Ayumi Hamasaki turns first solo Singapore concert into full-blown musical spectacle, Entertainment News
As the red curtains lifted on her first solo concert in Singapore, so did the roar from a sea of pink light sticks. The 360-degree arena setup for I am Ayu - Ep. II ensured that no seat was a bad one, and no moment felt out of reach.
But this wasn't just a concert - it played more like a theatrical production, with choreographed transitions, cinematic interludes, and a narrative arc that turned the night into a pop-powered musical journey. A production beyond pop
From the moment Ayumi opened with Inspire in her gold Cleopatra-like fit, it was clear this wasn't a typical pop concert, but more like a Broadway set. Each performance had its own mood and costume, ranging from high-gloss futurism to soft, string-led ballads.
Songs like Moments and Voyage were reinterpreted with theatrical flair, with one sequence featuring dancers in flowing robes moving around her like a living sculpture. Between songs, short video interludes carried forward a loose storyline - part dream, part memory - giving the entire show a structured, almost operatic feel. J-pop reinvented
While nostalgia was baked into the setlist - with staples like Heaven and Boys & Girls drawing the biggest reactions - Ayumi made room for new material too. Her 2025 single Mimosa was performed with stripped-back lighting and a minimalist arrangement, allowing her vocals to take centre stage.
Long-time followers would know of the pop star's hearing loss and vocal challenges since 2008 and how she has scaled back her international performances in recent years. But the 46-year-old's performance on Saturday was steady and, at times, impressively restrained. Rather than overpower, she leaned into emotional delivery, especially during the encore ballads.
In a brief address mid-show, she acknowledged the long gap and thanked fans in English, saying, "It's been too long. I've missed you." A one-night-only affair
Despite demand, there are no additional Southeast Asia dates confirmed on this tour. That didn't stop fans from across the region - Malaysia, Thailand, even China - from flying in for the show, many dressed in official fanclub gear or recreations of her iconic outfits from past tours.
Outside the stadium, merchandise queues snaked around the concourse hours before doors opened, and inside, pink light sticks blinked in sync - a sign of just how tightly knit the Team Ayu fandom remains.
Ayumi's night in Singapore was pure J‑pop grandeur - and if this is episode two, we're already counting down to the next chapter.
@ayu_19980408 #ayumihamasaki makes her grand entrance in Singapore! 😍#ayuasiatour2025#AyumiHamasakiinSG#浜崎あゆみ pic.twitter.com/Qh7pesTOmI
— AsiaOne (@asiaonecom) July 5, 2025
lynette@asiaone.com
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vogue Singapore
3 hours ago
- Vogue Singapore
The hot girls are wearing animal prints—here's how to style them
Ah, animal prints. Beloved by fashion girls of all ages and basically a rite of passage at this point. You either wore it, or did your best to stay clear of it (and maybe failed). Last year, we saw leopard prints ruling the streets and Pinterest boards—worn as casual pants or flowy skirts, giving the print a softer, girl-next-door spin. But this year, the spread is expanding into a full-fledged wildlife fever dream. On top of leopard, black-and-white zebra stripes have joined the mix, and even snakeskin is back—showing up in fun colourways and exciting silhouettes. And the best part? The myriad range of styling possibilities—now that the print pool's grown, the way they're being worn has also loosened up. Pop princess Dua Lipa recently attended the Monaco F1 Grand Prix in a yellow leopard print top from Coperni, layered under a dark jacket—putting an edgy motorsport spin on the classic. Meanwhile, K-pop superstar Lisa caused a stir with her snakeskin mini dress in the teaser images for her collaboration with Maroon 5. The audacious print also made its way to the stage, with Tate McRae recently performing at Pinkpop in a blue snakeskin matching set. And the Katseye girls are no strangers to the trend either—with Lara showing up in a hot pink leopard mini dress, and Megan in a layered mini skirt mixing leopard with hot pink zebra stripes. Tate McRae performing in a blue snakeskin co-ord at Pinkpop 2025. Getty And these are just a few of the endless ways to wear them. Whether you're going casual, remixing prints, or slipping into something loud and directional, there's always room to experiment. And if full looks still feel a little daunting, accessories are the perfect entry point—consider