Nate Porcalla

Biography

Nathaniel Porcalla (born June 26, 2003), known professionally as Nate Porcalla or simply Nate, is a Filipino-American singer, rapper, dancer and songwriter. He is a member of the Filipino boy group BGYO. Before the group's debut, he competed in the Philippine dance programs Dance Kids in 2015 and World of Dance Philippines in 2019. In 2016, he was selected through an audition to perform during the Rosemont, Illinois, stop of Justin Bieber's Purpose World Tour.
Porcalla has received songwriting credits on several BGYO releases, including "The Light", "Runnin'" and "[[
The Light (BGYO album) #Track listing|Rocketman]]".

Early life

Porcalla was born in Chicago, Illinois, and spent most of his childhood in the United States. He began dancing at the age of six and trained at Xtreme Dance Center in Naperville, Illinois. By 2022, he had completed high school.

2015–2017: Dance competitions and early performances

In 2015, Porcalla travelled between the United States and Manila to compete in Dance Kids.
On April 22, 2016, while a seventh-grade student at Cowherd Middle School in Aurora, Illinois, he was one of the young dancers selected through an audition to perform during Bieber's concert at Allstate Arena. In October of the same year, he was one of four dance-audition winners who performed to Z and Fetty Wap's "Nobody's Better" during Darren Espanto's digital concert The Other Side of Darren.

2018–present: Star Hunt Academy, World of Dance Philippines and BGYO

Porcalla joined the Star Hunt Academy (SHA) training program in 2018 and became part of its male trainee group, later known as SHA Boys. In 2019, while still a trainee, he competed in the first season of World of Dance Philippines.
The trainees underwent two years of vocal and dance training under Filipino and South Korean mentors, including MU Doctor Academy, vocal coach Kitchy Molina and dance coach Mickey Perz. Porcalla said that he developed his rapping skills while in the training camp. The trainees were publicly introduced during the pre-show of the Pinoy Big Brother: Otso Big Night on August 3, 2019. Porcalla debuted as a member of BGYO on January 29, 2021.

Artistry

Porcalla has cited BTS, EXO, GOT7, Wanna One, Seventeen, NCT, WayV, Stray Kids, TXT, Treasure and BigBang as musical influences.
In interviews with MYX Global, he also named the Jabbawockeez as an influence on his dancing and interest in music.

Public image and interests

NYLON Manila described Porcalla as one of BGYO's more experienced dancers and referred to him as the group's "dance machine". He has said that his mother influenced his interest in music and his decision to pursue a career as an idol. His fashion interests include Rick Owens, Playboi Carti, Air Jordan shoes and thrift-store clothing.

Songwriting and production credits

All song credits are adapted from the Tidal, unless otherwise noted.