K-Pop is more than just bubble gum tunes and Roy Kim (로이킴) is living proof of that as he puts out good quality Korean music. Thanks to our friends from Warner Music Malaysia, we got to attend his Malaysian promotional showcase which was held last Friday night (26th August) at Paradigm Mall.
Known by fans as the Damien Rice of South Korea, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter swept us off our feet with his soothing vocals, acoustic tunes, unique humour, and humble personality.
Having made his debut through Mnet’s talent competition programme “Superstar K4”, Roy Kim released his first album “Love Love Love” under CJ E&M Music in June 2013, which won him “Best New Male Artiste” at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) and “New Rising Star Award in Disk Album” at the 2014 Golden Disk Awards.
He has since released a total of 3 Korean studio albums, including “Home” (2014) and “The Great Dipper” (2015), and 1 Taiwanese single, “Cloudy Day” (2016, “天黑黑”), which is a cover of Singaporean Mandopop queen Stefanie Sun’s (孫燕姿) hit song of the same name.
Though he is not as active as other idol artistes in variety shows, he has participated in various drama OST projects such as “Pinocchio” from “Pinocchio” (2014), “Seoul, Here” from “Reply 1994” (2013), “Do Not Love You” from “Twenty Again” (2015), and “Maybe I” from “Another Oh Hae Young” (2016).
Thanks to his friendly appeal and fluency in English, Roy Kim, who studied in Canada and America since elementary school, has a fanbase that spans across Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South East Asia, and America. He became the first foreign artiste to be invited to Taiwan’s HITO Music Awards in 2015, in which he won “Favourite Foreign Artiste”.
In Malaysia, it’s evident that his popularity is on the rise. Before he stepped onstage, hordes of Roy Kim fans were already waiting for him at the showcase venue. Many fans arrived as early as 11am – talk about dedication 😉
“I fell in love with his voice since his ‘Superstar K4’ days. His songs have helped me get through difficult times,” said Pek Hong, one of the fans who was standing near the stage.
The showcase, which was hosted by MyFM DJ Peace Teo (张诒博), started at 7:30pm and the crowd screamed with excitement when Roy Kim emerged onstage. Roy Kim looked handsome in a light blue jacket and matching pants, paired with a wide smile on his face.
The star opened the showcase with “Cloudy Day”, before going on to perform his hit debut single “Love Love Love”. He then took a break to introduce himself to his Malaysian fans. During a short Q&A session, he revealed that his favourite Malaysian meal is sambal kangkung served with white rice, which caused much delight to his fans. The witty singer even told his fans that he has caught at least 20 Pokemons since his arrival.
Roy Kim also added that he did not expect to see so many fans here. “I wasn’t expecting this much crowd, thank you so much. I feel loved here even more than Korea,” said the singer.
He performed a total of 6 songs at the showcase, including “Pinocchio”, “Home”, Damien Rice’s “The Blower’s Daughter” (his favourite song), and “Bom Bom Bom”, which was the encore.
But before the encore, Roy Kim told fans that the showcase was actually his last show before furthering his studies at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. He also promised that he will come back to Malaysia for a concert soon, and thanked everyone for their support and even took a groupfie with the crowd.
We’ll be waiting for you to come back to Malaysia for a full-scale concert, Roy! Don’t forget your promise 🙂
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For more information on Roy Kim, visit his official Facebook page and Instagram. Also, don’t forget to stay tuned to Warner Music Malaysia’s official Facebook page for any upcoming concert announcements.
