NewJeans at Nike Orchard Road: Everything that happened at the K-pop group's first appearance in Singapore
The group performed a few hits at a closed-door event on Saturday (Feb 3). CNA Lifestyle got the chance to catch this exclusive show at Nike Orchard Road. Here's what happened.
From left: NewJeans members Hyein, Minji, Danielle, Hanni and Haerin. (Photo: CNA/Hazeeq Sukri)
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Calling NewJeans "huge" would be an understatement. Despite debuting only in July 2022, the K-pop girl group has shattered expectations and taken the world by storm with their string of catchy earworms.
Songs like Hype Boy, Ditto and Super Shy have dominated airwaves worldwide and landed the quintet multiple industry accolades, including a clean sweep at the 2023 MAMA Awards. NewJeans' impact also extends beyond music; the group has scored numerous endorsement deals, including one with sportswear brand Nike.
As such, it comes as no surprise that NewJeans' first appearance in Singapore at the new Nike Orchard Road was met with great fanfare. Despite the show being a closed-door event for selected Nike members and guests, hundreds of NewJeans fans – affectionately known as Bunnies – thronged the space surrounding Nike Orchard Road to catch a glimpse of their idols.
Inside the three-storey building, lucky Nike members were waiting in anticipation while clutching NewJeans' lightsticks. The first level of the 28,000-sq-ft space had been beautifully transformed into a mini concert hall, with posters of the NewJeans members pasted all over the area. Barricades were also placed surprisingly close to the stage, giving fans a wonderful view of the action on stage.
The festivities started properly at around 1.15pm as Thai singer and member of K-pop group CLC Sorn took the stage to host the event and bring out NewJeans.
The crowd went wild as Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein emerged from the back of the hall and made their way to the stage. The ladies promptly launched into a performance of Ditto – one of the biggest songs of 2023.
Thereafter, the members introduced themselves and continued with the songs New Jeans and ETA – with their signature effervescent personalities shining through in every move they made.
Following ETA, NewJeans took a break from performing to answer a few questions, including their thoughts on Singapore.
Vietnamese-Australian member Hanni praised Singapore's weather, given the fact that South Korea "was a little chilly" at the moment. She also drew cheers after saying that everyone in Singapore was "so nice and welcoming" – a sentiment shared by members Hyein and Haerin.
When asked about the group's favourite part about travelling overseas, Minji chimed in: "I really love visiting other countries and experiencing all the various food and scenery. Also, I'm able to meet our Bunnies."
Danielle added that she enjoyed eating dragonfruit here and found it "really yummy". The Q&A session ended with the Korean-Australian member seemingly hinting that a return to Singapore was in the works.
"It is (time for) our last song but it's our first time in Singapore, so we have to come again. So until next time, I can't wait to see you and I hope you'll enjoy our last song."
NewJeans then ended their set with a rousing performance of OMG – capping off a short but memorable day.
It remains to be seen if the group will embark on a world tour and stage a concert in Singapore this year. However, if the Nike event was any indication, NewJeans is more than ready to electrify Bunnies in Singapore on a larger scale.
Following NewJeans' performance, attendees were treated to a shopping party with exclusive access to merchandise from the group's collaboration with Nike, along with the sporting brand's new Air Max 90 LV8 shoes which have extra cushioning and height.
