. They also have an international fan base in Indonesia, Hawaii and Norway, with invitations to perform in these countries.

“These boys are talented, hardworking and determined to succeed. They’re really not just a K-Pop wannabe. When I first met them, I already saw that fire, enthusiasm, that hunger in their eyes. Aside from writing their own songs, it’s their attitude and work ethics that set them apart,” said Geleen, the group’s manager, during an interview with STARweek at the hip Socialista Bar in Malate.

Geleen said she first saw the boys at Party Pilipinas and mistook them for Koreans. Actually, the boys are Asian Pinoys.

MEN ARE FROM MARS: The band joins Nes Jardin at the Yeosu Expo in Korea . They visit Gyeong Bok Gung Palace in Seoul. As a symbol of their bond with one another, they leave a padlock with their names at N Seoul Tower.

Kenji, Yheen, Sky and Jang are half-Chinese, Kiro and Jeong are half-Korean while Daisuke is half-Japanese.

But the boys grew up in the Philippines and speak fluent Filipino – surprising many of their fans – aside from Mandarin, Korean and Japanese.

“Make no mistake about it, they make look different than typical Pinoys but in attitude, Pinoy na Pinoy ang mga ito. Like most Filipinos, they are respectful, warm, friendly, caring, humble and obedient. Even though they’re half-Asian, Pinoy na Pinoy ang ugali ng mga ito and when we were in Korea, I’ve seen that humility in their eyes,” Geleen says.

The second time Geleen saw them was during a show in Butuan.

“I was pretty impressed with their performance and I was even more impressed when I learned that they write their own songs. They went into my office for an audition and performed a Super Junior cover ‘Bonamana’ plus some of their original songs,” Geleen recalls. “I told myself, these kids are talented.”

Geleen says she saw the Universal Motion Dancers (UMD) in them and their potential for stardom. UMD was a wildly popular boy group in the ‘90s that Geleen handled for eight years, until they split up.

“I was convinced to give the Down to Mars boys a try and take a chance on them. I know they’re talented but I also saw that they have the right attitude, they’re not conceited and they submit to rules,” she shares.

After signing the boys, Geleen brought the group to Wilma Galvante of the GMA Artist Center for an audition. After a week, Down to Mars was signed as an exclusive artist.

Musically inclined and K-Pop lovers, Kenji, Daisuke and Yheen thought of forming a group, much like their K-Pop idols Super Junior and Beast.

They were particular about what they wanted their music to be – original, Filipino and Asian-sounding with a good mix of acoustic, electronic pop, RnB or what they call interpop.

“We want our songs to be a fusion of different genres – hiphop, electro-pop, rock, and RnB,” Kenji explains.

In looking for members, Kenji shares they were also clear about another criteria – they should all look alike.

“Dapat magkakamukha kami. Matangkad, chinito, maporma, mahilig kumanta at sumayaw,” says Yheen.

Friends of friends led the three to the four other members – Jeungwon, Jang, Sky and Kiro.

With the help of Kenji’s mom, the group lived together in a condo and started to practice singing and dancing for hours, perfecting their choreography, harmonizing their vocals and writing their own songs.

The boys admit getting into petty quarrels, saying it was not easy living together in a cramped studio-type condo.

“It’s difficult. Lagi kami nag-uunahan sa pagkain at sa paliligo. There are times that we have disagreements but we patch up our differences before the day ends because we have no choice, since we will be seeing each other in the morning. It’s hard not to talk to one another and we are friends, we care for each other,” Daisuke says.

For the boys, Geleen is their biggest blessing.

Geleen sincerely wants to help the boys reach stardom not only in the country, but the rest of Asia.

She and the boys dream that Down to Mars could be that boy band from the Philippines that could carve a name in the Asian music industry, just like the K-Pop boy groups who are their idols.

“Filipinos are known to be musically talented all over the world, it’s about time that we have our very own boy band to represent the Philippines,” Kiro says.

