[PHILIPPINES] Red, Neon Green, A Good Night Kiss, and A Summer Dream at KWMF 2019

A mix of red and green lights coupled with screaming fans greeted K-Pop hot stars ELRIS, Red Velvet, NCT 127, Sohee and Kim Donghan as they graced the Mall of Asia Arena on June 9, for the K-Pop World Music Festival 2019 in Manila.

Organized by DnM Entertainment and All Access Production, the music event was first announced last May, to feature artists from SM Entertainment, Hunus Entertainment and OUI Entertainment.

Philippine noontime show, It’s Showtime’s host Ryan Bang, did not fail to hype the crowd and maintained the excited atmosphere through the night  with his hilarious emceeing. He told the audience that he tells K-Pop idols who visit the Philippines, that Filipino fans are the best and happiest crowd during concerts.

True enough, loud cheers and applause greeted Sohee from ELRIS as she opened the show with her solo debut song “Spotlight.” Known for being part of the survival show K-pop Star 6: The Last Chance, Sohee recalled some of her experiences as a contestant of the program. She also shared memories of her hanging out with fellow contestant Kriesha Chu, a Filipino singer based in South Korea.

Sohee’s dance cover of Trish’s “Mannequin” and rendition of Brown Eyed Girls member, Gain’s “Bloom” were oozing with sexy vibes as she executed her powerful dance moves in her short red dress. She ended her stage by singing and dancing to her latest hit song “Hurry Up,” a collaborative track with Bolbbalgan4.  

Renowned male soloist, Kim Donghan was the next act to grace the stage. Various fans of “Produce 101″ and Joyfuls came to cheer him on as he opened his set with “Sunset.” Donghan first came to the Philippines as part of JBJ, a six-member boy group consisting of trainees from Korean reality survival show, “Produce 101 Season 2.”

Donghan said that he was grateful for the opportunity to visit Manila again and added that if he would return to the Philippines, he’d like to visit the beach. He also shared that he tried out local fruits before the show as he likes eating fruits. He then showcased his artistry in singing and dancing with “IDEA” and “Ain’t No Time,” a collaborative song with Pentagon’s Wooseok.

Donghan then gifted the crowd with “Goodnight Kiss” and ended his stage with “Focus,” the title track of his recent mini-album called “D-HOURS AM 7:03.”

Sohee came back to greet the crowd at MOA Arena, but this time as part of ELRIS and performed “Summer Dream.” The five-member girl group was named the ‘Best Female Rookie Group’ at the 24th Korean Entertainment Arts Awards in 2018. Hyeseong, Yukyung, Sohee, and Karin continued to sway the crowd with their angelic voices and charming choreography singing and dancing to “We, First” and “Heart Bank.”

Meanwhile, the group’s main rapper, Bella sat out of the stages due to an injury prior to the show, but joined the group in talking to Filipino BLRIS during their talk segments. The girls were met with a warm round of applause and screams as they told the crowd ‘We love you’ in Korean. They then asked fans to continue supporting them and look forward to their future activities.

ELRIS left the audience mesmerized with a handful of aegyos and ended their stage by performing to their hit songs, “Will Be Mine” and “Pow Pow.”

NCTzens in neon green shirts holding neon green pen lights and lightsticks joined forces in screaming the loudest for NCT 127’s much-anticipated stages. Packed with stunning visuals, unbelievably in-sync dance moves, power rapping and vocals, NCT’s Seoul-based unit opened their stage with their debut track “Fire Truck.”

It’s not the group’s first time in the Philippines; they first came to the Pearl of the Orient Seas in 2017 for K-POP Republic 2 along with N.Flying, Cosmic Girls and GFRIEND. Fanchants filled the arena as NCT 127 performed explosive stages of their popular hit experimental songs, “Cherry Bomb” and “Regular.”

Members Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark and Haechan took time to greet their Filipino Czennies. They said that they were overwhelmed to be greeted with such warm reception from the crowd. Leader Taeyong agreed with Ryan Bang by saying that Filipino fans are indeed the best audience to behold during concerts.

The boys have just finished touring North America as part of their first world tour titled, ‘Neo City: The Origin’ and are currently promoting their latest album, ‘We Are Superhuman.’ They again left fans in awe with their powerful performances of “Simon Says” and “Superhuman.”

NCT’s stage was over too soon as fans began to ask for more songs to be performed. NCT 127 then made a promise to return to the Philippines for their solo concert, bidding goodbye to Filipino NCTzens with a “see you soon!”

Last but not the least was SM Entertainment’s very own femme fatale group, Red Velvet. Screams and cheers from both fangirls and fanboys filled the arena as the girls—visuals, talents, and all—greeted their Filipino Reveluvs. It has been four years since they first came to the Philippines for the Best Of The Best K-Pop Concert in 2015.

Red Velvet showed why they are called the ‘iconic summer queens’ as they opened their set with their hit summer tracks, “Red Flavor” and “Power Up.” They also serenaded their fans with their soulful song “Moonlight Melody.”

During their talk segment, members Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri expressed wishes to come back to the Philippines to further enjoy what the country has to offer. Maknae Yeri said that she wanted to buy mangoes while leader Irene expressed her desire to try out Filipino food, to which fans suggested her to try dishes from Jollibee, a local fast food chain. Meanwhile, Joy said she wanted to tour the Philippines and Seulgi shared that she wanted to visit Manila Bay.

Wendy also revealed that she has been to the country before with her family when she was young. Now that she’s older, she would like to visit Cebu.

As a last treat to Filipino Reveluvs as well as other K-Pop fans in the venue, Red Velvet performed their subtle-seductive song, “Bad Boy.” The girls wrapped up their stage as well as the music festival by singing and dancing to “Really Bad Boy.”

More than a music festival, Red Velvet, NCT 127, ELRIS, Sohee, and Kim Donghan made it a concert to cherish and remember for hundreds of Filipino fans who gathered at the MOA Arena. Two precious hours of singing, dancing and cheering, we can’t wait for the next time!

We would like to thank DnM Entertainment and All Access Production for the opportunity to cover this memorable event. Click HERE for more photos.

Written by: Amira
Photos by: Claud

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