Long-awaited reunion: Apink left crying by fans' surprise video in Singapore concert

It had been nine years since K-pop girl group Apink performed in Singapore.

At their Pink New Year concert at Arena @ Expo Hall 7 last night (Feb 20), it was clear how much their fans missed them.

From the loud cheers before the members - Chorong, Eunji, Bomi, Hayoung and Namjoo - even came out to the synchronised fan-chants throughout the concert, the love from their supporters could be felt even by me, a casual listener of the group.

This impressed Bomi and Chorong, who gave their thumbs-up.

While I was only familiar with a few Apink songs, the set was still enjoyable as there was something for everyone: Cute hits like Mr. Chu and D N D, ballads like To. Us and The Wave as well as groovier tunes like Dumhdurum and I'm So Sick.

Every member also showcased their individual styles through their solo stages where they each performed a cover.

That segment started off strong with Bomi's rendition of Unholy by Kim Petras and Sam Smith.

Eunji brightened things up with Day6's Time of our Life while Chorong and Hayoung brought back nostalgia with 2000s hits Gimme More and Lady Marmalade respectively. Namjoo's sexy cover of Water by Tyla left fans screaming.

Surprise video by fans

During the encore, a surprise video made by fans was played before the members.

The video featured handwritten and voice messages from Singapore fans who expressed their love and said they would always wait for them.

After the video, lyrics to their song 0419 - named after their debut date April 19, 2011 - were displayed on the screen and the crowd sang in Korean: "Your warm heart is enough, that's all I need."

Apink, touched by the surprise, apologised for taking almost a decade to perform in Singapore again.

"Are we really meeting after almost 10 years? I'm so sorry, really," said Bomi, before bursting into tears.

The members tried to liven up the atmosphere before they said their final ment, where Bomi playfully hit herself as she said it was their fault for taking too long to come back.

"Of course today I did my very best since the beginning [of the concert] but this got me thinking, I should have put more effort in it," she added while wiping her tears with a tissue and expressing her gratitude.

Even Eunji, whom Chorong said doesn't cry often, was moved to tears.

"We know many things have happened the past 10 years… but our Pandas (fandom name), you guys were cheering for us from far away," said Eunji.

"Thinking about our fans who waited here, it made me feel so grateful and happy from the start of the concert. Thank you for waiting for us."

They had an emotional talk with fans for 20 minutes before performing NoNoNo. Though it's an upbeat and happy song, all the members - except the cheerful Namjoo - had a hard time singing their lines as they kept choking up.

But they didn't let the sadness linger too long; they tried to make Pandas smile as they said their goodbyes, forming a train and making cute sound effects while making their way backstage.

I went into Pink New Year with the mindset that it was work but left feeling a newfound appreciation for the group whose sincerity could be felt through a short concert.

syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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