IN THE glossy K-pop world of synchronised dance moves and slick, choreographed performances, it is refreshing to witness a pretty boy pull off his rock ‘n’ roll swagger on stage.
And convincingly, for that matter.
Korean pop-rock quintet F.T. Island, fronted by enigmatic vocalist Lee Hong Ki, had its rock roots on full display in Singapore yesterday, proving that K-pop isn’t all just about catchy hip-hop beats.
With talented musicians skilled in their instruments, K-pop can be just as loud, powerful and heavy as its chart-topping Western modern rock counterparts.
Playing in front of a 3,500 crowd made up of mostly screaming teenage girls at Singapore Expo’s The Max Pavilion, F.T. Island opened the 21/2-hour concert with its uplifting tune, I Hope.
Frontman Lee, 21, was in top form throughout the evening. His soaring, dramatic delivery of the band’s biggest hits such as Love Love Love, Hello Hello and Love Sick was reminiscent of J-rock veterans Gackt and L’Arc-en-Ciel’s Hyde’s style of singing.
Now we know why the boys had no problems cracking the Japanese music industry.
Last year, their debut Japanese album, Five Treasure Island, topped the Japanese Oricon music charts – a first for a foreign artiste in Oricon’s 42 years of history.
Earlier, The New Paper chatted with some fans queueing to enter the venue and found many who couldn’t stop gushing about the baby-faced singer.
“Hong Ki sings with so much passion and emotion!” exclaimed Secondary 3 student Jamie Choo, 15.
Her friend, Koh Jiayi, 14, agreed.
She added: “It’s like he is singing his heart out.”
Besides wowing the audience with his voice, Lee also looked the part and behaved with the irreverence of a rocker.
Feeding off energy from fans
He gesticulated wildly as he sang, feeding off the energy from the fans as he egged them on to sing along.
At one point, Lee shouted at the top of his voice: “You’re so (expletive) cool!”
A few reporters in front of me gasped and looked at one another, stunned. While hurling profanities is not unusual at rock gigs, when it comes to K-pop, it is.
Lee was also capable of goofing around.
Bantering with bassist Lee Jae Jin, 20, he randomly uttered to his mate: “I love you.”
Laughs erupted all around as Jae Jin replied in mock-surprise: “Why?”
“I don’t know,” was Lee’s nonchalant reply.
The other band members were just as equally competent in their roles.
Band leader and lead guitarist Choi Jong Hun’s guitar solos were astoundingly good.
It helped that the 21-year-old was dashing and had a smile that could melt any girl’s heart.
Behind the drums, Choi Min Hwan, 19, kept time well and showed off his enviable six-pack abs in a funnyvideo.
The dudes of F.T. Island were clearly in high spirits, probably from their recent triumph at Korea’s premier music awards event, the Golden Disk Awards.
On Thursday, F.T. Island received the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Musician Award, as well as the Best Rock Musician Of The Year Award.
The band closed its Singapore concert leg with a rousing rendition of Like The Birds – a perfect end to a jubilant night.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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