SB19's Josh debuts new single, music video 'Wild Tonight'

MANILA, Philippines — Josh Cullen Santos, one of the five members of P-pop group SB19, has debuted as a soloist with his single "Wild Tonight."

Josh is the third member of SB19 to release solo work after his colleagues Ken and Pablo.

At the launch party of "Wild Tonight," where Josh revealed an exclusive look at the song's official music video a day before its release, the singer discussed the project's formulation and how he finally got around to doing solo work.

The "Wild Tonight" music video is heavily inspired by classic B-horror movies, particularly vampires, mixed with modern settings and themes that Josh conceptualized. The singer even acknowledges how his name is the same as that of another famous literary vampire, Edward Cullen from "Twilight."

"I chose vampire because I play lots of video games. Alam ng mga tao 'yan ang main hobby ko," shared Josh, naming the games "Devil May Cry" and "Bloodhunt" for inspiration. He said his music video feels like viewers are in a game themselves.

WATCH: Josh Cullen plays a vampire in first solo music video "Wild Tonight"

Josh added that the traits of vengeance and vampires being floated as either heroes or villains attract him. He quipped that like a vampire, he feels like he doesn't age — a line in "Wild Tonight" even goes, "Hindi ako tumatanda."

"It's one of the hardest, but also one of the easiest sa feeling na gawin. Bakit? Siguro it's because it's all me," Josh said about finishing the song, admitting that he was involved in 90% of the music video's creation.

The 29-year-old singer said he wanted to execute the project the way he imagined it in his head, so a lot of the time he was the one handling things, "Feeling ko na-maximize naman talaga 'yung buong creative process nito and na-execute namin very well."

Josh acknowledged that he took SB19 into consideration before deciding to release his solo work.

"I talked to them na, 'Guys, I feel like gusto ko i-release 'yung mga kanta na ginagawa ko. Will you give me a chance at least?'" Josh shared. "Nagkausap kami and this was the perfect time to do it. Hindi naman kasi ako nagmamadali. Honestly, ako 'yung tipong 'yung tao na gusto buo na bago i-present sa tao."

The group was more than supportive of the venture, and Josh himself is happy to be embarking on a solo project as it has given him the chance to express his creativity and vision.

"Super important sa'kin na I work on my own pace. As much as I love doing it with the group, minsan kailangan mo ng time with yourself," added Josh, assuring that SB19 will still continue to do projects as a group.

WATCH: Josh Cullen (@JoshCullen_s) of SB19 (@SB19Official) performed his new single “Wild Tonight” live at an exclusive launch event on Feb. 23.

The song is now on all streaming platforms, and its official music video just released on YouTube. @PhilstarShowbiz @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/tDbdv98Wqe

— Kristofer Purnell (@kjpurneII) February 24, 2023

Josh hopes that people will not perceive this new journey of his as a one-off or a gimmick because, for him, it is embracing his true personality.

"This is just not a character or a gimmick. I don't want to be perceived [like that]. I'm doing this because I'm embracing my true personality. It reflects my experiences, whether good or bad [sa music na ginagawa ko ngayon]," he explained.

So what lies next? Josh smiled and said the cliche line of expecting the unexpected.

"Let's put it in a way na I'll continue creating meaningful and authentic [work], siguro something that's expected of me and unexpected as well," ended Josh. "Marami dapat abangan, feeling ko. SB19 was a hitmaker, but I can call myself a future hitmaker." — Video from Josh Cullen YouTube channel

RELATED: 'We finally got it': SB19 wows New York with concert, TV guesting