Josh Cullen (musician)

Josh Cullen Santos (born October 22, 1993) is a Filipino singer-rapper, dancer, producer and songwriter. He is the lead rapper, lead dancer and sub-vocalist of the Filipino boy band SB19 managed under 1Z Entertainment.

Josh was born on October 22, 1993, in Las Piñas, Metro Manila, Philippines. He revealed on a YouTube vlog that a single mother raised him and he never met his biological father. In the same vlog, Josh revealed that he was a victim of domestic violence by their nanny while their mother was at work. Josh and his family struggled financially leading to his intermittent schooling, and graduated high school at a later age. After graduating, Josh worked as a computer technician and a call center agent prior to auditioning as a talent. He has one older sister.

In 2016, South Korean entertainment company ShowBT branched out in the Philippines and opened a talent audition for Filipinos aspiring to become professional performers. Josh, among the participants, was chosen later on for a 5-member boy band. Josh started training which is a common practice for K-Pop bands prior to debut. Voice and dance classes, body conditioning, personality development, and the like were trained. On several accounts, the SB19 members recalled how rigorous the sessions were wherein hours of nonstop and unpaid training daily while juggling with their work. But more than the training, it was the threat of failing their weekly evaluation and the possibility of being eliminated. According to Josh in an interview, “the weekly evaluations were really nerve-wracking. That’s the performance that you’ll have to prepare for. Other trainees and teachers will watch you[...] You’ll really get nervous. And if you don’t perform well, you’ll be eliminated right away."

During his training, he drew inspirations from Filipino hip hop artists Loonie, Gloc-9, Shanti Dope, and Smugglaz. He also admired the styles of Bigbang's G-Dragon, and BTS.

On October 26, 2018, Josh debuted with fellow members Pablo, Stell, Justin, and Ken as P-Pop group known as SB19. Their debut single "Tilaluha" was written by fellow member Pablo, but its success was not widely acclaimed. With a message centered on heartbreak and unrequited love, the song was intended to introduce the band and their powerful vocals in which it debuted poorly to charts. The initial poor reception for the group and their singles almost led to the band's disbandment. SB19's second single "Go Up" was released on July 19, 2019. They described the song as their "last shot" because they had decided to disband if their career would not progress after. The group had gained public attention after the dance practice video of the song went viral due to a tweet of a fan account. Opportunities opened and the group started to appear in multiple radio and television outlets, both local and internationally. On 2021, SB19 became the first Filipino and Southeast Asian act to be nominated in Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist along with BTS, Blackpink, Ariana Grande, and Seventeen—which BTS won. It marked the first-ever appearance of a Filipino artist in the Billboard Music Awards.

In 2022, Josh joined his independent musician cousins Ocho the Bullet and Carrot Mayor on their track "Sofa (Remix)", released on YouTube and Apple Music.

On February 24, 2023, Josh made his debut as a solo artist, releasing a single called "Wild Tonight". He co-produced the material with Ace Santos, his cousin.

On September 6, 2024, Josh released his debut album, Lost & Found. His album includes nine tracks, including his singles "Sumaya", "Silent Cries", "Honest", and "1999". On the same month, he held his first solo concert in celebration of his debut album at New Frontier Theater in Quezon City.

On November 13, Josh collaborated with K-pop group H1-KEY to release their single, titled "Re: Thinkin' About You". The following week, the single was released on November 20.

On December, Josh announced that he is set to release his music video for his song, "1999" from his debut album Lost & Found. The following week, he released his music video, accompanied by his standalone single.