[SINGAPORE] BoA Cements Status as The Queen of K-pop at One’s Own Tour

Those who have gotten into K-pop way back in the day (in the early 2000s) here would be familiar with the one and only BoA, otherwise known as the Queen of K-pop. Known for her widespread popularity in Korea, Japan, and beyond, BoA has achieved quite the inevitable: a long-lasting impact and success within the industry.

BoA, who debuted with ID; Peace B in 2000 at the mere age of 13, went on to take the world by storm by releasing hit after hit, including No. 1, Valenti, and Girls on Top. BoA did what many K-pop idols are only starting to do today 20 years ago: sell out millions of albums all across the world.

Due to her long-standing career and legendary status in K-pop, BoA’s live appearances and performances have become more rare over the years. Hence, the announcement of her first-ever live tour, One’s Own, was met with much excitement from Jumping BoAs all over the world. And it seems like Singaporeans lucked out, with their country being one of the 4 locations announced thus far.

With that, let’s dive in and get into what exactly went down at One’s Own’s last tour location — Singapore.

For those who have never watched BoA perform live and did not know what to expect, be prepared to be blown away! Chills went down spines when BoA set foot on the stage and opened the concert with No. 1.

Watching BoA hit high note after high note while dancing enthusiastically to every song was surreal — firstly, how could so much energy be emitted from that small body? Secondly, does the Queen of K-pop eat CDs for a living? How do her live vocals sound exactly like the studio version? And thirdly, seeing someone you respect so much appear before your eyes hit differently. Everyone could not get over how stunning she looked in her cute dress.

It was a pretty overwhelming first few seconds. However, time started to fly, and BoA continued to wow the crowd with a list of dreamy songs in her first act, including Atlantis Princess, Masayume Chasing, L.O.V.E., and Quincy.

During the ment following the first act, BoA talked about how much she missed Singaporean Jumping BoAs, with her last performance here being more than 10 years ago in 2004. The confession was met with a lot of cheering from fans, who also expressed how much they had missed her and had been awaiting the concert. One distinct cry could be heard from a male fan in the crowd, “BoA, I love you! Marry me, BoA!” which made her burst out laughing.

“I miss you guys too… Did someone just propose?”

“YES!” the fan replied before emitting a hyena-like scream.

“That’s really nice, thank you, but I am starting to get a little scared,” she joked, with this playful interaction bearing testament to the long-standing relationship between BoA and Jumping BoAs, akin to that of long-time friends.

BoA also showed how much she truly cared for her fans in the introduction of her next song, Start Over. Originally not part of the setlist, BoA said that she included it because many wanted the chance to hear it live.

The next segment of the setlist saw a more performance-centered act where BoA fleshed out some of her more powerful songs like The Greatest, The Shadow, Rock With You, Forgive Me, and Hurricane Venus, a track that symbolised her return to the Kpop scene with a futuristic sound.

“It’s been really hard preparing for this concert. You see, throughout the show so far, I’ve never had time for a break, and the dancers also never had time to rest. The only time they can rest is now,” BoA told her fans honestly.

Her words moved a lot of fans, as they may have realised that the whole preparation process must have been extra strenuous for BoA, who has been in the music industry for more than 20 years. Adding to that, the entire concert saw BoA performing more than 20 songs — which was no easy feat, especially for a solo artist.

After wrapping up the ment, BoA proceeded on to the next segment — a stage full of jazzy, dreamy vibes and vocals that pleased the ears. She started with her latest single, Emptiness, which was released earlier this year. It was followed by her more jazzy songs, such as DO THE MOTION, VALENTI, and All that Jazz. She then ended the segment by serenading her fans with Garden in The Air as she took a seat, sang her heart out, made eye contact, and waved to everyone in the audience. Hitting high note after high note with ease and grace, BoA’s experience as a veteran was apparent, and it was at this exact moment that everyone realised why she was truly known as the Queen of K-pop.

“We’re coming to the end of the show soon…” was how BoA started off the next ment, much to the dismay of the crowd. “I want to thank all my fans here for the support. I heard that during the soundcheck just now, we not just have fans from Singapore, but also Malaysia, Thailand, China, and Spain. I’m so touched that all of you guys came all the way here to see me.”

“Before I came to Singapore, I was really worried. Because I mainly promote in Korea and Japan, I’m not sure if I came to Singapore, would anyone come to see me? But thank you all for coming. And please enjoy the rest of the concert.”

With that, BoA ventured into the final segment, filled with songs that expressed her true heart and gratefulness to her fans. These included more ballads like Waiting.., If you were here, Every Heart, and Only One. Then came the photo-taking session, where BoA took pictures with the crowd and adorably pretended she didn’t see everyone holding up the slogan until the fan event started.

“Thank you everyone! Loving and supporting someone is not easy, and I can’t believe I am still getting so much [love] even after 20 years. You guys are amazing.”

Right as she left the stage and the lights dimmed, Jumping BoAs who checked the setlist knew what was up — the show wasn’t over yet!

“BoA! BoA!”

Chants resounded all over the stadium for a good 5 minutes straight, and no one was ready to let BoA go until she came back with the encore.

And an encore she did — and even a double encore! With exciting, groovy, and upbeat songs including Breathe, My Name, Girls on Top, and finally ending with Someday Somewhere, BoA promised fans that one day she would meet them again, someday, somewhere.

“Bye! I’m flying off to Korea tonight! Bye everyone!” was how she ended the concert in her cute, candid, BoA-esque way.

We saw just how much hard work BoA had put into this concert, and we hope she rests well and comes back with new songs and performances soon!

And all these wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Three Angles Production. Thank you for the invite and for the chance to witness the Queen of K-pop live!

Written by: Anna Wong
Photos by: John Kevin

The Seoul Story – Connecting K-Pop Fans Since 2011 
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