"I Want You" (stylized in

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) is a song recorded by the Filipino boy band

SB19 SB19 is a Filipino boy band that debuted in 2018, the pentad—consisting of members Pablo, Stell, Ken, Justin, and Josh Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since t ...

, taken from their second

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP), ''

Pagtatag! ''Pagtatag!'' (stylized in All caps, all uppercase; ) is the second extended play (EP) recorded by the Filipino boy band SB19, released by Sony Music Philippines on June 9, 2023. The EP includes songs of genres Pop music, pop, Electronic dance ...

'' (2023). Written by its producer, August Rigo, and the band's leader, Pablo, "I Want You" is a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and R&B love song about expressing desire for a person. Before the EP's release, Rigo teased working with SB19 in late 2022, following their previous collaboration with the boy band's rendition of

Eraserheads Eraserheads (sometimes stylized as ERASƎRHEADS or ƎRASƎRHƎADS) are a Filipino alternative rock band formed in 1989. With a line-up comprising Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro, and Raimund Marasigan, the band became one of the most ...

' "Christmas Party" (2022).

Sony Music Philippines Sony Music Philippines, Inc. is a record label based in the Philippines, which was founded in 1995 as an imprint of the international music label Sony Music Entertainment and a part of its Asia-Pacific chain. After the closure of the local labe ...

released the EP on June 9, 2023, with "I Want You" as its second track. Reviews from music critics applauded the boy band's ability to cross genres, and '' Billboard Philippines'' has listed "I Want You" as one of the best Filipino songs of 2023. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, directed by Jed Regala, depicted multiple scenes of the boy band underwater. The group promoted the song with live performances and included it on the set list of their

Pagtatag! World Tour The Pagtatag! World Tour was the second Concert tour, world tour headlined by the Filipino boy band SB19, launched to support their second extended play (EP), ''Pagtatag!'' (2023). The world tour comprises 18 shows that commenced on June 24, 202 ...

(2023). The song won the Wishclusive R&B Performance of the Year award at the Wish 107.5 Music Awards 2024.

Background and release

In late 2022, the Filipino boy band

embarked on their first world tour with the WYAT (Where You At) Tour. While touring, the boy band told in an interview with

CNN Philippines CNN Philippines (abbreviated as CNN PH) is a commercial broadcast, cable and satellite television network in the Philippines. It is owned and operated by Nine Media Corporation, together with Radio Philippines Network (RPN) as the main content ...

that the group is working on a new music release planned for 2023. Later, in a press conference, the band's leader, Pablo, revealed that the group's forthcoming music release would based on the word "" (). Other members added that they would explore different music genres and life experiences. SB19 and the record producer August Rigo first collaborated with the boy band's rendition of

' "Christmas Party", released on December 23, 2022, to celebrate Eraserheads' reunion concert. Rigo acknowledged their collaboration through a post on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, where he also teased the possibility of working together in the future. On April 29, 2023, SB19 posted a trailer for their second

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP), ''

'', on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and announced its release date. It marked the band's first new musical release since ''

Pagsibol ''Pagsibol'' is the first extended play of Filipino boy band SB19, released on July 22, 2021, by Sony Music. It consists of six tracks and is preceded by four singles, " What?", "Mapa", "Bazinga" and SLMT. Background and development SB19 lea ...

'' (2021).

released the EP on June 9, 2023, consisting of six tracks; "I Want You" appears as its second track.

Composition and lyrics

"I Want You" is three minutes and forty-three seconds long. It was written by the song's producer, August Rigo, and the band's leader, Pablo. Heo Chan-goo of Knob Sound Korea mixed and mastered the song. The media has described the track as a "sensual" slow-paced love song that spans

and R&B genres, inspired by the 1990s music. The lyrics are provocative and take a point of view of having a desire for a person they love: "I wanna fall on my knees beg for your body on me / 'Cause I want you / You know how I like it / Girl, I want you."

Critical reception

The song was met with positive reviews from music critics. Justine Rey of ''Scout'' magazine opined that SB19 suited well with the R&B genre of "I Want You" and praised the song's mystery, intimacy, and authenticity. ''Nylon Manila'''s Rafael Bautista considered the song an "immersive track" and noted how the song showcased the boy band's raw passion and emotions. Gabriel Saulog of '' Billboard Philippines'' praised the song's vocals and saw the possible potential of what the boy band could explore in their future projects. In ''Billboard Philippines'' year-end list of top Filipino songs of 2023, "I Want You" was included, with Jenny Fernandez remarking that the song is an unexpected addition to SB19's discography and praised what the boy band can do. In a separate review by the magazine, the song ranked among the best songs from the group's discography. The song won the Wishclusive R&B Performance of the Year award at the Wish 107.5 Music Awards 2024.

Promotion

The

for "I Want You", directed by Jed Regala, was released on June 9, 2023, the same day as the release of ''Pagtatag!''. The video is "sultry-themed" and depicts SB19 in seductive scenes, some of them shot underwater. The video also featured scenes using overlaid images, smoke elements, and nature visuals. "I Want You" was included on the set list of the boy band's second world tour, the

(2023). Aside from touring, SB19 promoted the song with other live performances. The boy band first performed the song on the noontime variety show ''ASAP Natin 'To'' on June 11, 2023. The band reprised their performance during their appearance at PPOPCON 2023. In the United States, they put on a

street performance Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

of the song, including other songs from the EP, on Hollywood Boulevard and at

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

. The boy band also performed the song during their appearance at the BYS Fashion Week 2023. They released an official live performance video of the song via

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

and the song's

. *

vocals * August Rigosongwriter, producer * John Paulo Nasesongwriter * Heo Chan-goo mixing, mastering

References

{{Authority control SB19 songs 2023 songs English-language Filipino songs Songs written by August Rigo