Concert review: K-pop star Taeyeon from Girls’ Generation in great vocal form, makes banana jokes

The Odd Of Love

Taeyeon
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Saturday, 8pm

Sixteen years and going strong in the competitive world of K-pop.

That pretty much sums up South Korean singer Taeyeon, who burst onto the scene as part of nine-member girl group Girls’ Generation in 2007. She was the first to venture out as a solo artiste in 2015.

Since June, the 34-year-old K-idol has been on her fifth concert tour The Odd Of Love, which has sold out wherever she went.

It kick-started in her home country and moved on to Asian cities that included Taipei, Tokyo, Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok. Singapore is the last leg of her tour.

A second show was added last Saturday when tickets to the first on Sunday were snapped up. Those also flew out the door.

Taeyeon now holds the record of being the first South Korean female singer to stage a two-day solo concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Last Saturday night, she commanded the stage with the confidence of a bona fide star, cheered on by the capacity crowd of 8,000.

Dressed in a glamorous long-sleeve black gown, she opened the two-hour gig with INVU, the title track from her eponymous third full-length album in 2022.

It is a dance tune with a dreamy vibe, but she delivered it without the choreographed moves from her music video that fans are familiar with.

Instead, she let her strong vocals take centre stage, backed only by a six-piece band.

It was only from the fifth song Siren that she gyrated with six backup dancers in a sexy white get-up, revealing her slim, toned arms.

“I know you’ve been waiting for me for so long. I’ll give you the best performance ever tonight,” she said, referring to her last concert at the Singapore Expo in 2019.

And being in great form vocally, she did – hitting the big notes and falsettos.

Most of the songs performed were from her 2022 album. Towards the end of the concert, she included her earlier hits such as Four Seasons and Better Babe (both from 2019).

Among the show’s highlights was her delivery of the emotive ballad Fine (2017).

Midway through, she gestured for the band to stop playing and sang unaccompanied, her soaring voice filling the stadium. Although the segment was short, it gave many in the audience goosebumps.

Taeyeon appeared most at ease when she was singing, as her banter came across as sincere though awkward at times, such as when she had to make the transition back to her music.

“How should I end this chat?” she asked nervously.

At one point, she caught sight of a few front-row fans dressed in banana costumes and giggled.

Back when she held her concert in Seoul, she stopped to take a few mouthfuls of a banana while bantering on stage. That moment went viral on social media, with fans gushing about how cute she was.

At the Singapore gig, she said the fruit is a good source of energy and, like water, she would routinely stock it in a carrier onstage.

She then squatted to reach for a banana to show the audience members, who broke out into laughter. She added that she did not expect the fruit to be synonymous with her concerts now.

Coincidentally, ushers at the venue were wearing yellow uniforms and Taeyeon quipped she was seeing “bananas” everywhere.

On a more serious note, she told her fans that she hopes to return to Singapore more often.

“You’re going to come back to see me, right? Never forget about me,” she said, to which the crowd responded with roaring enthusiasm.