By Gianna G. Maniego
If your friendly neighborhood KPop fans are all a-twitter and running around like a headless chicken, it’s probably because their world’s just been, in Tumblr lingo, “shook” (as in, shaken to the core.)
See, this is what happens when two of the hottest KPop acts decide to drop by the Philippines and you barely have time to save for the entrance tickets, which, in these parts, are pretty pricey. Let’s not even mention the fact that both of these groups have recently dropped respective albums that are dominating the charts and are naturally must-adds to the “covet” collection.
As it is, there’s barely enough thought process left to keep sanity intact.
But if somehow these fans manage to keep it together, they’re in for a spazz-worthy treat, as both BTS and Seventeen have announced pit stops in Manila in July and August, respectively.
Bulletproof boy scouts
First up, Pulp Live World is bringing back the wildly popular BTS (BangTan Sonyeondan) to Manila for a concert on July 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
This seven-member boy band from Big Hit Entertainment is rocking the KPop world right now. Debuting in 2013, the group—composed of Rap Monster (leader), Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, V and JungKook—have produced hit after hit, including last year’s “I Need U,” “Dope” and “Run.” At the same time, they have been amassing fans left and right, resulting in legions of ARMY (the fandom’s name) members.
Their recent outing, “Fire,” achieved all-kill in all eight of the Korean music charts (meaning, it hit No. 1 in Melon, Soribada, Monkey3, Olleh, Naver, Genie, MNet and Bugs) within hours of its release, while preorders for the album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever reached 300,000 copies, more than any KPop act this year.
The music video of “Fire,” choreographed by Filipino-American Keone Madrid, also grabbed No. 1 trophies for MCountdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo before they wrapped up their one-week promotion. The group is currently in Norway, filming One Fine Day. BTS aims to recruit more fans when they swing by Manila for a return bout. Manila is the eighth stop on their 10-city Asian tour, titled On Stage: Epilogue.
For updates as to when, where and how much the tickets will be available for, monitor Pulp Live World’s Twitter account (@PULPLiveWorld) or follow Happee Sy (@happeesy).
Say the name!
Following closely on the heels of the concert is rising boy band Seventeen’s stopover in Manila. Singapore-based Three Angles Pro will be bringing Shining Diamonds, Seventeen’s 10-city Asian tour, to The Grand Ballroom of Solaire Resort and Casino on August 14.
By now, local Carats (fans of Seventeen) are either breaking all the piggy banks in their household, or spending the summer begging their parents on bended knees, hoping to get permission (as well as an advance on their allowances) to attend the popular boy band’s fan meeting.
After a debut that was stalled for more than two years, this boy group from Pledis Entertainment hit the floor running in May 2015, racking up hits like “Adore U”, “Mansae” and “Shining Diamond.” In the 12 months since their debut, the group has released two mini albums, one full album, and has held five concerts. Along the way, they also collected four Rookie of the Year awards and sold more than 170,000 copies of their first two albums alone, earning them the moniker “rookie monsters.” They were the only KPop group included in Billboard’s 21 Under 21 2015: Music’s Hottest Young Stars. Their latest release, “Pretty U,” from their album First Love & Letter, garnered two No. 1 trophies from Show Champion.
Seventeen gained popularity in and outside South Korea for its boy-next-door image (yes, the kind your mama would love), its fun, light and age-appropriate songs, and the members’ can-do attitude in every project they undertake—whether it’s learning to survive in a remote Korean island or learning 17,000 versions of their songs. Of course, it helps that they are visuals (good-looking), as well.
The group is composed of 13 members (not 17, as you might imagine), and is divided into the HipHop, Vocal and Performance units. They are SCoups (HipHop, as well as overall leader), JeongHan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi (Performance team leader and main choreographer), Wonwoo, Woozi (Vocal team leader, main composer and head producer), DK (Seokmin), Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino.
Perhaps, the most defining quality of this hardworking group is its reputation as “self-producing idols.” Unlike other KPop groups who rely on a team of professional songwriters and choreographers to come up with material, Seventeen’s members all have a hand in creating and producing their music.
Woozi composes most of the group’s music, as well as produces most of the songs. Hoshi takes charge of the group’s intricate choreography, while HipHop team and overall leader S.Coups runs herd over the rappers, all of whom write their own lyrics. The members practice sunup to sunup the next day, perfecting routines that constantly vary with each performance (making these performances something to look forward to).
This is the group’s first Asian tour. Manila is the second stop after their kickoff concert in Seoul. Tickets to the fan meeting will be up for grabs in June, though prices have yet to be decided. Only 800 VIP tickets will reportedly be available. (VIP ticket holders enjoy perks, like photo opportunities and “high-touch” encounters with the group members.) Follow @Threeanglespro on Twitter for updates.