eric nam 'before we begin' in singapore
Exactly a month ago, Korean-American Singer-Songwriter Eric Nam graced our shores once again, this time for his 2020 Asia Tour, ‘Before We Begin’. Third on the list in his 2020 Asia Tour, the show was sold out, highlighting his popularity in Singapore.
Taking the stage with ‘Come Through’, he showcased his powerful vocals and dance moves. The familiar tune from his latest album was a great way to hype up the fans and start the concert. This was followed by ‘Runaway’ and it was heartwarming to hear the fans singing along effortlessly, even despite the Korean lyrics. The sleek choreography, his melodic voice and the fan chants made the entire experience surreal.
Taking the stage with ‘Come Through’, he showcased his powerful vocals and dance moves. The familiar tune from his latest album was a great way to hype up the fans and start the concert. This was followed by ‘Runaway’ and it was heartwarming to hear the fans singing along effortlessly, even despite the Korean lyrics. The sleek choreography, his melodic voice and the fan chants made the entire experience surreal.
Eric Nam then took the time to make a quick introduction with “thank you for taking the time to come to this Ted Talk .. I mean concert”, causing the fans to laugh at his little joke. It was also a “more intimate show” according to Eric, probably because of the smaller venue. He also put in effort to interact with as many fans as possible and talked to everyone like they were long lost friends, which was endearing.
He continued with ‘Miss You’ and ‘Good For You’, followed by a second chat with the fans. Having returned to Singapore multiple times over the past years, he mentioned that “Honestly it feels like my second home! Look, you guys have it great – you’ve got the weather, except sometimes it’s too hot, but it’s still good, you’ve got the food..”
This cued a request from one of the fans for him to get a house in Singapore, to which he jokingly replied “I’ll have to get a lot of work here first, but I’ll look into that.”. We’re looking forward to the day that happens! This was followed by talk on how he was going to keep his concert age appropriate, and he was glad that everyone could relate to having an “Asian mum”, before going on to say hi to all the mums in the room.
This cued a request from one of the fans for him to get a house in Singapore, to which he jokingly replied “I’ll have to get a lot of work here first, but I’ll look into that.”. We’re looking forward to the day that happens! This was followed by talk on how he was going to keep his concert age appropriate, and he was glad that everyone could relate to having an “Asian mum”, before going on to say hi to all the mums in the room.
The section that followed were full of ballads, specially catered for the Asian tour as he realized that the audience loved ballads. He set the mood with ‘This Is Not A Love Song’, before moving on to ‘Hold Me’, which was especially sentimental. Unlike his previous performances where he would break into cheeky grins, he had a serious expression and poured his heart, soul and emotions into the songs; which also emphasized his vocalization skills and melodic voice.
He then shared that he will be working on new songs and joked that the minute he releases an album, the comments would be flooded with “so when’s the next album coming out”.
Asking if the fans preferred English or Korean songs, they yelled “both!” to which he pretended to be exasperated and replied “you want more songs, in multiple languages and you want it now, demanding.” Someone even asked if he could write Chinese songs to which he said in Chinese, “I’m not good in Chinese” which evoked more laughter among the fans. The witty banter and unfiltered replies definitely made the fans feel closer to him, like he was a long lost friend.
He then shared that he will be working on new songs and joked that the minute he releases an album, the comments would be flooded with “so when’s the next album coming out”.
Asking if the fans preferred English or Korean songs, they yelled “both!” to which he pretended to be exasperated and replied “you want more songs, in multiple languages and you want it now, demanding.” Someone even asked if he could write Chinese songs to which he said in Chinese, “I’m not good in Chinese” which evoked more laughter among the fans. The witty banter and unfiltered replies definitely made the fans feel closer to him, like he was a long lost friend.
Next up was ‘How’m I Doing’ and ‘Wonder’ which are both songs from his new album. Eric then went the extra mile to sing a birthday song (personally) to fans who had their birthday on the actual concert day.
