"Dungka!" (stylized in

all uppercase In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

) is a song recorded by the Filipino boy band

SB19 SB19 is a Filipino boy band formed in 2018, consisting of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin. They are noted for their contributions to the contemporary Pinoy pop scene and became the first Southeast Asian act to be nominated on the Billboa ...

for their third

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP), ''

Simula at Wakas ''Simula at Wakas'' () is the third extended play (EP) recorded by the Filipino boy band SB19. Sony Music Philippines released it on April 25, 2025. The band's leader, Pablo, produced the majority of the EP with Joshua Daniel Nase, Simon Servi ...

'' (2025). The band's leader, Pablo, wrote the song and co-produced it with his brother Joshua Daniel Nase. It is an

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

song

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...

aimed at haters, with lyrics demanding them to leave, uttering the phrase "''doon ka''" (). "Dungka!" is listed as the sixth track on the EP, which Sony Music Philippines released on April 25, 2025. "Dungka!" received favorable reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, who complimented Pablo's songwriting and his use of

wordplay Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...

. The song was an entry to

record charts A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...

; it peaked at number 21 on the

Philippines Hot 100 The Philippines Hot 100 is a record chart in the Philippines, published weekly by ''Billboard Philippines''. First issued on June 12, 2017, it ranks the top songs by local and foreign artists and reflects the music consumption in the country. ...

and number 7 on ''Billboard''

World Digital Song Sales The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—its first issue was dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-speci ...

. The accompanying

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

, directed by Kerbs Balagtas, featured

Filipino culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by great ethnic diversity. Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures were all shaped by ...

and depicted the band in the streets showing allegiance to their community while opposing an antagonist who threatened the locals. SB19 promoted the song with live performances, including during their television appearance on ''It's Showtime'', and included it on the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

of their

Simula at Wakas World Tour The Simula at Wakas World Tour is the ongoing third world tour headlined by the Filipino boy band SB19, launched to support their third extended play (EP), '' Simula at Wakas'' (2025). The tour comprises 19 shows that commenced on May 31, 2025, ...

(2025).

Background and release

The Filipino boy band

released their first

(EP), ''

Pagsibol ''Pagsibol'' () is the first extended play of Filipino boy band SB19, released on July 22, 2021, by Sony Music Philippines. It consists of six tracks, of which four were also released as singles, " What?", " Mapa", " Bazinga" and "SLMT". It wa ...

'' (), in 2021, exploring genres such as

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, and EDM, departing from the

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

production from their debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''

Get in the Zone ''Get in the Zone'' is the debut studio album by Filipino boy band SB19, released on July 31, 2020, by Sony Music Philippines. It contains six original compositions, an electronic remix, and two instrumentals. It was the best selling album of 20 ...

'' (2020). Pablo, the band's leader, revealed in an interview with Zach Sang that ''Pagsibol'' and their future releases are part of a

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

, the others being '' Pagtatag!'' () and ''

'' (). In 2023, the group released their second EP, ''Pagtatag!'', the trilogy's second installment. The EP includes the single, " Gento" (2023), which scored their first entry to two

, including in the Philippines, where the single peaked at number eight. The following year, they confirmed during the premiere night for ''Pagtatag!: The Documentary'' (2024) that they are currently working with ''Simula at Wakas''. On January 31, 2025, SB19 published a trailer via their social media accounts. In it, they revealed the title of their third EP, ''Simula and Wakas'', and announced its release date. The EP's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

, "

Dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

", was released ahead of the EP on February 28, achieving commercial success. On April 7, the band announced the EP's track list, along with the names of the songwriters and producers involved in the record. Out of seven tracks in the EP, "Dungka!" is listed as track six. Sony Music Philippines released ''Simula at Wakas'' on April 25 through digital download and

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

formats.

Composition and lyrics

"Dungka!" is 3 minutes and 35 seconds in length. Pablo, the band's leader, wrote the song by himself and co-produced it with his brother Joshua Daniel Nase; they also mixed and

mastered Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source from which all copies will be ...

the song together. The song's title, "Dungka!", is a

derived from the Tagalog phrase "''doon ka''", which translates to "go over there" in English, a motif that served as a

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

in the song's lyrics. Musically, the song is characterized as

with elements of genres such as

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

hyperpop Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on p ...

and

rave music A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

, accompanied by

catchy Catchiness is how easy it is for a song, tune, or phrase to be recalled. It is often taken into account when writing songs, catchphrases, advertising slogans, jingles etc. Alternatively, it can be defined as how difficult it is for one to forget i ...

pounding beats. Rome Saenz of ''

Billboard Philippines ''Billboard Philippines'' (also shortened as ''Billboard PH'') is a Philippine music and entertainment media brand and magazine owned by Modern Media Group, serving as the local edition of the ''Billboard'' magazine. It publishes news, video ...

'' described the song's production as "blaring ndsharp", while Rafael Bautista of ''

Nylon Manila ''Nylon'' is an American multimedia brand and publishing company, which produces a lifestyle magazine that focuses on pop culture and fashion. Its coverage includes art, beauty, music, design, celebrities, technology and travel. Originally a pri ...

'' and ''Preview'' Kyla Villena describing it as "loud". Lyrically, "Dungka!" is interpreted as a

against SB19's haters, responding to the criticisms and

name-calling Name-calling is a form of argument in which insulting or demeaning labels are directed at an individual or group. This phenomenon is studied by a variety of academic disciplines such as anthropology, child psychology, and political science. It is a ...

imposed on them, and those who are doubting their capabilities. In the lyrics, the phrase "''doon ka''" is prominent, a common Filipino expression that signifies displeasure, which was used in the song to convey that negativity and undesirable people are unwelcome and should leave. Other lyrics also follow a similar theme, like "''Kung 'di mo 'to gusto, tumabi ka d'yan''" (), further insisting that their critics should go away.

