K-pop casts its spell
The Jakarta Post | Sun, 06/19/2011 8:00 AM
In the space of two weeks, fans of South Korean pop music (K-pop) were in for another treat, the FantastiKpop concert featuring Korean quartet 2AM, singers San E, Joo, girl group Miss A and Kim Hyung Joon, a member of boy band SS501.
Korean pop fans — mostly teenagers — were having a good time, screaming for more, especially after performers greeted them in Indonesian, “Selamat malam” (good evening).
The cheers became louder when R&B singer San E. performed on stage. “He invited a woman in the audience onto the stage and allowed her to kiss him,” Annisa, who attended the concert, said.
The executive director of concert organizer Blackrock Entertainment, Neki Reinarto, said he decided to bring in the Korean pop stars given the increasing popularity in Indonesia of Korean pop culture.
“We hope this can be a starting point to introduce Asian music, not only Korean, to the world,” he said.
Four-person band 2AM was one short for Saturday’s concert, as band member Jinwoon was busy working on a solo project in South Korea.
Lee Hyun, a member of boy band 8Eight, who had been billed as perform, canceled his appearance a few days before the concert due to his tight schedule in preparing for his group’s comeback next week.
“The lineup of performers changed because Lee Hyun is recording a new album. We hope fans understand because the situation is beyond our control,” Neki said.
The absence of Jinwoon and Lee Hyun was offset by the performance of Kim Hyung Joon - the youngest member of SS501, who recently released a solo album in March.
Joo and 2AM said they were excited about meeting Indonesian fans.
“I’m so glad to come back to Indonesia after quite some time,” said Joo, who has been in Indonesia before.
On Friday, he met with fans selected by Blackrock Entertainment through a contest on Twitter, while fans will get to meet Miss A at the Hotel Mulia Senayan, where the pop start are staying during their visit.
2AM, which visited Indonesia in May but did not meet fans, said they hoped the concert, where they performed six songs, would make up for their fans’ disappointment.
Saturday’s concert was kicked off by Joo, who sang four songs, followed by 2AM, rapper San E and Kim Hyung Joon, with Miss A wrapping up the evening.
At the concert, the Indonesian audience was not only exposed to Korean music, but was also treated to examples of Korean culture, including cuisine and fashion, at several booths outside the Senayan Sports Complex, where the concert was held.
— JP/Irawaty Wardany
source: thejakartapost.com
No comments:
Post a Comment