At the Asia Artist Awards last Dec. 14, Filipino folk pop band Ben&Ben found themselves seated beside some of Korea’s biggest stars.

“When we got there and saw all the artists’ names outside the tents beside ours, we had to calm ourselves down and make sure from time to time that we were not in a dream sequence,” says Toni Muñoz, the band’s percussionist.

Dressed in bright retro outfits, the nine-piece band consisting of Miguel and Paolo Benjamin, Poch Barretto, Toni Muñoz, Keifer Cabugao, Andrew De Pano, Pat Lasaten, Agnes Reoma, and Jam Villanueva, took the stage that night to accept the AAA Best Choice Artist Award. They were joined onstage by other winners, Korean music artists NewJeans, Lee Young-ji, BOYNEXTDOOR, Kang Daniel, &Team, NMIXX, Dindin, and Dreamcatcher, as well as Korean actors Kim Jae-joong and Lim Young-woong. “Before the event, it was a mix of anxiety and excitement because we knew we’d be breathing the same air as some of the biggest artists in Asia,” adds Muñoz.

Held annually since 2016, the Korean-produced awards show is “known for honoring and celebrating the achievements of talented artists across the Asian entertainment industry.” Previously held in South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, this year’s show marked the first time it was mounted in the Philippines. For the band, it was a dream to witness performances by the Korean acts up close, but it was also fun to bump into the other Filipino acts while in the artist zone, such as SB19, Kathryn Bernardo, Melai Cantiveros, and Daniel Padilla.

A photographer herself (follow her photography Instagram account @splitscreeneye), Muñoz took her Ricoh GR3 with her to show (and tell) CNN Philippines Life what went down behind-the-scenes on the day of the show. Check out her photos below. — GABY GLORIA

I love playing with double exposures, motion blurs, shadows, and different textures. I currently have a 365 photo project called #isanglarawanbawataraw, which helps me see the beauty even in the most mundane of things.

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Members Miguel Benjamin, Agnes Reoma, and Keifer Cabugao waiting for their turn to walk the red carpet and have their photos taken by the fans and media.

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The artist IDs were as shiny as the awards night.

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Before the event, [we felt] a mix of anxiety and excitement because we knew we’d be breathing the same air as some of the biggest artists in Asia. These photos were taken on our way to watch the program.

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More portraits and candid shots of the members while waiting for the program to start.

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There was an interesting moment when our trophy was temporarily switched with NewJeans’. We couldn’t find ours when it was our turn to give an acceptance speech, and since they already (supposedly) got their award, we just got the trophy that says NewJeans. We had to ask for the staff’s help for our trophies to be switched back, but it was very memorable to have held their award for a few minutes!

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After getting off stage after the photo op with all the other awards show attendees, we were able to meet and greet the artists we watched earlier.

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