The CrewA615: The Trio Giving Millennials Major Nostalgia
Three lifelong friends turned ‘chore time’ into the ultimate ’90s and 2000s pop time machine for millennials
If you’ve ever belted out a Westlife or Backstreet Boys ballad while wiping down the kitchen counter, and your kids gave you that look, the boys of The CrewA615 understand you completely.
JM DeLorean, Philip Sustrina, and Yuri Bautista are the trio behind some of the most delightfully goofy reels on your social feed. They lip-sync to ’90s and 2000s hits while pretending to scrub the bathroom, mop the floor, or tidy up different corners of the house. Sometimes they throw in a dance video for good measure. For millennials, many of them parents now, each reel feels like opening a time capsule.
Behind the laughs is something sweeter and a lot of banter; three friends who see each other as brothers.
JM, Philip, and Yuri with the members of A1 at their concert last October. Photos from The CrewA615
From Room A615 to your feed
The name has a story. According to Yuri, The CrewA615 started as a dance group at De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, named after Room A615, where they used to rehearse.
“Yuri and I were part of the original members, and JM, my cousin, was part of a different dance crew,” Philip says. “After a few months, we decided to merge our groups, and that’s how everything started.”
The idea of making content came early, but school got in the way. “The idea of making content online already started when we were in college, but we were all too focused on our studies and our dance to the point na we set it aside,” Yuri says.
Content creation was a whole new world for them. None of them knew much about editing or camera work until TikTok took off. Philip jokes that if they had started sooner, they’d be famous by now.
JM admits the idea felt a little cringy at first. “I tried making content for myself before, tapos when I watched it, I cringed so hard that I immediately deleted it. Pero one day, I think it was around May or June last year, Yuri said, ‘Why not try natin mag-cover ng dances sa TikTok tapos post natin? Wala naman mawawala.'”
It took a while to find their groove. Eventually, they settled on shooting at a house owned by Philip’s tita, which has since become a familiar set in their reels. Off camera, all three hold down day jobs.
Photos from The CrewA615
Brothers first
What you see online is pretty much who they are. Philip and JM are cousins, so the bond was already there. Yuri, one of their closest friends, has long since become family.
“Sa sobrang tagal na namin magkakasama and magkakakilala, yeah, we’re practically brothers na,” Yuri says, laughing.
“Yes, tapos si Yuri ang kuya. Joke!” JM adds.
The reels that started it all
Ask them for their favorite, and each one has a different answer. For JM, it’s their dance cover of “Paradise.”
“It was our very first video that got over 30,000 views and over 2,000 likes on TikTok! I still remember that feeling – we never thought we’d have THAT many viewers!”
Yuri counts their dance covers as his favorites too. “Sa akin naman, ‘yung mga dance covers namin like ‘It Depends,’ grabe, hindi talaga namin makalimutan ‘yun, ‘yung init sa balcony. Minsan 3 am na kami nakakauwi. It’s not just the song; it’s the experience of how we make it.”
Philip goes with a funk number. “For me, ‘yung funk music na ‘You Are My Lady’ na dance challenge ng foreign content ni @J_nina. Gaya ng sabi ni JM, isa ‘to sa humataw ng thousand views and likes din, plus maganda kasi ‘yung groove ng beat. Dito na rin ako nag-start magkaroon ng idea na pang-old or millennial songs kami.“
That hunch paid off. Their Instagram community has grown past 57,000 followers, and most of their song picks now come from the ’90s and 2000s. Followers even send in requests.
When your childhood heroes hit “comment”
Then came the part nobody saw coming: the artists themselves started showing up in the comments. Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys, Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC, Daniel Bedingfield, and groups like O-Town, 98 Degrees, and A1 have all shared or commented on their reels.
“We went from dancing to lip-syncing, and then all of a sudden our childhood heroes are commenting on our posts? Grabe! Mind-blown kami doon!” Yuri says.
