The Middle

This is Pablo acknowledging himself

PABLO

Ally Ocampo

7/17/20265 min read

"Middle"

A simple yet very profound word that reminds us of many important things in life. When you're a middle child, there's a great chance you are often overlooked or left alone. In a family with more than two children, especially when the parents have to work nonstop to support the family, the eldest child always gets the strictness and the responsibility of looking out for the younger siblings, while the youngest almost always gets the love. When the eldest is not up for the task, it's suddenly the middle child who has to step up. Out of nowhere, it's the middle child who has to keep everyone in line, look out for the younger siblings, and be the anchor of the family. There's no preparation or warning, just responsibilities left and right.

In life, the middle is that moment when we either become the better version of ourselves or we get swallowed by the darkness that is life. It is the in-between where people choose whether to move forward or stay right where they were. It is where we oftentimes make the hardest decisions we would ever make in our lives—a moment when we are where we're supposed to be in order to lay down the path that we must take to get to where we want or need to be.

For Pablo, the middle is a space he mostly tried to avoid. He was never comfortable being in the center of attention—he couldn't even take a compliment comfortably, even when he absolutely deserved it. For people like Pablo, the middle is a space where one must allow oneself to be seen and scrutinized by everyone, which is absolutely terrifying. It is not easy to take up that space in the middle, and we, as fans, have prayed and hoped for a very long time that he will finally take that leap of faith. He has been in the industry for almost a decade. Yet, he had only ever done a handful of solo gigs, so when he did his Robinson Malls tour in 2024, we were given some semblance of hope that he would finally give his solo career the attention and focus it deserves. Still, when SB19 went back to having its regular group events, we realized that it might take a while before we get at least one full-fledged solo concert.

His heart was always for his group and his brothers. He was always there for them one way or another in every significant event each member had. He never wanted to be the leader of SB19, but when the responsibility was given to him, he took it seriously and gave his heart and soul to the group. He loved all members and gave himself to them in every way possible. Finally, something good came his fans' way when "the Middle" was announced. It wasn't a full-blown major concert, but it was close enough. A showcase of some of Pablo's beautiful masterpieces, along with his newest single, USAD.

"Usad" means a brief movement. It is also a root word that changes meaning depending on how it is used. It can refer to the physical movement of the body going forward or the metaphorical "moving forward" in life. The song itself describes a normal person's everyday life: waking up in the morning, sitting with a mug of coffee in hand, absently looking into the horizon as the brain struggles to fully wake up, wondering what we're doing with our lives. It is frustrating and exhausting to go through the routine of waking up and doing the same thing over and over, not seeing significant changes and improvements in our lives. The long and bumpy road we all must take in life sure makes it impossible to see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

Just like what the song wants us to remember: keep going even if it seems impossible, even if it seems like we're drifting away from our goals and dreams, just keep going. We won't always get what we want in life, but there's always something better out there as long as we keep going. Our hard work will pay off if we keep the faith and never stop believing. It has always been the message Pablo wants to share with the people. Life may be full of dark clouds and heavy storms, but it will not always be like that. It would take everything we've got, but the reward will be greater than our sacrifices.

For Pablo, the middle is a space he mostly tried to avoid. He was never comfortable being in the center of attention—he couldn't even take a compliment comfortably, even when he absolutely deserved it. For people like Pablo, the middle is a space where one must allow oneself to be seen and scrutinized by everyone, which is absolutely terrifying. It is not easy to take up that space in the middle, and we, as fans, have prayed and hoped for a very long time that he will finally take that leap of faith. He has been in the industry for almost a decade. Yet, he had only ever done a handful of solo gigs, so when he did his Robinson Malls tour in 2024, we were given some semblance of hope that he will finally give his solo career the attention and focus it deserves. Still, when SB19 went back to having its regular group events, we realized that it might take a while before we get at least one full-fledged solo concert.

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