If there was anything we did not expect, it would have to be how literal “Pink Paradise” meant.
When it comes to the girls of APink, one would have images of their sweet looks and innocent image which they have carved a niche out of for themselves in the cut-throat K-POP industry. In current times where a lot of emphasis has been put on being sexy in order to draw fans and attention, APink was the few pioneer groups that succeeded when trying out for the innocent concept. While paving the way for future girls groups – which we now have a handful going down the same road – the girls can proudly look back and claim success from all the naysayers back then.
Owing to the unexpected success of Luv – which reigned on music shows and charts for weeks in the fast-moving, saturated industry where comebacks by the more popular groups are occurring on an almost weekly basis – they took Pink Pandas by surprise and announced their very first solo concert. To every K-POP group, having a solo concert of their own marks a major milestone in their career, often given to them by their companies when they feel that they are ready and have the popularity to do so. And so, was APink ready?
Ever ready.
When it comes to the girls of APink, one would have images of their sweet looks and innocent image which they have carved a niche out of for themselves in the cut-throat K-POP industry. In current times where a lot of emphasis has been put on being sexy in order to draw fans and attention, APink was the few pioneer groups that succeeded when trying out for the innocent concept. While paving the way for future girls groups – which we now have a handful going down the same road – the girls can proudly look back and claim success from all the naysayers back then.
Owing to the unexpected success of Luv – which reigned on music shows and charts for weeks in the fast-moving, saturated industry where comebacks by the more popular groups are occurring on an almost weekly basis – they took Pink Pandas by surprise and announced their very first solo concert. To every K-POP group, having a solo concert of their own marks a major milestone in their career, often given to them by their companies when they feel that they are ready and have the popularity to do so. And so, was APink ready?
Ever ready.
Consisting of a group of 6 young ladies with big dreams and an equally big heart, we have Chorong, Bomi, Eunji, Naeun, Namjoo and Hayoung setting foot on our sunny island for a second time. Garnering support and love for not just their songs, but also their down-to-earth humility and truthfulness to themselves.
During the press conference which was open to 300 lucky ticketholders, the girls were seen waving to fans and posing personally for cameras. Starting off with answering one question each, it was commendable to see that they tried their very best to answer the questions in English as much they could, even though a translator was present.
Noticeably, Naeun’s English shone through, answering questions posed to her entirely in English – what is her wish for this year? A healthy lifestyle of sleeping early and waking up early and eating well. A wish so simple, yet difficult given their irregular work timings.
‘NoNoNo’ was their hit song, so what are some things they say no to? Though deliberating for a few moments, the answer hit home to the many fans present. They are selective of the songs that go into their album and only want the best for Pink Pandas.
The next question from our reporter got everyone into laughter then cheers – would we be seeing more of the girls writing songs for their next album? And when will we get to hear Bomi officially releasing her own song, Annyeong Goodbye? Bomi was visibly embarrassed (Sorry!), but her answer gave Pink Pandas a glimmer of hope – she has recently taken interest in song-writing and has been learning some composing from BTOB. Oh Bomi, we are sure looking forward to hear the song in full! Overseas fans looking forward to see the girls can cross their fingers and hope for the best as the girls are also as equally excited to meet all of you, with the next stop being Shanghai.
During the press conference which was open to 300 lucky ticketholders, the girls were seen waving to fans and posing personally for cameras. Starting off with answering one question each, it was commendable to see that they tried their very best to answer the questions in English as much they could, even though a translator was present.
Noticeably, Naeun’s English shone through, answering questions posed to her entirely in English – what is her wish for this year? A healthy lifestyle of sleeping early and waking up early and eating well. A wish so simple, yet difficult given their irregular work timings.
‘NoNoNo’ was their hit song, so what are some things they say no to? Though deliberating for a few moments, the answer hit home to the many fans present. They are selective of the songs that go into their album and only want the best for Pink Pandas.
The next question from our reporter got everyone into laughter then cheers – would we be seeing more of the girls writing songs for their next album? And when will we get to hear Bomi officially releasing her own song, Annyeong Goodbye? Bomi was visibly embarrassed (Sorry!), but her answer gave Pink Pandas a glimmer of hope – she has recently taken interest in song-writing and has been learning some composing from BTOB. Oh Bomi, we are sure looking forward to hear the song in full! Overseas fans looking forward to see the girls can cross their fingers and hope for the best as the girls are also as equally excited to meet all of you, with the next stop being Shanghai.
The Max Pavilion concert hall, though much smaller than the Singapore Indoor Stadium in comparison, amplified the cheers and fanchants during the concert. The smaller hall also meant that fans could be closer to APink, making the entire experience more intimate and up-close. Brandishing their lightsticks and fanboards, Pink Pandas cheered excitedly while counting down to the drop of the white curtain, signifying the start of the concert. Setting the groove with I Don’t Know followed by Good Morning Baby before bringing the crowds into a new high with Mr Chu, the strong opening was a roller coaster of emotions as ballads were dotted here and there. For example, So Long, penned by Chorong, and Secret, were used to mark the end of the opening before moving into their personal performances.