Philip still remembers the notification from Chris Kirkpatrick. “I was literally speechless for a minute! Tapos I took a screenshot and sent it to our GC. Ayun, we all went crazy!”
“There was a time when NSYNC, S Club, A1, and Westlife commented on our reels all within the same week,” JM recalls. “I didn’t know if I should cry or laugh, but it was definitely a surreal moment.”
It happened so often that it became a running joke. “Whenever one of the boy bands or pop groups commented, we’d say to each other, ‘Oh, nag-reply na naman sila, tropa!'” Yuri says.
Their take on Westlife’s “My Love” is still one of their most viewed, with Westlife’s Kian Egan sharing it on his social media.
Backstage with A1
The biggest surprise was still ahead. In October, the trio met one of the groups they grew up with: British-Norwegian band A1, made up of Ben Adams, Mark Read, Paul Marazzi, and Christian Ingebrigtsen. The band, which visited the Philippines many times, was in Manila for a series of concerts and had already commented on the trio’s reels.
JM recalled getting an email that turned out to be an invitation to meet the band. “What I did was, I took a screenshot of the email and sent it sa GC (group chat). I told the boys na, ‘OMG, ANO ‘TO?’ Hinayaan ko muna sila mag-discuss, pero grabe, mangiyak-ngiyak na ko sa event!”
Philip just smiled, then burst out laughing when he saw the message. “Hindi rin talaga ako makapaniwala that certain moment na nag-reach out ang marketing coordinator nila [of A1’s music label] and napili nila kami to collaborate with A1. It’s a blessing.”
After the concert, they met the band backstage, and yes, there was plenty of fanboying.
“It was so funny when we met them backstage, they were the ones reaching their hand para makipagkamay,” JM says, laughing. “Philip and Yuri were so casual, introduced themselves to the boys, and when it was my time to shake their hands, I literally froze and said to Christian, ‘Could you give me a minute to process this first?’ Sorry, but until now, I still can’t believe it.”
“Tapos grabe, Ben and Mark reached for my hand and said, ‘Hey, guys! We’re huge fans!'” Philip recalls. “Anong isasagot ko doon? Napasabi na lang ako ng, ‘We’re huge fans as well! We are honored to finally meet you guys.'”
The trio felt a little shy when the band recognized them, but they were soon at ease. “Sobrang humble nila and bait, lalo na nung binigyan namin sila ng shirt from us at sinuot pa nila! Ibang klase talaga A1! Sobrang mahal nila ang mga Filipino,” Yuri says.
They exchanged gifts and shot a series of photos and videos together, which were posted online to the delight of their followers.
“It’s like we know each other already!” JM says. “Tapos when they were asking what content we had in mind, Ben said, ‘We love what you guys do, so just tell us what you want us to do, and we’ll do it!’ Grabe ‘yung experience na ‘yon. I’m pretty sure I was smiling the whole time! Ayun, kinikilig ako right now while talking about it.”
Why these songs still hit
The trio never expected their videos to stir up so many memories for millennials. They miss those years too.
“The music brought back core memories, simpler times,” JM says. “Music back then was really good. It wasn’t just the production, but the songwriting as well. Very memorable siya, it was impactful, and ang bilis tumatak sa utak. Mas madali pa siyang maalala kesa sa pinag-aralan for an upcoming quiz!”
“[It was] school days din talaga,” Philip adds. “Kasi ever since bata ako, sumasayaw na talaga ako and sumasali sa mga school dance contest, and ilan d’yan, sinayaw talaga namin before. Plus the feeling when you hear this music na pasok sa certain mood mo. Kung excited ka, kinikilig ka, heartbroken, emote-emote agad, plus may sense ang mga lyrics!”
Yuri feels the same way. “Ibang-iba ‘yung music today and the community ng dance ngayon; the vibe, even yung dance, ibang-iba na. Nakaka-miss ‘yung seryoso lahat sa craft, hindi lang dahil trend or anything.”
