Returning to Singapore for the inaugural Kstar Fanfest 2014, B1A4 treated BANAs to a splendid night of a two-hour concert complete with oodles of games and fan services on 22 Nov 2014. In return? BANAs surprised the boys with a heartening celebration for Jinyoung’s 24th (Korean age) birthday!
Consisting of leader Jinyoung, rapper Baro, vocalists CNU, Sandeul, and maknae Gongchan, members generated waves as soon as they landed in Singapore and greeted by fervent screaming fans at the airport. After all, it has been more than two years since B1A4’s last visit! Having just concluded their first world tour ‘Road Trip’, B1A4 joined Girl’s Day to headline daily concerts at the 2-day Kstar Fanfest, held at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Hall. The event is Singapore’s biggest K-Pop fan celebration and a platform that vowed to feature the hottest of Korea’s new wave of pop powerhouses.
Known for their lighthearted pop style, B1A4 filled the stage with their boyish charms and set fans ablaze with debut track ‘O.K’ and single ‘Beautiful Target’ during the opening act. The screaming only quieted down for a second during ‘Lonely’, when fans were enthralled by the live performance of the scarf choreography. Following another song, ‘IF’, the boys settled down for a chat with fans.
Baro called out, “Hello Singapore! It’s our third time here and it is still beautiful and lovely and we are so happy to see our fans.” And Jinyoung added, “The last time we were here, there were so much love and welcoming and I am so happy to feel it again this round!”
Talking about where they would like to go in Singapore, CNU chose the Singapore Flyer while Baro exclaimed “I really want to visit Sentosa!”. Not able to remember the name of the place, Jinyoung said “Last time when we were here, I saw fireworks?” and fans immediately shouted “MBS (Marina Bay Sands)!” Lucky for him, that was exactly where they were performing and he could explore the place right after the show!
Recently, Baro starred in drama ‘God’s Gift – 14 Days’, while Jinyoung also had a number of acting roles under his belt, one fan asked if other members are keen to go into acting. CNU shared that he was actually one of the first to try his hands at acting, having played a role in ‘Seonyeoga Pilyohae’ (‘I Need a Fairy’), and he is open if there are any suitable roles. A smiley Gongchan called out “We are always prepared!”
When asked about the close friendships, leader Jinyoung highlighted that the key is ‘conversation’. With the year coming to an end, CNU went on to share that the memorable bit of 2014 is that B1A4 held their world tour for the first time, “unfortunately we were not able to bring it to Singapore this round, so we are glad to be here right now!” BANAs’ fierce cheering suggests their unwavering support and well, just bring the tour to Singapore next year!
Next up were the games with B1A4 and the fans, and it was very entertaining to see the comical and fun loving side of the handsome boys. During the telepathy game of ‘One Body, One Mind’, it was a fierce fight between team ‘Hot Stuff’ (Gongchan, Sandeul) and team ‘Sexy’ (Baro, CNU)! Even under the tough ‘scrutiny’ of referee Jinyoung, team Hot Stuff showed some solid chemistry and friendship. Also showing immense love for their fans, the boys repeatedly chose BANAs when asked to choose between groups like APink and Girl’s Day, or Yoona and Taeyeon! Speaking of girl groups, Sandeul got himself in a fix during the guessing game and had to show his dance moves for groups ranging from Girl’s Generation to 2NE1. Cue ‘totally sexy Sandeul’!
B1A4 continued to heat up the atmosphere and channeled their inner Romeos with the sweet song ‘Pretty’ where one lucky BANA was selected to perform together with the boys and was showered with ‘love’ and ‘gifts’ throughout. Gongchan even put his arm around the lucky girl! The night continued with B1A4’s latest comeback ‘Solo Day’, as well as ‘A Glass of Water’, ‘What’s Happening’ and ‘You’re My Girl’.
Taking a breather, Jinyoung exclaimed, “It was really a good opportunity to perform for you, it has been a while! And I enjoyed the games and so glad we are together tonight!” melting the hearts of the BANAs present.
Little did he know, the Singapore BANAs had prepared a surprise belated birthday celebration right there on stage! A special video suddenly flashed across the screen, with many photos of Jinyoung’s handsome face and plenty of fan messages that spelled encouraging words, love and support. The birthday boy was genuinely surprised and touched by the gesture, and went “I really do not know what to say. I am really very happy today. We will always stand beside our BANAs, I love you!” before blowing the candles on his cake with his bandmates amid a birthday song sang by the some 1,600-strong BANAs.
Soaking in the happy atmosphere, members took turns to express their blessings to the leader.
Sentimental Sandeul said, “Hyung is now 24, and there are just a lot things that I could learn from him. (turning to Jinyoung) Really great to stay beside you and to always to stay as one team.”
A grateful Gongchan went, “As a leader, there are a lot of hardships and thank you for doing such a good job. You can always lean on us when you need us and continue to lead us well in future!”
Same-age-friend CNU said, “We are friends and I’m really happy to share this moment with our fans today. I hope to spend his 50, 60, and 70 birthday with him” and some excited fans shouted “Bbobbohae! (kiss, kiss)”
Thanking the fans, Baro said, “We couldn’t celebrate hyung’s birthday on the actual day and I am really grateful to have this occasion. I must say my members and fans are the most precious things I can have.”
Finally, all fans gave a thunderous “Happy birthday!” shoutout to Jinyoung.
B1A4 reciprocated fans for their love with a much energized performance of ‘Baby Goodnight’. Prior launching their encore track ‘In the Air’, Jinyoung and Gong Chan also wandered offstage and roped the hyped up crowd for some Polaroid selca time. Regrettably, fans had to say goodbye. Holding up heart signs with their arms, B1A4 assured fans “We truly enjoyed ourselves today. Sorry that we couldn’t be here with every one of you earlier! Please don’t be sad, we promise we will be back quickly!”
Though not part of their world tour, it was simply an amazing night with some golden moments worth relishing. Let’s keep our chins up. B1A4 will be back!
Officially KMUSIC would like to thank SPH Sphere Exhibits for the great invitation.
Article: Kathryn Zhang
Photos: Hidayah Hamdan
Edited by: LeighDarling
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS