Rose eats chicken rice, brings fan on stage on first night of Blackpink’s National Stadium concerts

SINGAPORE - It was a 150-minute karaoke marathon as the National Stadium played host to K-pop girl group Blackpink on Nov 28, the first of three gigs at the 55,000-capacity venue.

Blinks – the official name of their fandom – vibed to 28 songs over a five-act spectacle, matching the energy and enthusiasm of the quartet comprising Jisoo, 29, Jennie, 28, Rose and Lisa, both 27.

Blackpink are no strangers to Singapore, with the group staging two sold-out shows in 2023 at the same venue for their Born Pink world tour.

The current Deadline world tour serves as a reunion of sorts, as the four members went on an unofficial hiatus after the Born Pink world tour concluded and embarked on successful solo endeavours with their debut albums: Rose’s Rosie, Jisoo’s Amortage, Lisa’s Alter Ego and Jennie’s Ruby.

Act One kicked off with lasers, pyrotechnics and their massive 2019 hit Kill This Love, which saw the stadium awash in pink as Blinks waved their lightsticks that flashed in time to the pounding beats.

Displaying crisp choreography, they continued with four crowd favourites in a row: Pink Venom, How You Like That, Playing With Fire and Shut Down.

Act Two began with Jisoo’s charming performances of Hugs & Kisses and Earthquake, but it was Lisa who drew the most screams when she turned up the heat with the sexy, powerful numbers Thunder and Rockstar.

“Singapore is shiok,” said the Thai pop star, who looked a little embarrassed upon receiving a lukewarm response. “Did I get it correct? I’ll try again tomorrow.”

“I think Singapore is shy,” New Zealand-born Rose chimed in, adding, “It’s okay, we have more days to get to know each other.”

Blinks resumed singing along to group songs in Act Three, such as Stay and Lovesick Girls.

The most energetic set belonged to Jennie in Act Four, as she turned the stadium into a club with her banger Like Jennie.

Rose’s solo turn marked a change of pace. At every tour stop, the blonde vocalist made a point to try a signature local snack or dish, and it was no different here.

Hopping onto the trapdoor lift beneath the stage, she used chopsticks to eat mouthfuls of chicken rice.

Her acoustic performances of the mellow Call It The End and the emotionally charged Toxic Till The End proved she is the group’s most confident and strongest singer.

One of the night’s biggest highlights came during Apt., when a lucky female fan was invited onstage to sing and do a victory lap with Rose around the stage – sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Blackpink reunited in the fifth and final act with their latest single Jump, before segueing into dance anthems Boombayah and Ddu-du Ddu-du.

The Deadline world tour kicked off in South Korea in July, followed by a four-city American tour and another four sold-out concerts in Europe in August.

The Asia leg started in Taiwan in October, with Singapore as the fifth stop. The tour will end in Hong Kong in January 2026.

Hours before doors to the Nov 28 show opened at 5pm, Blinks were already decked out in their pink-and-black finest around the premises - taking photos, buying merchandise and admiring one another’s outfits.

Among them was Singaporean content creator Rurusama, who was catching her first-ever Blackpink concert. The 26-year-old told ST of her idols: “I look to them for beauty and fashion inspiration.”

Despite having already caught two shows in South Korea’s Goyang Stadium in July, 22-year-old Chinese visual merchandiser Raymond Zhao cannot get enough of the girls - he attended on Nov 28 and will return on Nov 29.

“I would have wanted to watch all three shows, but my schedule did not allow it,” he said.

Malaysian make-up artist Sandara Liaw, 35, pulled up with her husband, events organiser SQ Kiew, 36, and their daughters Sora, six, and Somi, four.

Ms Liaw designed the girls’ get-ups, and got them tailor-made. Sora’s red bodysuit was similar to Jennie’s styling in her Like Jennie music video, while Somi’s yellow attire took inspiration from Lisa’s costume during one of her live performances of Rockstar.

Although the married couple attended Blackpink’s 2023 Born Pink concert, this was the first time their now-older children tagged along.

Ms Liaw said. “I love Blackpink’s music, and my kids also took to it. They love dancing along to the catchy songs. The members are also good role models - they are confident and not afraid to be themselves.” - Additional reporting by Benson Ang