13 going on 17
K-Pop group Seventeen showcased its eclectic musical abilities at its recent KL concert. Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli was there
THESE days, I’m more into K-Pop groups that self-produce their own songs and bring as much originality into their craft as possible. Most people have this notion that K-Pop is a manufactured industry. Well, they should know that there are some idols who come up with their own repertoire and choreography.
One of them is Seventeen, a 13-member male group that has been labelled “self-produced idols” and the members take pride in it.
A member, Woozi, has been producing most of the unit’s songs while fellow member Hoshi has been known to choreograph the group’s dance performances.
I guess that’s why the chemistry seems strong among members — because behind the scenes, they have to work together closely.
The camaraderie was evident at its recent Kuala Lumpur concert at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre, as part of its Ideal Cut tour.
You may think 13 members are too many for one group or even to stand on stage at any one time. Throughout the show, I witnessed a seamless presentation of talent. Not once did it look messy.
The members, who include Jun, Dino, Jeonghan, Wonwoo, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Joshua, S.Coups and Vernon, were bursting with energy and looked like they really enjoyed what they were doing. It was a 100 per cent
commitment and passion. The boys opened the show with their recent hits, Highlight and Thank You, followed by Flower, No F.U.N, Chuck, Run To You and Beautiful.
Most of the songs come with choreography that Seventeen presented with exceptional enthusiasm and finesse. After all, the group is also known for its synchronised dancing.
From the get-go, fans (who call themselves Carat) went wild at seeing their favourite members (oh, my poor eardrums), especially when the latter showcased charming or cute personas.
That’s the thing with Seventeen. The boys can totally pull off both the cutesy and charismatic concepts excellently.
Certain fans will enjoy the sugary pop songs like Thinking About You, Pretty U, Oh My, Campfire and Hello. Some of the songs also come with adorable dance moves. Others may enjoy the more upbeat, rock, electronic tracks such as Shining Diamond, Adore U, Clap and Change Up.
This only shows how eclectic Seventeen is in terms of music.
Further proving this is how Seventeen is divided into three sub-units. At the concert, the Hip-Hop Unit showcased badass charisma as it performed Un Haeng Il Chi and Sukyo with gusto. Doing a 180-degree turn was the Vocal Unit, which presented heartbreaking and emotional ballads Habit and Pinwheel in soulful voices.
Meanwhile, the Performance Unit (more skilled at dancing) was both cute and charming when performing Swimming Fool and Jam Jam with light yet sharp choreography. The fans also enjoyed the hilarious banter among the members between performances.
Seungkwan and Hoshi were such clowns while handsome Mingyu sent the ladies screaming with his aegyo (Korean word for a cute display of affection).
Seventeen closed the show with Very
Nice, a super catchy and lively track with unique melodies that got everyone singing along and cheering.
With confetti raining down on the audience and the boys dancing wildly on stage, it was like a party!
I bet some fans were disappointed that the boys didn’t perform one of their most celebrated hits, Don’t Wanna Cry. I know I was!
While the sound system was great, it wasn’t the case with the venue. Whoever thought a rectangular convention centre was a good idea?
Luckily, the organisers had good sense to put up elevated sections (propped by metal structures and wooden floorboards) for attendees sitting at the far back.
Still, one could hardly see anything from there! Thank god for the LED screens but even these were tiny.
The media was also placed there. Every time the fans around me screamed, jumped or moved about in excitement, the “ground” shook.
By the first 10 minutes of the concert, I was already nursing a huge migraine. Oh well, at least it was a great event.
Still, I won’t stop praying for a proper venue in Malaysia to be built just for concerts.
Seventeen Ideal Cut In Malaysia was brought by Fast Track Events, Pledis Entertainment, Live Nation Korea and Shownote.
bibiramli@nst.com.my