Organized as the closing ceremony of the 2024 Badminton Asia, the KWave Music Festival was held at the Burnham Green, Rizal Park in Manila to celebrate the different cultures of South Korea and the Philippines through music. Gates were already open by 9:00AM, giving every guest or KWaver the chance to explore the many booths in the venue, as well as meet up with fellow fans and socialize before the show. Despite the heat, fans were already gathered in the open venue out of excitement to see their favorite acts.
Darlene, YARA and PLUUS begin the night with a bang
As soon as the clock struck 6:00PM, KWavers were already settled in their seats and the event started with a formal ceremony to acknowledge the presence of the people who made the event possible. After the short program was done, the concert proper finally began with a soulful performance from pop soloist Darlene, a runner-up of The Voice Kids and a former member of girl group YGIG. She opened her set with her latest song, “Stay,” followed by a cover of “Love Wins All” by IU and her audition piece from The Voice, “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys.
Girl group YARA followed with strong performances of their original songs “Eksena” and “ADDA,” and covers of “Bebot” by Black Eyed Peas and “Bakit Papa?” by the Sexbomb Girls. This was succeeded by P-pop boy group, PLUUS, who performed their original songs, “Universe,” “Shining Star” and “My Time,” as well as a cover of RIIZE’s debut single, “Get A Guitar.”
South Korean girl group, fromis_9, performs “#menow” in the Philippines for the first time
After the first half of Filipino acts, KWavers welcomed the first South Korean act of the night as fromis_9 finally took the stage and performed their top hits. Flovers have been waiting for this moment, as this was the first time that the girl group visited and performed in the Philippines. Among the song in their sets were, “Feel Good,” “#menow,” “We Go,” “Stay This Way,” and “DM.”
KAIA continued to hype the audience after fromis_9’s performance. The P-Pop girl group performed songs that were significant to their careers like “Blah-Blah,” “You Did It,” and “Dalawa,” much to the audience’s delight. The group also prepared a dance performance to the song “Feeling Myself” by Beyonce and Nicki Minaj, which showed off their powerful moves.
KAIA and YGIG delight fans with their performances
The last Filipino act of the night is none other than YGIG. The girls surely knew how to keep the crowd energized, with their engaging spiels and performances of “Universe,” “Touchdown,” and “Shaba Shaba.” The group also surprised KWavers with their cover of BLACKPINK’s “Pretty Savage.” YGIG definitely sustained KWavers’ energy even if they appeared at the latter part of the festival.
Last but not the least, the most-awaited K-Pop act makes an appearance as the last performer of the festival. Opening their set with their song “WATCH IT,” Korean boy group, THE BOYZ, entered the stage filled with energy as they immediately walked towards KWavers and interacted with DEOBIs that were present at the music festival. Known for their epic dance moves and great synchronization, the group continued make the crowd wild with their performance of “Roar.”
THE BOYZ preparing their positions for their first song, “WATCH IT”
THE BOYZ expressed how excited they were to return to the Philippines after attending the AAA Awards last December, following up their first two songs with “Nectar” and B-side track “Fire Eyes,” which made everyone get up and dance to the beat.
THE BOYZ Juyeon (Left), Q and Kevin (Right) interacting with fans
As the group performed their encore, “THRILL RIDE,” the group showed a more natural side to them by continuing to interact with the crowd and splashing water onto each other while on-stage. After their performances, the group announced their upcoming solo concert at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila on August 25, 2024 as part of THE BOYZ WORLD TOUR: ZENERATION II. THE BOYZ definitely left a mark on every single KWaver, as they had the crowd screaming for another encore while they were already leaving the stage.
Overall, KWave Music Festival definitely achieved their goal of uniting cultures with music, as everything ran smoothly from start to finish. Both KWavers and performers enjoyed the night filled with cheers and music, and best of all, it was all free!
The organizers of the event also hinted at the possibility of another show down the line. Which idols and groups would you like to see in the next KWave Music Festival? Comment them down below!