Concert review: Gen-Z rapper Lee Young-ji covers JJ Lin at first Singapore show

Lee Young-ji 1st Asia Tour The Main Character – Singapore

Capitol Theatre

Last Friday

A South Korean hip-hop artiste best known for fast raps may be the last person one associates with home-grown superstar JJ Lin’s soaring and emotional ballad Twilight.

However, that was the song Lee Young-ji chose to cover at her first Singapore concert while wearing an “I Heart SG” T-shirt.

As a surprise for the 1,500 fans here who showed up, the 21-year-old rapper wrapped up her two-hour gig by performing the vocally demanding Mandarin number, despite not speaking the language. 

“My pronunciation still isn’t very good, but I worked very hard,” she said to loud cheers.

At a previous gig in Taiwan – the first stop in her Asia tour – she performed Taiwanese pop diva Jolin Tsai’s Womxnly in Mandarin as well. 

In the hands of a lesser artiste, such an unexpected surprise might be the biggest highlight of the show, but Lee is a performer who brought swagger and style to the Capitol Theatre.

Lee won not just one, but two rap competitions. She debuted at 17 as the winner of the third season of High School Rapper (2019), a hip-hop competition reality show for teenagers, and also won season 11 of Show Me The Money, a rap competition for rookie and established hip-hop artistes, becoming the first female winner of the show. There is no question Lee can spit bars. 

Watching her live made one appreciate her talents more. Her rhythm and speed on declarative raps like I Am Lee Young Ji and Witch were impeccable, but what was more impressive was her infectious energy and incredible stamina from start to end.

She grooved, twerked and flipped her hair around as she vibed with her songs. She can dance as well, showing off her moves in several numbers, including the recent hit Smoke – a song that started a viral TikTok dance challenge even among K-pop idols.

Many of her numbers feature other artistes, but flying solo was no issue for her. She sang South Korea-based American rapper and mentor Jay Park’s portions in songs such as Day & Night and Blue Check.

She also knew how to keep her audience engaged. Rap and hip-hop songs are not easy to sing along to, but Lee often got the audience to sing the catchiest line of a song’s chorus with her before she performed the number. This hyped up the crowd and also gave them a chance to rehearse singing along with her. 

At one point, Lee even sought confident audience members who could stand in for hip-hop star pH-1 on the number Not Sorry. A female fan from Malaysia was eventually picked to rap his verse during the performance and did an admirable job.

Lee’s ability to rap, sing and entertain makes her a strong performer, but her personality is what draws fans. Often appearing on her own YouTube chats-over-drinks talkshow Not Much Prepared (2022 to present) as well as the variety game show Earth Arcade (2022 to present) without any make-up, the Gen-Z star is known for her candid and funny quips.

Launching into Freesia and Anemone, both of which are collaborations with Layone, she confessed that she wrote these songs for the South Korean rapper, whom she once had an unrequited crush on.

Explaining why she still performs the songs, she quipped: “The love is gone and the feelings are gone, but the songs exist and money exists. So you got to be smart.”

Before singing Small Girl, the 1.75m-tall hip hop artiste shared her anxiety and insecurities dating as a woman who is neither dainty nor petite.

She confessed: “I have many songs about my (insecurity) complex, just tiny parts of me that I don’t like. Not major things, just small, tiny things. Just a little bit.”

Being able to seamlessly switch between braggadocio raps and introspective R&B numbers is no easy feat, yet Lee makes it feel effortless and authentic. She may be young, but she is already a powerhouse performer.