Saturday, December 11, 2010

P-POP XLR8 MEMBERS



HIDEAKI TORIO


Hideaki has appeared in GMA shows like SIS, SOP, Sweetlife but he’s most commonly known as the Japanese singing hottie that loves to make witty and cute commnets with Master Showman, Kuya Germs in his longest running show Walang Tulugan.

As a struggling Japanese lad that made his way to the Philippine industry, did you know that he loves to study English and Filipino—his interest at par with playing guitars. Dubbed as the ‘pinakamakulit’ in the group, Hideaki or Aki didn’t find it hard to mingle with the boys inspite of the language barrier.

A big fan of Westlife, this guy is a walking package—he loves to dance and indeed an asset to XLR8. Believes that time is really gold, he also revels in the knowledge that there still are lots of honest and friendly people everywhere.

Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 140 lbs.
Shoe size: 9
Shirt size: Small to Medium

CALEB SANTOS

In every group, there always exist a guy who always lead the prayers, the one who gives hope to every struggling moment and believes that The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom—in XLR8, it’s no other than the humble and truly inspirational, Caleb Santos.

Caleb discovered his musical talent at a young age and apparently been enhanced by joining church choirs and school bands dedicating his passion to the Lord. Aside from singing, we can also count on him when it comes to dancing and playing the guitars and drums—it’s something so admirable about this guy who can also leave you swooning for his killer looks.

A big fan of K-pop, Caleb believes that Filipinos can also rock hard and inspire the whole world. XLR8 is focused to give power-packed entertainment and inspiration and Caleb will definitely justify to that Filipino talent.

Height: 5’10’’
Weight: 132 lbs.
Shoe size: 11
Shirt: Medium

ADRIAN MUHLACH

Boasting hot looks and exceptional acting talent, Adrian comes from the family that brought us Aga Muhlach. Yes, because he is Aga’s younger brother.

Adrian, as an actor in training join in the newest boy group from Viva, XLR8. He is one of the boys that will leave us amazed after each performance as they exhibit the ultimate teen singing and dancing power.
Aside from singing, dancing and acting Adrian or AJ knows how to play the drums and guitars very well.
He also appeared in commercials like Poten Cee Vitamin C and Mama Sita BBQ Marinade Commercial, our talented hottie also dreamed of leading on a movie and get to work with his brother in a film someday—a dream he’s not so far from realizing.

Weight : 136lbs.
Height : 5'7
Shoe Size : 9 1/2 or 10
Shirt Size : Medium

MM MAGNO

His looks can be truly identical to his twin, MJ. Although they both made it to XLR8, MJ got his very own style to boast.

An optimist that loves dancing and playing musical instruments, MM has appeared into various celebrated shows like ASAP ’09, Wowowee, Tayong Dalawa, SIS, Master Showman, All Star K and The Buzz. A self-confessed showbiz addict, this guy got the looks and wit to make it to the business.

Started singing at the age 6, he was a veteran joining school competition that helps him improve his trade. Together with the rest of the boys, MM will make you swoon and want for more in every powerful performance.

ARKIN DEL ROSARIO

Arkin may have been the youngest in the group yet he doesn’t fail to give a ray of sunshine to every conundrum XLR8 faces along their way to stardom.

At 11, he discovered that he has good singing talent, as a matter of fact he would appear regularly on professional stage plays like Florante at Laura, El Filibusterismo and Ibong Adarna among others showcasing this to awed audience. One of them would be Geleen Eugenio who would eventually introduced Arkin to Viva.

This optimist and joyous lad believe that when people point out your weaknesses and makes fun of you, it’s an opportunity for you to rise above.

Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 130 lbs.
Shirt: size S to M
Shoes:  9 1/2

CARLO LAZERNA

Carlo has the creative mind who thought of naming his group XLR8. As a guy who believes that the best blaze burns the brightest when circumstances are at their worst, his creativity shines on their performance.

A pizza enthusiast, Carlo started loving singing at age 13 and would eventually appear at dance recitals and later on in Master Showman at GMA7. His musical influences include the King of Pop, Michael Jackson who he idolizes so much for creating a revolution in the music scene. He also is tremendously influenced by K-pop, J-pop and Anime Songs that he loves listening to as it gives him inspiration to conceptualize their own P-pop style.

Height: 5’9’’
Weight: 140 lbs.
Shirt: size Small
Shoes:  11 ½

FRANCIS ALBERT  “KIKO” RAMOS

Francis Albert Ramos or simply Kiko just used to love dance competitions on TV, he didn’t know that this enthusiasm would lead him to showcase his own style and dancing power. The boy who loved every challenging episodes of America’s Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance can also be dubbed as the hyper lad in Viva’s prided boy group, XLR8.

Not only can he dance, this boy contributes a very energetic voice to harmonize with the rest of the boys and create such enigmatic energy in their performances. Belives in “No Pain, No Gain” mantra, Kiko would definitely give his best shot for the improvement of their group. We know that he will pull it off because of his natural love to music and dancing.

Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 145 lbs.
Shirt: Small to Large
Shoes:  10

MELJOHN OR MJ

Meljohn or MJ is one of the Magno twins who definitely deserves the right to be in Viva’s newest boy group, XLR8.

At a very young age of 16, MJ know that he loves singing and performing in front of many people. Together with his twin MM, they usually perform in special family occasions to the amazement of their relatives and later on would take voice lessons to improve their craft.

His lokks can be widely associated with Korean manner but this 19 year old hottie love exhibiting his own style—as a matter of fact, aside from playing numerous musical instruments like drums, organ and guitars we can consider him an ace in composing new songs.

He has appeared in GMA shows like Sis, Walang Tulugan and All-Star K. Watch him rock the stage with the boys as he know how o give the best shot for this opportunity and he knows how to make good use of it.

Height: 5’7.5’’
Weight: 120 lbs.
Shirt: size extra small
Shoes:  9

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE:

OFFICIAL FAN FORUM:

OFFICIAL CHATROOM:
http://p-pop.chatango.com/

credits to: Viva Records

ABOUT XLR8



XLR8 is a sing and dance boy group in the Philippines under VIVA Records' P-Pop Label. XLR8 is composed of Hideaki Torio, Carlo Lazerna, the identical twins MJ and MM Magno, AJ Muhlach, Kiko Ramos, Arkin Del Rosario and Caleb Santos. They are regularly seen on the Sunday noontime variety show Party Pilipinas aired on GMA 7.


History

Background

Sometime in 2008, media mogul Vic Del Rosario of VIVA media franchise decided to form a boyband under his recording company; VIVA Records.[1] First to be part of the project boyband was then stage performer Kiko Ramos followed by tv host and commercial model Hideaki Torio, ramp and commercial model Carlo Lazerna and underground band member and church choir singer Caleb Santos.[1][2] After series of trainings VIVA decided to add one more member; then theater actor and commercial model Arkin Del Rosario soon joined their line up.[1][2]Still unsatisfied, VIVA added two more members who happens to be twins; former Star Magic contract talent Melmar Magno and aspiring singer Meljohn Magno.[1][2] Several members joined and left but the last to seal the final eight members was the commercial model, aspiring actor and VIVA's contract talent AJ Muhlach.[1][2] All final eight members continued to train together for their singing and dancing skills and then worked on their debut album.[2]

XLR8 Group Name

XLR8 member Carlo Lazerna was the one who thought of the name for their group which was inspired by a character from an Americancartoon series Ben 10. XLR8; the cartoon character is an Omnitrix alien that resembles a semi-armored velociraptor, the base creature for the form's design.[3] XLR8 is pronounced as ‘’accelerate’’ in relation to its “Kineceleran”(portmanteau of the words 'kinetic and 'accelerate') nature that equates to its power and its speed in attacks and motion. [3] Thus, naming their boy group as such reflects the group’s success goals and artistry is in accelerating mode. They also named their official Fan Club as A.FM or “Accelerated for Music” relevant to their group name.


2010: Debut

XLR8's first live TV appearance was on Party Pilipinas on GMA 7 on March 28, 2010 where they performed their promotional song entitled "You're So Hot".

Controversies and Criticism

Fans of the KPOP group Super Junior accused XLR8 of copying the beat of the said KPOP group's song "Sorry, Sorry". Fans also complained that XLR8's album cover bore similarities to Super Junior's album cover for "Sorry, Sorry"

Discography

Studio album

#InformationTracklistingNotes
1st
  1. "You're So Hot"
  2. "Tonight's The Night"
  3. "I Wish Lang"
  4. "Dance with Me"
  5. "I Love You Girl"
  6. "I'll Be there"
  7. "She Was Mine"
  8. "Anyway"
  9. "Miss Beautiful"
  10. "Precious Love"
  11. "For You"
  12. "Money Money"
Track # 4, 5 and 9 are written by MJ Magno

Official Singles

SingleTrack #AlbumRelease Date
You're so HotTrack 1XLR8March 2010
I Love You GirlTrack 5XLR8August 2010

Featured XLR8 Tracks

(Note: The table includes tracks from XLR8’s album used in various media.)
SingleTrack #AlbumMedia UsedDate Used
You're so HotTrack 1XLR8Take Me Out (Philippine game show) / GMA 7April 26, 2010 to July 2, 2010
Dance with MeTrack 4XLR8Working Girls 2010 (film) / GMA Films & VIVA FilmsApril 2010
Ms. BeautifulTrack 9XLR8Hating Kapatid (film) / VIVA FilmsJuly 2010

Unofficial and Unreleased XLR8 Tracks

Track NamePremiered / PerformedVenueDate Performed / Premiered/ Aired
You're so Hot (KPOP meets PPOP Remix)KPOP meets PPOP ConcertAraneta ColiseumJune 19, 2010
You’re so Hot / Bingeul, Bingeul RemixParty Pilipinas Sayaw EpisodeGMA 7 StudiosJuly 18, 2010
It’s time to XLR8(dedicated to A.FM)TBATBA