SB19 and Ben&Ben’s song ‘MAPA’ made it to a playlist by the US Secretary of State

The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently shared a playlist consisting of favourite songs from around the world – including the track ‘MAPA’ by Filipino bands SB19 and Ben&Ben.

• READ MORE: The 25 best Asian albums of 2021

The Spotify playlist, first shared on December 31, is titled ‘On The Road’, and is made up of “some of my favourite songs released this year (or recently), by artists around the world,” per Bliken.

Music brings people together–it transcends borders and everything else that might otherwise divide us. As we close 2021, I’m sharing some of my favorite songs released this year (or recently), by artists around the world. Hope you enjoy as much as I have. https://t.co/KYiXQiVrx0 pic.twitter.com/Ln2F0zHxaJ

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 31, 2021

“Music brings people together – it transcends borders and everything else that might otherwise divide us,” Blinken wrote on social media.

‘On The Road’ notably includes Ben&Ben’s full-band version of SB19’s ‘MAPA’, off the latter’s 2021 debut EP, ‘Pagsibol’. The collaborative rework of the track arrived in late June alongside a music video featuring both groups performing the track live.

Check out the US Secretary Of State Anthony Blinken’s ‘On The Road’ playlist below.

The 36-track playlist includes a handful of global hits including The Weeknd’s ‘Save Your Tears’, Adele’s ‘Hold On’ and Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ featuring DaBaby. It also includes songs from artists like Vance Joy (Australia), MINZY (South Korea) and Koffee (Jamaica).

SB19 most recently released a remix of ‘No Stopping You’ featuring Jayda Avanzado on December 27. Earlier that month, they were named the Philippines’ Youth and Sentro Rizal ambassadors by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Ben&Ben, who are up for the Best Asian Album and Best Asian Band awards at the 2022 BandLab NME Awards, released their sophomore album ‘Pebble House, Vol. 1: Kuwaderno’ in late August.

The album earned the band the sixth spot on NME’s 25 Best Asian Albums of 2021 list, with writer PJ Caña calling the release “a mature accomplishment from the young stars”.

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