EXO’s Xiumin shares stage with Bini, Hori7on, Maki, Juan Karlos in local festival
“Sa wakas nagkita-kita na tayo sa kalsada ng BGC,” Maki casually spoke on the mic in between belting the lines of “Bakit?,” which was his opening song. He smiled when he heard the audience cheer, before letting out a “Yeah!” The line is a reference to “Saan,” another song that he would perform that night.
The young artist with the boy-next-door charm would check out the stretch of 5th Avenue that seemed to be endlessly filled with people. It was his first time to perform on this stage. Happiness was written on his face as he sang his repertoire of heartbreak songs including “Dilaw” and “Sikulo,” which he cowrote and performed with Angela Ken and Nhiko.
A total of 45,000 people came to attend the Samsung Galaxy AI Festival on July 13. The free concert was held to celebrate the launch of the newest Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6.
The festival was headlined by EXO’s Xiumin, but the Filipino artists performing at the event showed that they are just as wonderful and loved as entertainers. P-pop royalty BINI came next. The girls had a flight to Cebu that night but despite the tight schedule, they didn’t make their fans, known as Blooms, feel that they were in a hurry.
Present onstage were members Maloi, Stacey, Sheena, Gwen, Colet, Jhoanna and Aiah. Mikha missed the show because she’s recovering from a knee injury. Stacey celebrated her birthday with a cake and a birthday song from the members and fans.
Top of their game
They were only onstage for a little over 30 minutes, but it was enough to see why they are at the top of their game. They executed their choreography flawlessly from their first song “Lagi” to their last number “Huwag Muna Tayong Umuwi.”
Their chemistry can be felt in the little things they did for each other. Nobody hogged the mic during the ment (talking parts). They made sure every member got a turn to interact with the crowd, even in the silliest task such as leading the crowd to say “eyy” with the matching hand sign.
The lyrics of “Pantropiko” and “Salamin, Salamin” have been committed to memory by most Pinoys, and the crowd had no problem joining them in singing.
It’s not easy to follow a dynamic group such as Bini, but Juan Karlos was able to hold court. The artist shamelessly flirted with the crowd during his entire set.
He started with “Sad Songs and Bullsh*t” before proceeding to “Demonyo,” and there was something about the way he took the stage. He made it feel like an intimate performance and his face looked like he was sharing a naughty secret.
His songs are a little naughty, especially since some are peppered with curses that felt nice to sing out loud. He was hypnotic in “Buwan” as he cradled the mic stand in his hands, before he finished the set with “Ere.”
Hori7on
Hori7on’s Vinci, Kim, Kyler, Reyster, Winston, Jeromy and Marcus came next and started with “Six7een” before doing “Lucky” and “Hit Me.” The group has shown consistent growth, evident in the way they moved onstage. Their facial expressions were on point, perfectly in sync with their choreography.
During the song “Dash,” one could appreciate the group’s snappy movements and vocal range. Hori7on is in a very unique position in the market. The all-Filipino group performs and promotes in Korea because they are based there, but at the same time, they have songs like “Salamat” that are a nod to their roots.
Majority of the crowd were made up of EXO-Ls (EXO’s fandom name). When Xiumin came out, the eribongs (lightstick) came out, too, creating a beautiful “cosmic latte” ocean right there on the street. Xiumin commented that a lot of EXO-Ls came for him.
“Sigaw! Hello, EXO-Ls, did you miss me? I missed you,” he said after performing “Feedback” and “Serenity.” “I am glad to attend the Galaxy Festival in the Philippines where I got to see you.”
‘Pogi’
The fans started to chant “pogi” when he revealed that he got a haircut before he went to the country to attend the event. Xiumin is undoubtedly handsome, but his greatest asset is his talent.
Through the song “Love Letter,” the crowd was able to hear one of the sweetest voices in K-pop. He removed his shirt midway through the song and continued to perform throughout the night with his biceps exposed. The song ended with him getting down on his knees and extending his arms, his fingers forming a heart.
Xiumin can do a lot of things as a solo performer. He could dance high-energy songs like he did while performing “Brand New” and “Beyond.” His energy knew no limits as he jumped around the stage, hitting high notes while performing the choreography. His fans loved every moment of it. The festival was held to highlight the AI possibilities of Samsung products.
But it also showed that Filipino performers can stand side by side on the global stage with their Korean counterparts, and that Filipino fans can love Bini, Maki, Juan Karlos, and Hori7on as much as they love K-pop and Xiumin.
