Bini on the photos they wish they took
If you didn’t take a picture, did it really happen? Sure, the best things in life are best enjoyed by being fully present in the moment. But human memory can be a fickle and unreliable thing. And if your life is a hectic cycle of travel and performances like the members of the girl group Bini, it’s not a crime to take as many pictures as your phone storage allows. After all, there’s nothing stopping you from documenting anything and everything with a single tap.
But while reminiscing through swipes is undeniably convenient, taking a trip down memory lane doesn’t quite feel the same without a photo album to flip through, travel trinkets to display, or instant prints to shuffle in your hands. “It’s still a different feeling when you have something you can hold,” leader Jhoanna says in Lifestyle Inquirer’s recent interview with the group.
The rest of Bini agree and share the same love for physical keepsakes. Gwen has been “capturing my memories” in Polaroids since her stint in “Pinoy Big Brother” Season 8. Jhoanna makes it a point to buy a vinyl record at every tour stop. (“Sosyal,” Colet teasingly blurts out.)
Aside from collecting fridge magnets, Mikha is a big fan of sticker prints and hasn’t come across a photo booth she didn’t enter. “I pin them on a board at home,” she says. And then there’s Maloi with her trusty film camera.
“I have the photos developed and display them in my room, so I can relive the memories—especially those from our tours,” Maloi says. “I want to be reminded of the experiences we’ve had—and how much fun they were and how they left a mark on me.”
Something tangible
That’s why it only made perfect sense for Bini—also composed of Aiah, Colet, Stacey, and Sheena—to release a collection of never-before-seen images as part of the group’s fourth anniversary celebration. Titled “Journey Through the Biniverse: A Bini Photo Journal,” the book chronicles the eight artists’ career so far, from their pre-debut “Da Coconut Nut” era to the P-pop force they are now today.
Aside from photos, the book also features QR codes that trigger voiceovers and lead to heartfelt audio messages dedicated to the Blooms, the group’s beloved, ever-supportive fanbase. “We wanted to have something tangible, like a family album we can revisit,” Colet says.
For Aiah, poring over the photo journal felt like going back in time and reliving all the happy moments she has had with the girls. “I found it very nostalgic because it reminded me of our early days. As you go from one chapter to another, you will see how much we have evolved,” she says. “It may be just a book, but it means a lot to us.”
Especially meaningful for them are photos from their first major solo show—three sold-out nights at the New Frontier Theater last June 2024. Because while they capture one of the group’s early tastes of triumph, the images also reveal the challenges they faced to get there.
“A lot happened leading up to that, personally and as a team. We did so many things to prepare. We got sick. We got exhausted before the show could even happen,” Aiah recalls. “But the good thing was that we managed to pull through.”
Still, 228 pages of photos aren’t nearly enough to contain all the milestones—or even the seemingly mundane routines and tasks—that they have shared together. And if there were a season in their lives they wished they could have immortalized in a snapshot, it would be the bonding sessions they had on the third floor of the “Bini house”—the Quezon City home where they used to live.
“We had movie nights there on our rest days. We even slept there sometimes,” Stacey recalls. “It was during the pandemic and we couldn’t really go out, so we would just hang out on the balcony, peeking outside and wishing we could.” Her story elicits a chorus of awws from the rest of the girls. “Nakaka-miss!” she says.
“Lagi kasi kaming naka-pambahay kaya hindi nagpi-picture,” Gwen jests.
“It was where our perspectives in life were shaped early on,” adds Maloi, who says she would have probably taken photos of their dance practices or of them randomly rehearsing “Born to Win“ ten times over—if only she could go back in time. “Pati na rin ’yung mga open forum naming paulit-ulit lang pero wala namang nangyayari,” she says.
There are still many moments Jhoanna wishes she had something to remember them by. But she has no regrets. “They still happened,” she stresses. “I think it only means we were so caught up in those experiences.”
Turning pain into power
After this chat, the girls proceeded to the Dolphy Theater in the ABS-CBN headquarters for a book-signing event with 88 lucky fans. But aside from treating the crowd to fun games and interactive segments, they also took a moment to reflect and talk about how they deal with ridicule and controversy.
While they didn’t address a specific incident, Bini recently made headlines after filing a case against an unnamed individual allegedly behind a “maliciously spliced” street food reaction video, which, according to the group’s legal counsel, “unjustly threw them in a bad light.”
“I’m not gonna pretend it doesn’t affect me at all. We hear it, we feel it,” Gwen admits. “But as they say, choose your battles. If there’s a lesson to be learned, I learn it. If we get hurt, we turn it into motivation to do better.”
And maybe, Jhoanna suggests, criticism only shows that people are still watching—that their voices still matter.
“I think it’s scarier when no one cares anymore,” she says, adding that they would rather turn the noise and the pain into power. “Because people will always have something to say, regardless. If you make a mistake, they will get mad. If you’re too nice, they will say you’re too good to be true.”
Behind the cameras, their bond has grown beyond friendship into sisterhood. “It’s either eight or nothing,” says Sheena, who finds comfort in knowing they have each other. “Even if we’re not physically together, I can still feel their presence—even in group chats! We know we’re not alone in this journey, and we have each other to share our struggles and successes with.”
“More than anything, it’s the family we have built that matters,” Maloi adds. “That’s irreplaceable—something we will take with us till the end.”
Besides, no amount of negativity can diminish the impact their words and music have had on their fans. Now, they look ahead—and there’s so much to be excited about: an upcoming new album, regional events, festival appearances, all culminating in “Binified,” a year-end party at the Philippine Arena on Nov. 29.
“People saying that our music saved them is very touching,” Mikha says. “That our music has reached people in such meaningful ways. [It] makes us appreciate what we do even more and motivates us to create better songs.”
