It was a full-circle moment for Star Magic head Lauren Dyogi as the nation’s girl group BINI reached a new milestone with their historic debut at Coachella.
In a series of TikTok videos, Direk Lauren reflected on the overwhelming emotions he felt watching the group perform on one of the world’s biggest music stages, reminding him of their earliest days.
“I feel this is the start of something big. This is the same feeling I had for NFT (New Frontier Theater). I felt na it’s again a start. It was a beginning of a journey for the girls. At that time, naramdaman ko na na marami pang pwedeng gawin ang BINI in the future and it’s the same thing I had sa Coachella,” he said.
The starmaker looked back on BINI's planned launch in 2020, which faced major setbacks due to the global pandemic and the shutdown of ABS-CBN.
“We were supposed to launch the girls, but we couldn’t do it kasi maraming nangyari,” he recalled. “There were global issues sa COVID and at the same time the shutdown of ABS-CBN and we don’t know ano mangyayari sa amin.”
He noted how similar uncertainties continue to happen now: “There’s a global crisis started (this year) with the war in the Middle East and then another issue with ABS-CBN na there’s a threat of supposedly our closure in December last year and until now we are facing issues in the company. Parang nauulit yung nangyari before.”
Despite these parallels, Direk Lauren described BINI’s Coachella appearance as one of the group’s biggest blessings. The team first received the invitation in July last year, but had to keep the news under wraps.
“When we received the news of Coachella in July last year, we couldn’t tell the girls right away because we were in NDA and hindi pwede sabihin kaagad. We were afraid if it leaks out baka matanggal kami, like pull out the invitation,” he added.
The challenges for the team did not stop there.
“When we started preparing for it, even if we don’t verbalize it, it’s a big pressure not only for the team, but especially for BINI,” Direk Lauren shared. “Lahat kami lumabas yung mga insecurities namin, the fear of what would happen, especially it’s a big opportunity.”
Fortunately, the team’s bond and relationship helped them overcome the difficulties.
“We went through that but dahil na rin sa malalim na pinagsamahan ng grupo, we were able to get in our act together and we did whatever we needed to do to come up with a good show,” he expressed.
Direk Lauren revealed that just weeks before BINI’s first performance, they encountered various challenges, from visa applications, health problems as well as financial struggles that ABS-CBN was experiencing.
“Before we flew here, Mikha had to have her wisdom teeth taken out. Apat ata pinatanggal niya dahil sobrang sakit and hindi na mataas so she had to missed some classes because she had to recuperate for more than a week,” Direk Lauren revealed.
“Yung pukpukan ng rehearsals, yung applications ng visa namin, application ng visa ng Besties, it took some time. Halos almost deadline na noong lumabas ang visa ng kasamahan namin and that was really tough,” he continued.
He also said the whole team needed to cut expenses and do things on their own to keep everything on a tight budget. Thankfully, others provided help and support for the group,
“Planning pa lang ng Coachella, ang dami na naming struggle financially. Kailangan naming magtipid kasi wala ng pera ang ABS-CBN and whatever we were getting from Coachella was not enough for all our expenses considering we need to cover our cost for airfare and all expenses by Coachella. Good thing may tumulong na sa amin. PAL was able to help us out sa airfare,” he said.
“But, budget wise we need to cut down on the team. Sobra kaming lean dito. Halos kami kami lang gumagalaw dito. Coach Mickey is also driving the vehicle. Kami kami nagtutulong tulong sa pagkain, sa grocery, sa paglilinis ng bahay. We live in two houses as we are party of around 30 people. We also have local support through TFC.”
Amid the challenges, Direk Lauren also commended the girls for being good team players.
“The girls also, I have so much respect for them kasi wala silang arte, wala silang reklamo. They are willing to rough it up like cowboys. They carry their own stuff as they usually do. They cook for themselves, they wash dishes, they clean up. Kudos to them for also being team players and alam nila ang sitwasyon ngayon sa Pilipinas at sa ABS-CBN,” he stated.
Following their viral Coachella debut, BINI has continued to make Filipinos proud on the global stage. The group recently performed at the GRAMMY Museum and is set to receive the Global Force honor at the Billboard Women in Music on April 29. They are also scheduled to appear on the Los Angeles morning show Good Day L.A.
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READ: BINI set to receive Global Force Award from Billboard Women In Music 2026
After their U.S. engagements, BINI will return home for upcoming concerts in Manila and Cebu before heading to more international stops.