News
Film & TV
Gaming
Tech & Business
Features
Video
Best of 2024
en
Sign Up Sign In
About Us Advertising Events & Campaigns Labs Career Privacy Policy Submit Gig Contact Editorial Contact Advertising Download media kit

Latest on Instagram

BLACKPINK light up Singapore in dazzling 'BORN PINK' show — gig report

BLACKPINK light up Singapore in dazzling 'BORN PINK' show — gig report

Estimated: 6 mins  reading

When BLACKPINK landed upon Singapore over the weekend, they set this little red dot ablaze and turned it into a flare of black and pink. Calling themselves "pink rangers" and "pink puff girls"—a nod to the heroines of K-pop that they are, the quartet took their beloved fans at the National Stadium on a non-stop spectacle as they blazed through their discography, from their hit debut EP SQUARE ONE to last year's Born Pink.

The anticipation to see the K-pop superstars can be felt long before the doors open, with reports of fans queueing up hours early. Plans were made around the concert and outfits were carefully selected. Vietnamese fans Mee and Duong, who flew in just for the show, were spotted decked out in various hues of pink and black, while Singaporean fan Safa handmade pink flowers on her own for the occasion. 

Despite the blistering heat, thousands of BLINKS formed snaking queues for merch and entry – to make sure they got first dibs on Born Pink tour merch and prime spots in the standing pen. 

Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa come fresh off their historic Coachella headlining set, so as expected, BLACKPINK pulled out all the stops. From the glitzy costume changes to their spectacular live band, ensemble of dancers and stellar production, BLACKPINK made sure their return to Singapore was well worth the four-year wait.

BLINKs were not the only ones battling the intense heat, with Jennie commenting: "It is very hot today right? My face is melting".

"Nice and warm, but we have everybody staying hydrated, thats the most important today" Rosé added. 

But such heat was nothing in the face of the sweltering performance put on by the K-pop icons themselves. Descending and emerging from the darkness onto the stage while dressed in matching pink outfits, the foursome started strong as they kicked the night off with 'How You Like That' and 'Pretty Savage'. 

Complemented by their dancers and beautiful stage adornments that looked straight out of a forest wonderland, BLACKPINK went right into one of the first singles that introduced them to the world, 2016's 'Whistle'. 

"It's been four years since we have been back here in Singapore. How's everybody feeling? I must say the venue today is huge and I feel like we are all in for an exciting night today," said Rosé before introducing their catchy hit 'Don't Know What To Do'. 

The group looked right at home during 'Don't Know What to Do' as they blew kisses and playfully teased each other while still delivering a performance. Taking to the runaway stage extension, the girl group danced and twirled amidst an explosion of streamers in the air during 'Lovesick Girls' before their first costume change. 

Putting aside the niceties for the second act, the quartet brought attitude and pomp as they emerged and hyped up BLINKs with 2019's trap hit 'Kill This Love'. Fireworks and flames lit the stage as they went into a fiery performance of 'Crazy Over You'. BLACKPINK did not miss a beat, with every track showcasing the group's uncanny ability to merge diverse genres and personal influences. 

BLACKPINK slowed things down with 'Stay', bumping up the pop ballad piece from their encore portion as compared to previous shows' setlists. They serenaded BLINKs with their melodious harmonies, a chorus of lalala's and holding hands on stage as they sang their 'letter from me to you'. 

Taking a pause, the group ensured that fans were doing alright in the tropical heat. Lisa shared: "Are you guys okay? Not too hot right? I feel like I'm in Thailand [like] I'm back to my hometown, [because] the weather is exactly the same". The group proceeded to introduce The Band Six, the live band that powered the instrumentals behind their songs, before picking up right where they stopped with 'Tally' from their latest album, BORN PINK.

An infectious guitar track accompanying the group's passionate vocals in a carefree anthem that has fans singing their hearts out, the song was a great set up to get fans' mood going before they segued right into 'Pink Venom'. A festival of pink lasers, fireworks, and an extended dance choreography by YGX dancers – the power anthem brought the revelry straight to National Stadium's dome. 

One instrumental-filled intermission later courtesy of The Band Six and audiences are treated to Jisoo's solo 'FLOWER' performance. Jisoo mesmerised the audience in a floral outfit and now iconic choreogpraphy. Next, Jennie teased the audience with her unreleased dance track 'You & Me' on a moon-and-laser-lit stage. Rosé charmed the hearts of many as she belted out 'Hard to Love' and 'On The Ground' while Lisa got everyone's hearts racing with enthralling performances of 'LALISA' and 'MONEY', treating BLINKS to a pole dance routine during the former. An iconic moment has got to be the craze right after Lisa's "everyone silent" in 'MONEY'. 

Following their solo performances and a third interlude, BLACKPINK reunited on stage with 'Shut Down' and 'Typa Girl'. 

"Singapore knows how to party!" Lisa said in the ment following the two songs. Rosé added that, "It's been four years since we were back in Singapore and look at the amount of BLINKs that showed up today".

As with most concerts, and especially with global popstars like BLACKPINK, comes the age-old question of whether to film with your phone or to live in the moment. With recent reports of fans sharing their negative experience of having their view blocked by concertgoers who held their phones high to record the performances, it was a timely reminder that concerts are an experience that is best enjoyed when you savour the present moment.

Even Jennie chimed in, "I must say I'm seeing more cellphones than faces today. I don't know if I like that, so for the last two songs I want everyone to connect, interact with us, and sing and dance and just party, okay?"

Just as they sang in 'DDU-DU DDU-DU', BLACKPINK kept their energy high and 뜨거워 (hot) like fire indeed. Pyrotechnics galore as the group triumphantly strode down the runaway stage and fireworks on cue right as they ended a highly coordinated and extended choreography with their legions of dancers who were dressed in white. Jumping right into 'Forever Young', the group seemingly said their goodbyes to Singapore. 

But of course, an encore was in order as the crowd cheered for the still-unplayed live staple 'BOOMBAYAH'. Returning to the stage, this time dressed down casually, in matching Born Pink merch, the group seemed to be having their most fun as their performance of 'BOOMBAYAH' ended with an explosion of "pink confetti snowstorm".

"You guys have just watched a concert of the pink puff girls," joked Rosé before the girls ended their set with 'As If It's Your Last'.

Rosé wrapped up with: "Singapore, thank you so much there are some people we would like to thank. We would like to thank our band, we woud like to thank our crew, thank you always thank you to our dancers, our lovely dancers. But most of all — thank you to BLINKs."

BLACKPINK will continue their BORN IN PINK world tour with shows in Macau, Bangkok, Osaka and more. 

BLACKPINK BORN IN PINK Singapore Setlist:

  1. How You Like That
  2. Pretty Savage
  3. WHISTLE
  4. Don't Know What To Do
  5. Lovesick Girls
  6. Kill This Love
  7. Crazy Over You
  8. STAY
  9. Tally
  10. Pink Venom
  11. FLOWER
  12. Hard to Love
  13. On The Ground
  14. LALISA
  15. MONEY
  16. Shut Down
  17. Typa Girl
  18. DDU-DU DDU-DU
  19. Forever Young
  20. BOOMBAYAH
  21. As If It's Your Last

Sign in to Bandwagon

or sign in with your Bandwagon account