ID pics of BGYO members for visa application go viral, draw new fans
He's "Kapitan" to ACEs, or loyal fans of the P-pop group BGYO, but to the uninitiated, Gelo Rivera may just be a suitable candidate to introduce to one's parents -- at least according to viral posts gushing over his resurfaced 2x2 ID picture.
The ID photo of Rivera made the rounds on social media on Sunday, after Twitter user @sakumadiku asked for confirmation whether the man in the picture is indeed the leader of BGYO.
The tweet has since gone viral, fetching over 1.6 million views as of Tuesday. Those getting newly acquainted with Rivera and BGYO quipped they've found a reason to get into their discography; ACEs, meanwhile, welcomed new "stans" to the ever-growing community.
"Sino 'to? Parang ang sarap niyang ipakilala sa parents ko," wrote user @hosh1maoy in another viral tweet, which has drawn some 190,000 views.
The curiosity surrounding Rivera extended to his fellow BGYO members; by Monday morning, a collage of his ID photo along with those of Akira Morishita, Mikki Claver, JL Toreliza, and Nate Porcalla also made the rounds on Twitter.
That tweet from @bb_chanstrong has logged over 1.1 million views as of writing, with many in the comments agreeing about searching for music videos of BGYO.
What followed was a flood of 2x2-inspired photos of BGYO from both fans and the boys' agency, official pages, and endorsed brands.
Star Music shared a throwback collage of BGYO's "school boy era" from the concept image of their track "He's Into Her," while the group's official page released the visa-application ID photos of each member.
A fast food chain as well as a telecom company endorsed by BGYO also joined the fun, not to be outdone by the creative takes of ACEs, including one fan's edit of Rivera's viral photo as a Picture City package offer.
Even members of BGYO's sister group BINI had entries, with Sheena Catacutan tweeting a humorous 2x2 edit of their own leader, Jhoanna Robles, in a suit to match her counterpart's ID snap.
"Nakakatuwa kasi sa simpleng ganiyang, ang daming naka-appreciate," Rivera said in a statement to ABS-CBN News, when asked for his reaction to the viral spread of BGYO's pictures.
"Para sa US visa talaga 'yang picture na 'yan. Nalaman namin siya nu'ng maraming nang nag-ta-tag sa akin. Kahit 'yung nanay ko, 'Uy, Gelo, 'yung BGYO trending!'" he said, laughing.
Rivera went on to express gratitude to "casuals," or the general public, whose curiosity about the group due to the ID pics may translate to becoming fans. He invited them to follow BGYO and listen to songs the group has released so far.
"Maraming salamat sa mga casuals po na ina-appreciate din ang BGYO dahil sa mga pictures namin. Check niyo 'yung accounts namin, and pakinggan niyo 'yung music namin sa lahat ng streaming platforms worldwide," he said.
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