"Let me introduce myself. You guys might know me, [or] might not — I'm CHUNG HA from South Korea," CHUNG HA told the crowd during her recent show at Marquee Singapore.
Given the loud cheers and screams from party-goers — some of whom had turned up as early as two hours before her arrival to get the best views of the action — it was clear that the introduction was more of a formality rather than something those in the nightclub needed.
Although it had been nearly five years since the K-pop star last visited the Lion City to perform at KAMP Singapore 2019, HAARTs (the name of CHUNG HA's fans) in the country assured the singer and dancer that they had not forgotten her when she brought Marquee's fifth anniversary celebrations to a close on 13 April.
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Taking the stage as part of the nightlife venue's OH-K! concert series just a month after returning from a two-year hiatus, the MORE VISION act made up for lost time by treating fans to a brief but exhilarating set that showed why she was so sorely missed during her absence.
I'm ready to get this stage
From the platform above the venue's DJ deck, CHUNG HA made a fiery entrance with 'I'm Ready', one of her two new tracks, as blinding flames, streaks of lightning, and futuristic sci-fi visuals were projected onto the massive screen behind her.
Of the six tracks on her setlist for the night, the number was arguably the most gruelling one to perform due to the nature of its waacking-inspired choreography, making the 28-year-old's clear, pitch-perfect vocals and sharp and precise dancing all the more breathtaking.
@bnrubear She's a queen, what more can I say? #chungha #marqueesingapore @CHUNG HA 청하 ♬ original sound - Brandon Raeburn - B.
Continuing with 'EENIE MEENIE', her latest comeback's title track, CHUNG HA charged up the crowd further with an entrancing masterclass in body control. Accompanying the South Korean artist's fluid head, arm, and lower body movements were trademark CHUNG HA facial expressions with confidence, focus, and of course, a desire to entertain written all over them.
CHUNG HA was back, and she made sure that everyone knew that.
You're in my HAART
Noticing the distance between her and fans, CHUNG HA decided to alter her plans for the night by making her way to the DJ deck on the ground floor much earlier than she had intended.
"It's much better this way, don't you think?" she said while standing on a platform in front of the DJ console, now only an arm's length of fans in the front row.
The soloist explained to HAARTs that the trade off of getting closer to her fans was that she would not be able to "dance perfectly" for her remaining four tracks due to the narrowness of the new space, but no one in Marquee seemed to mind.
Priorisiting fans' safety, she then made them promise not to push each other before carrying on with her set: "I don't want anyone to get hurt. We just want to have fun, right?"
In an interview before her show, CHUNG HA told Bandwagon that her fans are the ones who keep her "motivated" and "inspired", and she took her reunion with those in Singapore as an opportunity to show them her appreciation.
As she sang, she closed the gap between her and her HAARTs further by squatting in front of them to touch their hands and borrow the phones of a lucky few for group selfies and videos. CHUNG HA also ensured that fans who were out of her reach were not left out by thanking those watching from the nightclub's second and third floors for their energy.
Enduring favourites
On the music front, CHUNG HA kept the party going with favourites from earlier in her career, including her biggest hit to date, 'Gotta Go', her 2021 single 'Killing Me', the Querencia English b-side 'Flying on Faith', and 'Snapping', the title track from her 2019 EP Flourishing.
Having been previously featured on her music festival setlists, the numbers selected for her Singapore engagement were perfect choices for a nightclub show that kept energy levels consistently high. As seen from her shocked reaction while introducing 'Killing Me', which she felt was a lesser-known number, the overwhelmingly positive reception to the entire setlist she had curated was not something she had expected.
chungha’s suprised reaction to the audience screaming for “killing me” 😭
— chungha pics! (@kchunghapics) April 13, 2024
“you guys know this song? really? that’s so cool. I thought…” pic.twitter.com/mM5RANGEbi
"You guys know the song? Really? That's cool! Thank you so much," she told the crowd.
Despite the limited space she had to work with, CHUNG HA continued to thrill fans as she executed modified versions of her songs' choreographies, striking a balance between performing safely and treating the crowd to iconic CHUNG HA moments they had come to see.
While favourites such as 'Roller Coaster', 'Stay Tonight', and 'Dream of You' were notable omissions from CHUNG HA's show, the night that she spent with HAARTs in Singapore was in no way incomplete. Instead, it was an exciting teaser of what a future full-length concert — which the Marquee crowd will certainly want to become a reality sooner rather than later — might look like.
CHUNG HA's Marquee Singapore setlist
- I'm Ready
- EENIE MEENIE (ft. Hongjoong of ATEEZ)
- Gotta Go
- Killing Me
- Flying on Faith
- Snapping
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