a printed scarf or even a carryall for a quieter kind of roar. Below, see Vogue 's take on how to wear the punchy print this season—whether you're easing into the look or embracing full fever dream mode. @dualipa 1 / 20 Motorcore: Dua Lipa Courtesy of Coperni 2 / 20 Coperni top, $307 Available at Coperni. Courtesy of Farfetch 3 / 20 Manokhi leather biker jacket, $2,110 Available at Farfetch. Courtesy of Balenciaga 4 / 20 Balenciaga low-waist pants, $2,190 Available at Balenciaga. Courtesy of Farfetch 5 / 20 Ferragamo leopard-print silk scarf, $630 Available at Farfetch. Getty 6 / 20 Prints galore: Rihanna Courtesy of Farfetch 7 / 20 Stella Mccartney tiger-print oversized silk shirt, $770 Available at Farfetch. Courtesy of Dolce&Gabbana 8 / 20 Dolce&Gabbana leopard print skirt, $1,750 Available at Dolce&Gabbana. Courtesy of Prada 9 / 20 Prada mini leather pouch, $2,000 Available at Prada. @meganskiendiel 10 / 20 Mix it up: Lara and Megan from Katseye Courtesy of Whistles 11 / 20 Whistles multicolour patchwork animal button skirt, $70 Available at Whistles. Courtesy of Farfetch 12 / 20 Versace corset top, $2,340 Available at Farfetch. Getty 13 / 20 A touch of wild: Taeyeon Courtesy of Jacquemus 14 / 20 Jacquemus shoulder bag, $1,469 Available at Jacquemus. Courtesy of Celine 15 / 20 Celine t-shirt, $950 Available at Celine. Courtesy of Chloé 16 / 20 Chloé midi skirt, $4,334 Available at Chloé. 17 / 20 Wild outerwear: Yunjin Courtesy of Farfetch 18 / 20 Mugler cropped panelled denim jacket, $1,662 Available at Farfetch. Courtesy of Miu Miu 19 / 20 Miu Miu top, $750 Available at Miu Miu. Courtesy of Dior 20 / 20 Dior flared jeans, $2,400 Available at Dior.
AsiaOne
13 hours ago
- AsiaOne
High energy, strong vocals: J-pop boy band Be:First makes explosive debut in Singapore, Entertainment News
No fancy effects, no outfit changes, not even a backing track. But these didn't matter. The two-hour Who is Be:First? sold-out performance on July 5 was not just the Japanese boy band's debut concert in Singapore. It was also my first J-pop concert and just like the lyrics of their opening song Mainstream, they certainly showed me a new standard. The seven members of Be:First - Leo, Manato, Shunto, Junon, Ryuhei, Sota and Ryoki - are a balance of skilled vocalists and dancers, with a strong stage presence that amplified their performances. The high energy from the start didn't dim one bit, even though almost every song had a dance break to keep the beat up. Halfway through, they slowed things down a little with SOS, the track I looked forward to hearing the most. As expected, they didn't disappoint, and I would argue it sounded better in person with their clear vocals that weren't drowned out by instrumentals or backing tracks. What impressed me was how everyone sounded stable when singing and rapping despite the often-intense choreographies their songs had. Sota, for one, stood out with his confident, clean and sharp moves, but that's not to say the other members were lacking. They each knew how to keep the audience engaged with their stage charisma. "Singapore too hot," remarked the youngest Ryuhei, 19, at one point, after a loving Sota wiped his perspiration with a towel. The latter then asked the crowd if they were doing okay, and Shunto, 21, looked up at the second level of Capitol Theatre to ask in English: "Are you okay?" Sota, 24, joined him, making fanning gestures: "Are you okay? Not hot?" I was admittedly disappointed that there was no interpreter for their talking segments, but it was little moments like this one where I appreciated the sweet attempts to break the language barrier. We agree Ryuhei, Singapore is really hot 🥲#BF_WORLDTOUR2025 — AsiaOne (@asiaonecom) July 5, 2025 The members, who made their debut in 2022, talked about having local dishes like chilli crab and paper-wrapped chicken and visiting the Merlion Park before asking fans for recommendations on other places to go to. Their fandom Besty matched the group's energy by tenfold, be it through singing when asked to or giving enthusiastic cheers and answers to the boys' questions. Many suggestions on where to go were heard from the audience, with the popular ones being Sentosa, Universal Studios Singapore and Night Safari. Light sticks unite the crowd in K-pop, but I noticed J-pop fans make up for that with their handheld banners and matching merchandise. I also personally loved that official fanchants aren't a thing for the latter, as fans often drown out the artistes' live singing at K-pop concerts. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself - the setlist had something for everyone: From catchy, dance-heavy tracks like Scream and Grit to spirited and lighthearted tunes like Sailing and Blissful. Who is Be:First? They might just be the new standard indeed. Watch for our E-Junkies video interview with Be:First coming out soon! [[nid:719897]] syarifahsn@ No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