What they’d tell kids today
Juggling content on top of full-time jobs isn’t easy, and all three are grateful their families cheer them on.
“It’s actually heartwarming for me because my mom comments on all of our posts,” Yuri says, smiling. “When I say all, I mean ALL OF IT. She never skips a video, and that to me is pure love and support.”
“Sobrang cute ni tita!” Philip says of Yuri’s mom. “She’s our number one fan! For me naman, supportive rin ang family and relatives. Once they saw it, like and share agad. Happy sila na may mga napapanood na videos namin araw-araw. May mga suggestions pa for our next videos.”
“I mean, who doesn’t want their parents’ approval, right?” JM jokes.
So what would they tell today’s kids? JM’s advice is to enjoy the present. “Value this time, today, with your friends and family. Based on my observation, most kids have their eyes glued to their phones and tablets, and it’s really unhealthy.”
He encourages them to play and interact with others. “We enjoyed playing outdoors, stayed after school to play some more, went home, and told our parents what we did that day. Those interactions with the people that we love are the memories we would never forget.”
But the learning goes both ways. “We admire them for their dedication to just posting content that they love, even though not everyone likes them. Sabi nga nila, ‘To cringe is to be free.'”
Philip’s reminder is patience. “Pansin ko kasi ngayon, pag nahihirapan sila, umaayaw agad sila. Suko na agad and try ng ibang bagay na. Hindi ko nilalahat, but ‘yun ang na-experience ko. And be emotionally strong din. As digital creators, what we learned is to be consistent. Once may magustuhan sila na gawin, tuloy-tuloy na ‘yun, wala na silang pake kung ano sasabihin ng iba. For us, we make sure we share relatable content and good vibes to people of our generation, plus ma-entertain din.”
Yuri echoes Philip’s sentiments. “Be always open sa ideas and understanding. Sa amin tatlo, we compromise on situations and schedule ng isa’t isa. Doon pa lang, may respect na sa bawat isa. And sabi din nila, ang importante nag-e-enjoy kayo. Kapag hindi kayo nag-e-enjoy, hindi na ‘yan organic, and lalabas ‘yan sa video na pilit. Just be yourself.”
Photos from The CrewA615
What’s next for the “cleaning crew”
Up next: a possible rebrand and, they hope, more gigs.
“We’re actually trying to think of a way to rebrand ourselves kasi we’re mostly known as ‘the cleaning crew,'” Philip says, laughing. “Not that there’s anything bad about it, but the cleaning thing is an act. From time to time, ‘yung content namin now is recreating music videos from the ’90s to early 2000s para hindi rin magsawa ang viewers.”
JM isn’t ruling out acting. “There would still be a lot of lip-syncing and some skits because, kung ma-notice n’yo, we love acting! I mean, who knows, baka ma-discover kami! It’s actually a dream of ours din na magka-commercial or any acting gig, depende kung may mag-approach.“
And Yuri has a teaser for their followers: “We’re trying na mag-transition and experiment sa pag-lip-sync. May kasama nang acting, and antayin nila ‘yung pa-dance class ni Tito Yuri, Tito Philip, and Tito JM!“
Frequently Asked Questions
The CrewA615 is composed of JM DeLorean, Philip Sustrina, and Yuri Bautista. Philip and JM are cousins, while Yuri is a close college friend; the trio met through dance crews at De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde.
The name comes from Room A615 at De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, the rehearsal room where Philip, Yuri, and their original dance teammates used to practice during their college days.
The trio has received comments, likes, and shares from pop icons including A1, Westlife (Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne), Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC, Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys, Daniel Bedingfield, O-Town, and 98 Degrees.
Yes. In October, A1’s record label reached out to invite the trio backstage during the band’s Manila concert tour. The creators met Ben Adams, Mark Read, Paul Marazzi, and Christian Ingebrigtsen, exchanged gifts, and filmed collaborative content together.
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