Down to Mars’ dream to be acknowledged internationally came true at the Expo 2012 in Yeosu, Korea when they performed at the gala show before cheering Koreans and a few Pinoys.

Down to Mars describes the performance as a proud moment for the group, because they were able to show Koreans how talented Filipino artists really are.

“When we were on stage, we were no longer thinking about the group Down to Mars, but the Philippines, our home country, and we wanted to make a good impression, so we really gave it our best shot. All we could think is making a good name for the Philippines,” Jang says.

Sky knew that they captured the attention of Koreans because they stayed on and watched the complete show.

“There’s a saying that Koreans have a short attention span, they only have a 6-second attention span. If for six seconds, you don’t arouse their interest, they’re going to leave and when they leave, they leave in busloads,” Kenji adds.

The group performed three English songs and a Korean version of “My Everything,” drawing wild cheers from the audience.

“We are happy that we are able to please and satisfy the Korean crowd,” Jang says.

Aside from national pride, Kenji and Daisuke shares that the trip to Korea taught them about professionalism.

Handpicked by the DOT and CCP over two other P-Pop boy bands, the boys felt honored and vowed to give their best at the gala.

They rigorously practiced for two months for the Yeosu performance.

“In Yeosu, the boys would wake up early even though they’re tired and slept late the night before, and when the DOT staff says rolling, talagang rolling, we all make it on time. We got along well with the whole entourage. The boys got closer to me and the rest of the 58 delegates from the Philippines,” Geleen shares.

“We didn’t have any alalays, so we carry our own luggage, we watched each other’s back. Backstage kami-kami rin nagtutulungan sa choregraphy and other stuff. Kenji, a solo and rich kid, carried the stuff of Sam Oh, and even carried a box. They have no complaints. They were real troopers,” Geleen says with obvious pride.

On their last day, Daisuke and Kiro went to N Seoul Tower in Namsan Park where they sealed their bond with a symbolic lock.

“We promised to stay together and remain grounded. We wrote all our names, including Tita Geleen’s name, and then we threw the key in the forest as a gesture that we will stick together no matter what,” Jang says.

“You know that’s our vow, if we make it, we will remain humble, that’s why our name is Down to Mars, we culled that from Down to Earth, instead of Earth, we chose Mars from the book ‘Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.’ We just modified our band’s name but it really means staying humble and unaffected by fame,” explains Jeongwon.

Geleen agrees, knowing too well that conceit and overconfidence are two of the pitfalls that can lead to disbandment, when one thinks he is better than the others and is better off with a solo career.

However, the boys acknowledge that time will come when they would part ways, grow old and no longer fit the boy band image. But that is still in the distant future, although this early, they are already considering other career options.

They’re saving up and most of them plan to set up their own businesses in the future.

Daisuke wants to have a clothes shop because he’s quite a fashion horse. Sky and Yheen also want to go into the clothes business, while Jang would like to put up a drugstore.

Kiro, on the other hand, would like to continue his studies and establish a computer business. Kenji would like to run his family’s car supplies business. Jeongwon would like to be a flight steward because he loves to travel.

The boys say they will take it one step at a time in their musical career. A few months ago, a Korean talent agency offered to train them for three years and launch their careers in Korea and probably in other parts of Asia.

But they declined, saying they’d like to first make it in the Philippines.

The boys are very grateful to the people who’ve helped them in their journey to stardom.

“First, we would like to thank Wilma Galvante because she trusted us so much. Actually the Tagalog song we penned ‘Nandito Lang Ako’ is dedicated to her because she suggested that we write in Tagalog,” Jeongwon says.

They are also thankful to Marian Rivera for guesting in their My Everything music video for free – for love of Geleen. They also acknowledge Daryl Zamora, their handler in Artist Center and vocal coach Greg Culasito.

Most importantly, the boys are grateful to Geleen, their heaven-sent manager who acts like their real mom whether onstage or backstage.

“Tita Geleen reminds us everyday in our journey to remember the people who’ve helped us along the way and to be forever grateful and humble at all times to our fans.”