Reception

"Dungka!" received favorable reviews from

, many of whom complimented Pablo's songwriting. Writing for ''The Philippine Star'', Kathleen Llemit noted Pablo's preference for using wordplay, adding that she considers it a "testament f hissongwriting skills". Ann Jenireene Gomez of the ''Daily Tribune'' described the use of wordplay "witty" and a "cheeky way to shoo away negative energy", while Dayne Aduna of ''VMan Southeast Asia'' regard it as a playful way to alter an everyday Filipino phrase. The song's noisy production was also a key topic, with critics noting that, despite it sounding loud, ''Nylon Manila'' Rafael Bautista opined that the noise still resonates in a good way.'''' Rome Saenz of ''Billboard Philippines'' considered the song "irresistibly catchy", despite its noisy production. ''Inquirer'' Pauline Miranda also compared it with the group's 2021 single " Bazinga", which she referred to as its "more fun ndunbothered brother". ''Bandwagon'' Hidzir Junaini opined that "Dungka!" is a surprising track in the EP, while Bautista finds it as one of the tracks that stood out from ''Simula at Wakas.'' Commercially, "Dungka!" was an entry for SB19 on

upon the release of ''Simula at Wakas''. In the Philippines, the song entered two ''Billboard Philippines'' charts, debuting and peaking at number 21 on the

and number 14 on the Top Philippine Songs during the week of May 10, 2025. In the same week, the song debuted and peaked at number seven on ''Billboard''

chart, marking their third entry on the chart, following "Gento" (2023) and "Dam" (2025).

Music video and promotion

Kerbs Balagtas directed the accompanying

for "Dungka!", which was surprise-released on April 25, 2025, on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

, the same day as the release of ''Simula at Wakas''. The music video is themed around street credibility and is set in the chaotic streets of

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

, depicting SB19 showing their allegiance to the local community. They were circumventing around the antagonist, played by social media personality Ghost Wrecker, who taunts and threatens the locals, with people later coming together to oppose him. The video also showed activities relevant to the

, including

Zumba Zumba is a fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. It was founded by Colombian dancer and choreographer Beto Pérez in 2001. It currently has 200,000 locations, with 15 million people taking classes weekly, and is locat ...

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

, activism,

street basketball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...

, ten-twenty, and band members participating in a

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults, wordplay and Diss (music), disses originating in the African Americans, African-Amer ...

. The group also gathered together to raise social awareness, raising posters and signs with text including "''Iangat ang sining na Pilipino''" () and "''Sining ang sandata sa kulturang mapagpalaya''" (). The music video received favorable reviews for depicting Filipino culture. It was regarded as a tribute to individuality, community, diversity, and everyday life, while calling out negativity and raising one's voice for change. Writers highlighted a scene from the video where the antagonist was eating a crab, which they interpreted as a symbol for

crab mentality Crab mentality, also known as crab theory, crabs in a bucket mentality, or the crab-bucket effect, describes the mindset of people who try to prevent others from gaining a favorable position, even if attaining such position would not directly i ...

among Filipinos. The video featured a large number of celebrity cameos, with Rafael Bautista of ''Nylon Manila'' considering it the band's "most star-studded music video". Aside from Ghost Wrecker, the

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

includes comedian

Vice Ganda Jose Marie Borja Viceral (born March 31, 1976), known professionally as Vice Ganda (), is a Filipino comedian, actor, host, singer and television personality. He is considered one of the most successful entertainers in Philippine show business ...

, actress and singer Maymay Entrata,

Ben&Ben Ben&Ben are a Filipino Indie folk, indie folk-pop band from Metro Manila, Manila. They were formed in 2016 by twin brothers Paolo and Miguel Benjamin Guico (lead vocals and acoustic guitars), calling themselves The Benjamins. A year later, they ...

members Pat Lasaten and Agnes Reoma, rappers

Shehyee Christopher John Rosales Ongkiko (born February 13, 1992), who records under his stage name Shehyee, is a Filipino rapper, songwriter and internet personality best known for his 2013 hit single, Trip Lang, and his participation in the popular F ...

and Smugglaz, cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao, gamer Jayat, and social media personalities Kween Yasmin, Malupiton,

Mimiyuuuh Jeremy Lomibao Sancebuche (born November 11, 1996), also known as Mimiyuuuh or Mimi, is a Filipino vlogger and YouTuber. Sancebuche initially gained popularity after posting a video lip syncing to the song "Dalaga" by ALLMO$T, which was part ...

, and Sassa Gurl, all of whom the band had collaborated with to help spread a message about diversity and uniqueness among people, including those in the

LGBTQ community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individu ...

. SB19 promoted "Dungka!" with live performances. Following the release of the EP on April 25, the band arranged a

flash mob A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people that assembles suddenly in a public place, performs for a brief time, then quickly disperses, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and/or artistic expression. Flash mobs may be organize ...

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

and performed the song with "Dam". The group followed it with a television performance of the song on April 26 during their appearance on the variety show ''It's Showtime''. On May 7, they appeared on the Wish 107.5 Bus, where they performed a three-song

comprising "Dungka!". In support of the EP, SB19 embarked on their third world tour, the

(2025), with the song included on its set list. Aside from live performances, a snippet of the song was featured in a video uploaded in June by

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. The song was also featured in a music video for the 2025 video game ''Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves''.

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the song's

. *

vocals * W3additional vocals * John Paulo Nasesongwriter, producer, mixing, mastering * Joshua Daniel Naseproducer, mixing, mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

References

{{SB19 SB19 songs 2025 songs Songs in Tagalog Hyperpop songs Techno songs Noise songs