YG offers refunds for seats with obstructed view at Blackpink's Deadline concerts in S Korea
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Blackpink's Deadline tour kicked off on July 5 and 6 at Goyang Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province. SEOUL - YG Entertainment issued an apology on July 7 following backlash over obstructed-view seats at Blackpink's long-awaited Deadline world tour concerts in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, promising refunds for affected audience members. The South Korea shows kicked off the quartet's first full reunion since their Born Pink world tour in 2022 and 2023. 'We sincerely apologise to those who experienced difficulty viewing the stage from the N3 section during Blackpink's concert over the weekend,' said the South Korean company which represents the K-pop girl group. 'A console was installed in front of the section, so we added an extended LED screen in an effort to improve the viewing environment. However, this unintentionally caused further discomfort, and we deeply regret the outcome. 'We will take follow-up measures for those who have submitted complaints about the N3 section. Further details will be provided via the ticketing platform.' YG Entertainment confirmed to The Korea Herald that all refund requests for tickets in the affected area will be processed. The controversy erupted after Blackpink held back-to-back concerts on July 5 and 6 at Goyang Sports Complex as part of their long-awaited reunion, with some fans in the N3 section reporting that they were unable to see the stage at all due to a large screen structure blocking their view. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore NDP 2025: Tank that bumped into traffic light lost steering and braking power due to faulty part Singapore AI cannot supplant learning, it must enable it: Desmond Lee World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Asia China warns Trump on tariffs, threatens retaliation on supply chain deals Singapore Grab to trial driverless shuttle for staff between Media Circle office and one-north MRT station Singapore Ong Beng Seng's new pre-trial conference date set for July 23 Multimedia 'I suspect he's cheating': She finds proof when spouses stray Labelled as regular 'B-seats', tickets for this area were priced at 132,000 won (S$123) - more expensive than 'restricted view' seats, which cost 99,000 won. Fans criticised the company online, dubbing the seats 'no-view zone' and 'sight-giving-up seats', and accusing YG of prioritising profit over fairness in the seating arrangements. Some audience members demanded ticket refunds immediately after the show, citing a frustrating viewing experience. Lisa performs at the opening shows of Blackpink's Deadline tour, which took place on July 5 and 6. PHOTO: YG ENTERTAINMENT Blackpink is set to continue its Deadline world tour across 16 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York, Paris, Barcelona, London, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, with 31 stadium-scale shows in total. The girls' triumphant return to the stage in front of 78,000 fans over two days were graced by fellow K-pop stars like Nayeon and Jihyo from Twice, J-Hope from BTS, Irene and Seulgi from Red Velvet, Minnie from I-dle, Mingyu, Jeonghan and The8 from Seventeen, as well as girl groups Babymonster and Le Sserafim. South Korean actors like Lee Min-ho and the cast of Snowdrop (2021 to 2022) were also in attendance. Blackpink member Jisoo had previously acted in the political K-drama alongside Jung Hae-in, Heo Nam-jun, Jung Shin-hye and Yoon Se-ah. Jennie takes the stage for her solo acts at Blackpink's Deadline tour. PHOTO: YG ENTERTAINMENT For over two hours, Blackpink powered through 27 songs with a set list packed with hits, including the debut of their new song Jump. Interspersed were solo performances from Lisa, Jennie, Rose and Jisoo that highlighted each member's growth during their individual careers. 'This song is super addictive, isn't it?' Jisoo asked the crowd about Jump. 'We wanted you to be the first to hear it. Please give it lots of love when it is released.' 'We're so grateful to kick off this tour in Goyang. It's bittersweet to leave, but we can't wait to meet Blinks all over the world again soon,' Jennie added. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
