[SINGAPORE] Apink Tearfully Reunites with Local Fans after 10-Year-Wait

Tears and sniffles filled the air at Apink’s PINK NEW YEAR concert in Singapore, the IST Entertainment girl group’s first time in the country in almost a decade.

With a setlist spanning two and a half hours, Chorong, Bomi, Eunji, Namjoo, and Hayoung brought back a brand of 2nd-gen professionalism and sincerity that has been dearly missed in the K-pop scene.

Nostalgic hits and new ambitions

Flanked by four dancers, the quintet looked glamorous and festive in a sparkly white ensemble as they kicked things off with Only One, which coincidentally was the song they were promoting the last time they visited Singapore in 2016.

Fans were vocal about their excitement to finally see the girls performing their biggest hits, including Remember, Mr. Chu, and FIVE from the 2010s.

Slowing things down with ballad tracks, we were treated to goosebumps-inducing live vocals for To. Us. Another fan-favourite classic, Sunday Monday, filled the hall with warm nostalgia and got fans singing along.

As performers on their fourteenth year of showbiz, the members let their individual personalities and artistry shine through a slew of solo stages.

Bomi was strong and fierce for her cover of Unholy (feat. Kim Petras) by Sam Smith, and Chorong flaunted her flirty side with Britney Spears’ Gimme More. Eunji surprised fans from behind as she belted DAY6’s Time of Our Life, greeting the audience at eye level.

Hayoung went cabaret with a coquettish cover of Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and P!nk, surprising the crowd with a mid-song outfit change. Turning up the heat, Namjoo took on the provocative moves that Tyla’s Water is well-known for, deviating from the usual Apink fare.

Unserious banter

A great part of why fans love Apink is that, despite being esteemed industry veterans, they don’t take themselves too seriously.

Namjoo pointed out a cross drawn on Bomi’s shoulder for her solo performance and said, in English, “your song is Unholy, but you’re holy,” drawing peals of laughter from the audience.

Midway through the concert, Bomi was worried that fans would suffer from lower back pain from sitting too long and had everyone on their feet for a hilarious three-second stretch break.

On the topic of their Singapore adventures, Eunji shared that chilli crab “went into her face” when she dug into the dish with Hayoung and Namjoo the previous day. She reassured, of course, that the taste was worth the ordeal.

Bomi and Chorong decided to take advantage of Singapore’s hot weather and enjoyed a dip in the pool, but Chorong does not know how to swim, so she took notes from others there: “We were curious how the others swam so well, so we submerged ourselves in the water to observe from below.”

An emotional encore

Perhaps it stemmed from a decade of longing, but cheers from the audience were so loud that even Apink’s staff backstage acknowledged their intensity. Chorong said, “I’m not lying when I say the moment we entered for the first song, I got goosebumps on my thighs,” describing how overwhelming it was be back in Singapore.

If the girls were holding back tears during the main show, the floodgates flew wide open after they watched a fan-made video montage showing how fans have spent the last decade waiting for the group to return to Singapore.

Hayoung thanked fans for the video and shared that the members took a red eye flight just to spend more time in Singapore. While Namjoo lightheartedly blamed their label for not bringing them back here sooner, Bomi was the first to bawl: “It really took us 10 years to come back? Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Even Eunji, who is known to rarely cry, burst into tears mid-speech. “Thinking about how you were waiting for us from afar for 10 years-” she choked up again. “I want to set your cheers as my morning alarm tone.”

The crying fest continued into the last few songs of the encore. Hayoung, who got visibly overwhelmed by emotion while performing NoNoNo, said, “I’m very sad. We’ll try to come back to Singapore sooner the next time.”

With teary promises like these, it probably won’t take another decade for them to return. As Namjoo put it, in perfect English, “You could have been anywhere, but you decided to be here with us. We’ll work hard to come more often. As long as you’re here, we’ll always be here too. We’ll be together forever.”