It’s well documented at this point that the in-game leader for Fnatic’s Valorant team, Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett, is a fan of Filipino girl group BINI.
Before the group’s London concert as part of their BINIverse World Tour, BINI visited the Fnatic HQ in London to meet Boaster online and film content.
This comes after Boaster gained their attention through his walkout to their song ‘Zero Pressure’ during the EMEA Stage 1 Grand Finals.
BINIverse World Tour in London
The eight-member group came to London as part of their latest world tour called BINIverse, following the release of their newest EP of the same name.
Ahead of their concert at the OVO Wembley Arena in London, the group visited the Fnatic HQ in Dalston as initially teased by Fnatic on social media.
To Boaster’s delight, he was able to talk to the group which he’d been publicly admiring since the release of Zero Pressure back on February 27th of this year.
Unfortunately, due to his success at Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA Stage 1, he was unable to meet them in person.
Having to settle for a video call since the team is currently bootcamping in preparation for VCT Masters Toronto.
Boaster x BINI
The two sides had much to discuss about Music, Gaming, Hobbies, Slang, and more.
On the topic of musicals, Boaster revealed his musical theatre background, to which he serenaded them with his rendition of their song ‘Out Of My Head’.
Following this, he described how he discovered the group from a fan’s recommendation.
Eventually becoming a fan after the release of their single ‘Zero Pressure’, which he shared that he listens to on match days.
Later performing a small version of the choreography from Zero Pressure at the VCT EMEA Stage 1 Finals.
Boaster would later reveal that he considered doing a longer version for VCT Masters Toronto, but joked that his hips wouldn’t be able to handle the full choreography.
On the topic of Zero Pressure, BINI described their surprised reaction to see their song reference in Valorant.
One of the members, Mikha, was more than up for the challenge since they’ve played Call of Duty in the past.
Fellow member Aiah was quick to also point out their own experience with the game, as well as their history with Counter-Strike.
Other games that the members have played include Left 4 Dead, The Sims, God of War, and British-developed Grand Theft Auto.
Of course, being in London and the UK in general, the topic of British slang came up.
Favourites of the group were ‘knacked’ and ‘bonkers’, while words such as ‘faff’ just confused them.
In return, BINI shared some Filipino slang words, where the term ‘keri’ caused much discussion.
The topic of discussion later fell onto anime, where Boaster shared that his favourite of this year was Solo Levelling, with his all-time favourite being Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.
BINI also echoed his sentiment on Solo Levelling, as well as Mikha sharing her enjoyment of Devil May Cry.
The conversation moved onto the topic of free time as both Boaster and BINI have intensive work schedules.
Common themes were either shopping or staying in bed, with member Stacey sharing their love for cooking the traditional Filipino dish, Sinigang.
However, the conversation quickly derailed once cats were mentioned, Boaster sharing photos of his cats, Mob and Karma.
They’d also go on to share their dogs’ names, as well as Maloi showing Boaster her pet dragon, aka Dragonite.
As the sun shone through onto Maloi, their time together came to a close.
Bidding farewell to the Filipino saying “salamat po”.
Boaster preparing for VCT Masters Toronto
Boaster alongside Fnatic head into Masters Toronto as the number one representative for EMEA.
They’ll be joined by Team Heretics and Team Liquid, who will also represent the region at the event.
VCT Masters Toronto brings together the best teams from around the world to compete to be crowned the best of the best.
Set to kick off on Saturday, June 7th, in the Enercare Centre, Toronto, Canada.
In preparation for the event, Fnatic have been hard at work to ensure they perform at their best.
Or so we think…
Boaster alongside teammates, Emir ‘Alfajer’ Beder and Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts were seemingly practising a group walk out to Crayon Pop’s song ‘Bar Bar Bar’.
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Throughout my career, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with many incredible individuals who continue to humble me to this day. Because of them, I’ve had the energy to turn a hobby into a career. I work to honour those who have given me a chance and thrive thanks to the community.
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