The nine-piece folk-pop collective's signature ballad crossed the billion-stream milestone Friday morning — a first for any Original Pilipino Music track on the platform — as the band prepares for a 40-date world tour.
At 7:23 a.m. Friday Manila time, the stream counter on Spotify for Ben&Ben’s “Palagi” ticked past one billion — a milestone that triggered celebrations from the band’s management, a flood of congratulatory messages from fellow OPM artists, and an impromptu live stream by the band’s nine members gathered in their home studio in Pasig.
“Palagi” — the title translates to “Always” in English — was released in 2019 as part of the band’s debut album Limasawa Street and became a pandemic-era anthem, its message of enduring love resonating with millions of Filipinos separated from families and partners during the lockdowns.
Music industry analysts say the achievement signals a structural shift in Filipino music’s global reach. The Philippine streaming audience has historically consumed international content at a higher rate than it generates global streams for local artists — but over the past three years, that ratio has been inverting.
“Filipino artists are no longer just competing locally,” said Jay Durias, CEO of Sony Music Philippines. “The diaspora market alone — over 10 million Filipinos abroad — creates an enormous foundation. What Ben&Ben did was reach beyond that diaspora into non-Filipino audiences in Southeast Asia, Japan, and increasingly Europe.”
Ben&Ben will launch their Sa Susunod na Habang Buhay World Tour on April 12 in Manila, with 40 dates across Asia, North America, Europe, and the Middle East. All six Philippine dates sold out within three hours of going on sale.
Tickets for international dates are available at BenAndBenOfficial.com.
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Isabel Fontaine
Reporter
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