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Exclusive: A First Look at BINI’s “A Parallel World” for Dreamworks’ Forgotten Island

Photographed by Karl King Aguña

Photographed by Karl King Aguña

P-pop girl group BINI previews their original song “A Parallel World” and its choreography for Dreamworks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ at the Signals World Tour kickoff.

Tonight, BINI kicked off their Signals world tour at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila with a first look at their next global milestone, adding to a run of historic firsts for the group in recent months. 

Ahead of a tour that will bring the group to Cebu and international stops across North America, Europe, and Asia, the eight-member P-pop girl group’s opening show seemed a culmination of their milestones and seemingly unstoppable momentum. As a special surprise treat, the girls previewed part of “A Parallel World,” their newly announced song for the soundtrack of DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, an upcoming Filipino mythology-inspired film set for release on September 25, 2026. They also revealed a portion of the track’s dance and point choreography on stage. From this first exclusive glimpse, “A Parallel World” is an upbeat electronic-pop number with airy synth textures and a hopeful pulse.

Photographed by Karl King Aguña
Photographed by Karl King Aguña

Ahead of the announcement, BINI sat down with Vogue Philippines in an exclusive interview to talk all about their Forgotten Island experience and what it means to be part of Dreamworks’ inaugural Filipino-first film.

“It’s the first ever animated movie by Dreamworks about Filipinos, and that has all these Filipino elements, so it makes us feel seen and acknowledged,” Aiah shares. “We cried, actually! [Forgotten Island] talks about friendship; the struggles, the challenges they went through as friends.”

Photographed by Karl King Aguña
Photographed by Karl King Aguña

“Memories were the highlight,” Mikha chimes in. Aiah agrees: “It really resonates with us. We’ve gone through a lot of challenges. We hit the pandemic, the shutdown, and other tests and challenges, but we’re still together as a group.”

The girls describe the original track as a ‘feel-good road trip song.’ “I really like the intro,” Mikha shares. “Every time I hear the intro, I’m like, oh wow. I really feel transported to a different place. The beat is really nice, and the producers were amazing.”

Jo and Raissa from DreamWorks' Forgotten Island.
A still of the main characters, Raissa and Jo, from DreamWorks’ upcoming film Forgotten Island, which is inspired by Filipino mythology. Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

Produced by Filipino composer Nathan Matthew David and Shawn Wasabi, BINI’s “A Parallel World” is reportedly the only original song on the movie’s stacked soundtrack of OPM covers and Filipino karaoke favorites from ‘80s and ’90s hits.

“We love the song so much,” Stacey gushes. “We had a meeting with the producers and songwriters [before we left for the US.] They made us listen to the song, and we loved it immediately because it’s really about sisterhood, and that’s exactly who we are. We’ve always dreamed of working on a theme song, and for our first-ever one to be with Dreamworks makes it even more special.”

Photographed by Karl King Aguña
Photographed by Karl King Aguña

Weeks after their historic Coachella performance, the eight-member girl group recalls recording the song in Los Angeles, where they also previewed the film’s rough draft with some of its cast members. 

“Sobrang nakakaiyak,” Maloi recalls. “The representation of Filipino culture, the myths, the aswang. We were represented so well.”

“There was one box of tissue being passed around the eight of us!” Jhoanna laughs. “It was relatable to us from the start because I feel like our core as a group is our sisterhood. We’re also all very family-oriented, and those are the themes that the movie revolves around.” Sheena adds, “From the food to the language, what the street and the school look like, it’s so nostalgic and very Filipino. I just couldn’t believe that there’s Filipino representation [like this] in Dreamworks.”

Photographed by Karl King Aguña
Photographed by Karl King Aguña

“Growing up with all their movies, it was such a dream come true for us to be a part of this,” Gwen adds. “The song itself is about friendship, which, of course, came naturally for us. It was such a chill day. It felt like we were just bonding while recording.”

“From the intro alone, I already felt like crying because, wow, from Coachella, Filipinos are slowly being recognized more and more. And now, Dreamworks has a Filipino-inspired movie.” Stacey emphasizes. “I can’t help but feel so proud to be Pinoy. We [Filipinos] all deserve to be recognized not just locally, but internationally too.”

Joining BINI on the soundtrack are other Filipino artists, including H.E.R., who voices one of the film’s main characters, Lea Salonga, SB19, and Katseye’s Sophia Laforteza. Dreamworks Animation’s “Forgotten Island” is set to premiere on September 25, 2026, with an early release in the Philippines on September 23, 2026.

Photographs by KARL KING AGUÑA. Interview by BIANCA CUSTODIO. Deputy Editor: Pam Quiñones. Fashion Editor: David Milan. Beauty Editor: Joyce Oreña. Art Director: Jann Pascua. Hair: Cristine Benoman and July Vito. Makeup: Anthea Bueno, Janica Cleto, and Theresa Padin. Producer: Bianca Zaragoza. Digital Associate Editor: Chelsea Sarabia. Multimedia Artist: Bea Lu.

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