During the press conference, the girls promised that they will showcase their individual talents and colours during the concert and asked that we looked forward to it. It was a worthy wait as Chorong kicked things off with her sexy dance number to Chris Brown’s X. Sustaining the heat was Naeun and Hayoung’s take on Sistar19’s Gone Not Around Any Longer. Both shed their innocent looks and challenged the provocative choreography. It was later revealed by Naeun during the talk segment that they had worn each other’s shoes and she was shocked as Hayoung’s shoe was evidently bigger in size. Namjoo ended it off with Christina Aguilera’s Dirty, where her very last line of “Dirty” was etched in our heads forever. Put into words nicely by Eunji, “Her dance is dirty – no her dance isn’t dirty, the song name is Dirty.”
Following which, the girls got back together and brought a splash of colours into the Paradise they had promised to build and give Pink Pandas. Spotting a striped top and bright yellow skirts with bunny ear hairbands, they went from sexy to cute while performing their previous hits MyMy and Hush. Talking about the VCRs where they had to talk about a singer they looked up to and then imitate them, the girls joked among themselves before entering the next segment.
The next segment see the two powerhouse vocals showcase their talents in two very different stages. Bomi rocked the stage with a pole dance to the very popular Ariana Grande’s Problem while Eunji took down the house with her flawless cover of Beyonce’s Listen. Bomi pole dancing was definitely a unique performance; it is not every day that you see a K-POP star pole dancing and she managed to pull it off well. Eunji on the other hand, gave a stunning showcase of her vocals. With the many high yet long notes, she never faltered, even when there were technical faults – probably because it couldn’t take the magnificence of her voice. It was two performances that took our breathes away and made us realise how much talent has yet to be uncovered from deep within them.
Bomi and Hayoung then turned the hall into a club, pumping the crowd up with “Clap! Clap! Chili Crab!” Dressed in galaxy themed outfits, they danced to songs such as Boy and Yeah before taking another 180 degrees turn to princess outfits to perform Bubibu. Towards the end of the song, the princess outfits gave way to matching blue dresses, where they performed U You and Luv to voracious fanchants, one of the loudest yet.
Following which, the girls got back together and brought a splash of colours into the Paradise they had promised to build and give Pink Pandas. Spotting a striped top and bright yellow skirts with bunny ear hairbands, they went from sexy to cute while performing their previous hits MyMy and Hush. Talking about the VCRs where they had to talk about a singer they looked up to and then imitate them, the girls joked among themselves before entering the next segment.
The next segment see the two powerhouse vocals showcase their talents in two very different stages. Bomi rocked the stage with a pole dance to the very popular Ariana Grande’s Problem while Eunji took down the house with her flawless cover of Beyonce’s Listen. Bomi pole dancing was definitely a unique performance; it is not every day that you see a K-POP star pole dancing and she managed to pull it off well. Eunji on the other hand, gave a stunning showcase of her vocals. With the many high yet long notes, she never faltered, even when there were technical faults – probably because it couldn’t take the magnificence of her voice. It was two performances that took our breathes away and made us realise how much talent has yet to be uncovered from deep within them.
Bomi and Hayoung then turned the hall into a club, pumping the crowd up with “Clap! Clap! Chili Crab!” Dressed in galaxy themed outfits, they danced to songs such as Boy and Yeah before taking another 180 degrees turn to princess outfits to perform Bubibu. Towards the end of the song, the princess outfits gave way to matching blue dresses, where they performed U You and Luv to voracious fanchants, one of the loudest yet.
As usual to all K-POP concerts, the concert ended with the girls in comfortable shirts and shorts. After performing Wishlist, and of course, NoNoNo, the girls gathered to say their parting words to Pink Pandas present after some tears were shed. Although they called for their translator, all of the girls tried their best to speak in English to connect with the Pink Pandas present on a better level. Naeun, once again, impressed all of us as she said, “You may be far away from us, speak a different language from us, (and) we are really thankful for all your love and support.” Namjoo followed with, “APink’s first concert title is Pink Paradise. Paradise means a place where we can enjoy happiness without trouble. Today, here is paradise. It is here!”
It definitely tugged at the heart strings of Pink Pandas to see the girls express such touching messages in English. Chorong mentioned that the night was a very special night for them as they came back to Singapore with their very own concert, a step up from just a short showcase the last time they were here. Bomi surprised everyone as she whipped out a small piece of paper with her personal message written in English. While it was a simple, almost cliché message, the effort that she put into penning it and reading it out personally was definitely commendable. Pink Pandas in Singapore presented a cake to them for their upcoming anniversary on the April 19, which happens to also be the last song for the concert. Seeing the girls sing their hearts out, there was an unexplainable bond that seeped through the hall – the promise to watch the girls grow and soar into greater heights in their career and come back with an even bigger concert.
It is not every day that we get to be part of a group’s first overseas concert. Watching the girls fulfil their dreams with excitement and anxiety, it has a heart-warming effect even on the toughest guy as APink fulfilled their promise and gave us all a memorable night. But more importantly, they gave us Paradise. That night, we all forgot about our worries and our uncompleted work, and walked with the girls of APink into their world of a Pink Paradise.