The mood was at an all time high during ‘Don’t Call Me’ and ‘Idea of You’, where everyone was jumping and cheering along, followed by a ton of water spraying by popular demand, and Eric even made a disclaimer: “Don’t blame me if I get your iPhone fifteens wet!”.
His stage presence was amazing and he made the effort to get closer to fans, be it by putting out his hand or leaning in towards the crowd. He even performed ‘Like You’, which he rarely does, according to him. Everyone was extremely hyped and partying along – it was a concert like no other.
The mood was at an all time high during ‘Don’t Call Me’ and ‘Idea of You’, where everyone was jumping and cheering along, followed by a ton of water spraying by popular demand, and Eric even made a disclaimer: “Don’t blame me if I get your iPhone fifteens wet!”.
His stage presence was amazing and he made the effort to get closer to fans, be it by putting out his hand or leaning in towards the crowd. He even performed ‘Like You’, which he rarely does, according to him. Everyone was extremely hyped and partying along – it was a concert like no other.
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‘Cave Me In’ was a great transition into the ballads, followed by ‘Love Die Young’. Eric gave some insights into the period in which he wrote the song, when he felt drained. This led fans to go ‘awwww’ to which he quickly added “we’re through it, we’re through it” to show that he was it and in a better place now. But he also emphasized that the ‘love’ in the song is not only a romantic love, but also about life, passion and goals, and that while every song could be a love song, they could also have many other alternate meanings. It is one of the most personal songs to him and he mentioned that he is grateful for all the love it has received. He concluded the segment with ‘Lose You’, another emotional ballad.
Eric then asked his fans for some songs they wanted to hear and sung the acapella versions of ‘Stop the Rain’ and ‘Heaven’s Door’. The fans were also demanding to hear ‘You’re Sexy, I’m Sexy’ to which he jokingly replied, ‘I won’t be doing that today”. He performed another song from his Honestly album, ‘Potion’, a song about drinking, before finally perfoming ‘You’re Sexy, I’m Sexy’, which got the loudest cheers. The song was also accompanied with (too many) smirks and body rolls which exuded his confidence and showed how Eric can not only sing but also pull off great dance moves.
There was a mass photo-taking session where some fans passed him a Singapore flag and the entire venue got a group shot together, with multiple angles so that no one was missed out. Eric also asked if he’d see everyone the next time he returns and everyone made a promise. After thanking the fans, he said his goodbye with ‘Congratulations’.
There was a mass photo-taking session where some fans passed him a Singapore flag and the entire venue got a group shot together, with multiple angles so that no one was missed out. Eric also asked if he’d see everyone the next time he returns and everyone made a promise. After thanking the fans, he said his goodbye with ‘Congratulations’.
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That was not the end though, because after several chants of “Encore!” and “Eric Nam”, he returned to stage with his hit title, ‘Honestly’ and ended off with ‘Can’t Help Myself’. He concluded the night with a Meet and Greet session with VIP ticket holders.
‘Before We Begin’ was nothing short of amazing and we could feel Eric’s passion for music and love for his fans through the many performances he gave, despite probably being tired from doing three consecutive shows, back-to-back. We hope to see him again soon!
For VIP Ticket Holders, the Meet & Greet photos can be found here!
Eric Nam is also currently on his 'Before We Begin' World Tour and tickets for his shows in America can be purchased at ericnam.com!
We would like to thank Onion Production for the opportunity to cover this event.
Photos: Zhi Heng and Kai Lin
Writers: Kai Lin
‘Before We Begin’ was nothing short of amazing and we could feel Eric’s passion for music and love for his fans through the many performances he gave, despite probably being tired from doing three consecutive shows, back-to-back. We hope to see him again soon!
For VIP Ticket Holders, the Meet & Greet photos can be found here!
Eric Nam is also currently on his 'Before We Begin' World Tour and tickets for his shows in America can be purchased at ericnam.com!
We would like to thank Onion Production for the opportunity to cover this event.
Photos: Zhi Heng and Kai Lin
Writers: Kai Lin
