Josh Cullen Santos (born October 22, 1993) is a Filipino singer. He is the lead rapper and vocalist of the Filipino

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

SB19 managed under 1Z Entertainment.

Early life

Cullen was born on October 22, 1993, in Las Piñas, Manila, Philippines. He has one older sibling. He revealed on a YouTube vlog that a single mother raised him and he never met his biological father. In the same vlog, Cullen revealed that he was a victim of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

by their nanny while their mother was at work. Cullen and his family struggled financially leading to his intermittent schooling, and graduated high school at a later age. After graduating, Cullen worked as a computer technician and a call center agent prior to auditioning as a talent.

Career

2016–2018: Pre-debut

In 2016, South Korean entertainment company ShowBT branched out in the Philippines and opened a talent audition for Filipinos aspiring to become professional performers. Santos, among the participants, was chosen later on for a 5-member boy band. Santos started training which is a common practice for

K-Pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

bands prior to debut. Voice and dance classes, body conditioning, personality development, and the like were trained. On several accounts, the SB19 members recalled how rigorous the sessions were wherein hours of nonstop and unpaid training daily while juggling with their work. But more than the training, it was the threat of failing their weekly evaluation and the possibility of being eliminated. According to Santos in an interview, During his training, he drew inspirations from Filipino hip hop artists Loonie,

Gloc-9 Aristotle Condenuevo Pollisco (born October 18, 1977), known professionally as Gloc-9, is a Filipino rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as one of the best Filipino rappers of all-time, his fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of th ...

, Shanti Dope, and Smugglaz. He also admired the styles of Bigbang's G-Dragon, and BTS.

2018–2022: Debut as ''SB19'' and breakthrough

On October 26, 2018, Santos debuted with fellow members Pablo, Stell, Justin, and Ken as P-Pop group known as SB19. Their debut single "Tilaluha" was written by fellow member Pablo, but its success was not widely acclaimed. With a message centered on heartbreak and unrequited love, the song was intended to introduce the band and their powerful vocals in which it debuted poorly to charts. The initial poor reception for the group and their singles almost led to the band's disbandment. SB19's second single "

Go Up "Go Up" is a song recorded by Filipino boy band SB19, released on July 26, 2019, as the second single of their debut album ''Get in the Zone''. It was written by all of the members of the group and produced by Oh Won Lee and Glow. It has won Song ...

" was released on July 19, 2019. They described the song as their "last shot" because they had decided to disband if their career would not progress after. The group had gained public attention after the dance practice video of the song went viral due to a tweet of a fan account. Opportunities opened and the group started to appear in multiple radio and television outlets, both local and internationally. On 2021, SB19 became the first Filipino and Southeast Asian act to be nominated in

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

for Top Social Artist along with BTS, Blackpink,

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

, and

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

—which BTS won. It marked the first-ever appearance of a Filipino artist in the Billboard Music Awards. In 2022, Santos joined his independent musician cousins Ocho the Bullet and Carrot Mayor on their track "Sofa (Remix)", released on YouTube and Apple Music.

2023–present: Wild Tonight, debut as solo artist

On February 24, Josh Cullen made his debut as a solo artist, releasing a single called "Wild Tonight". He co-produced the material with Ace Santos, his cousin.

Discography

As lead artist

Production credits

All song credits are adapted from the Tidal, unless otherwise noted.

Videography

Live performances

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Josh SB19 members 1993 births Living people Filipino singer-songwriters English-language singers from the Philippines Filipino male pop singers Filipino male dancers Filipino male models Filipino dance musicians People from Imus Singers from Cavite Sony Music Philippines artists ShowBT Entertainment artists