by alex grainger
photo courtesy of north star boys
We recently had the chance to talk with North Star Boys about the release of their single “SUNSHINE,” which dropped on August 12th. The debut hyper-pop single shares each members “sunshine” — what they each value and love most. To accompany the single, NSB dropped the music video for “SUNSHINE,” one which visually captures Filipino culture. Read more about “SUNSHINE” and North Star Boys below!
Can you tell us what your single “SUNSHINE” is about?
Sebastian Moy: “‘SUNSHINE’ is a song about what we value and love most in our lives. Everyone’s sunshine can be something different. It is what inspires them and what motivates them to keep striving for the best and pushing themselves to be the best version of themselves.”
Regie Macalino: “I was raised in the Philippines and ‘SUNSHINE’ was a way to honor my roots by integrating this feeling into our single. In the music video for SUNSHINE, it was exciting for me and the boys to showcase themes from the country I grew up in and to inspire my fellow Filipino friends and followers to embrace our culture and not be afraid of being unique.”
Oliver Moy: “For me, my ‘sunshine’ is the North Star Boys, my chosen family, as well as the Stars, our loving fans. It is what inspires me to get up in the morning and what pushes me to keep writing music and putting out content for them.”
What was the creative process behind “SUNSHINE?”
Oliver: “I love writing my own music and use it as a creative escape. We came together as NSB to write and record ‘SUNSHINE.’ This song not only was written to inspire others but also to inspire ourselves. As the North Star Boys, we aim to inspire others in all aspects of our careers, especially as we continue this transition into the music industry.”
Is there a message you are sending to listeners of “SUNSHINE?”
Regie: “Our message to our listeners is to find their sunshine in every part of their life. Everyone needs a little inspiration and push to get through hard times. When you find your sunshine you can accomplish so much more. We have created a community we hope to inspire.”
How would you describe your sound? How do you think you will grow into it over the next year or so?
Sebastian: “Our taste is honestly a mix of all types of genres, but lately I would describe our sound as hyper pop. The goal is to create a new sound that showcases who we are and we hope that this sound opens up that door for other artists to experiment on a new genre as well.”
What was the creative process behind the music video for “SUNSHINE?” You mentioned the single is about “putting in hard work for the ones you love,” how did you translate each of your own “sunshine’s” visually?
Oliver: “We used the music video for ‘SUNSHINE’ to highlight Filipino culture. Regie, a member of NSB, is from the Philippines and was not able to go back to see his family for a couple of years. He moved to the US for better opportunities and grew to be successful with NSB. This was the inspiration for ‘putting in hard work for the ones you love.’ We were so happy to show our pride in the culture as well as inspire others within the community to embrace it.”
Specifically, Regie, you mentioned how this meant showcasing your Filipino heritage. What does it mean to you to have this representation in the video?
Regie: “Using the ‘SUNSHINE’ music video as an ode to my Filipino heritage was incredible. I never would have imagined when I moved to the US that I would have a platform like the one we have to share my culture with the world. I hope others see these, find pride in their culture within it, and continue to spread the love of representation. I also hope other Filipinos watch our video and see our flag waving proudly throughout it.”
photo courtesy of north star boys
What were your reactions to seeing the finished music video?
Darren Liang: “The Stars loved the finished music video. We were lucky enough to be in the Philippines when the music video was released. We had a meet and greet where thousands of fans told us how much they loved the music and how they felt through the representation. We started NSB because we wanted to be the representation in media that we never saw growing up. It is heartwarming to see that our growth is inspiring others.”
I know you guys just had an insane meet and greet in the Philippines. Can you tell us about the experience? What did it mean to you?
Ryan Nguyen: “The meet and greet in the Philippines was definitely a highlight of our career so far. There were thousands of fans that showed up. There were more people than we ever could have imagined would show up. It is amazing to see how many people resonate with our music and content. Stars were so happy to see that we made our way to the Philippines. It was an experience like no other and we hope to do that again soon.”
With the success of your last meet and greet, do you plan on having any more? If so, where?
Kane Ratan: “The meet and greets in the Philippines were amazing. We definitely plan to have other meet and greets in the states. We did one in NYC in April and actually shut down the streets in Times Square because they were gridlock with traffic from how many fans we had come out to say hello. At that point in time, we had never experienced anything that crazy and now it feels like they’re really taking off. I think Los Angeles and Florida would be amazing spots for our next meet and greets, but who knows, we might head down to Texas too.”
Having formed NSB in August 2021, your music career is just getting started. What’s next for you guys?
Justin Phan: “We have always been passionate about music and are so happy to transition into the music industry. We want to release an album and go on tour to be able to perform for our Stars. We would be nothing without our Stars and hope to meet as many as possible as we continue to grow in the industry.
As for other ventures, we just launched a boba tea brand called Mu Tea. We’re all obsessed with boba so it was only natural that we started a brand dedicated to our cravings! Right now you can find it at Pot of Cha in Los Angeles, but we’re quickly going to be expanding nationally so be on the lookout.”