Wannables have been eagerly awaiting the return of Wanna One ever since they made their first official appearance back in January.
The 11-member K-pop boy band brought the full “One: The World” experience to Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, last night (Saturday, 21st July). Even though doors weren’t open until approximately 1 hour before the show, dedicated fans were already at the venue since noon.
In case you didn’t know, the talented group – which comprise of Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-lin, Yoon Ji-sung, Hwang Min-hyun, Bae Jin-young and Ha Sung-woon – have an age gap of 10 years between the oldest and youngest member!
They were first formed as Wanna One through Mnet’s “Produce 101” Season 2 talent show back in August last year. Since the release of their 3 albums, “1×1=1 (To Be One)”, “0+1=1 (I Promise You)”, and most recently, “1÷x=1 (Undivided)”, Wanna One has proven themselves to be a force to be reckon within the K-pop music scene.
Clad in an all white ensemble from top to bottom, Wanna One kicked off their Malaysian concert with a bang by heating the stage with familiar smash hits such as “Burn It Up“, “Never” and “Energetic”, followed by a burst of fireworks. The Wannables’ enthusiasm was evident by their relentless screams, sing along, fan chants, and waving of their glowing light sticks.
Although much has been said about their rookie status, the Wanna One boys are already pros when it comes to taking their fan excitement to another level. It’s everything from their cheeky winks to the camera, sending finger hearts to Wannables, and thanking fans profusely for their dedicated love.
Their latest record also saw Wanna One being divided into 4 separate sub-units: Triple Position (Kang Daniel, Kim Jae-hwan, Park Woo-jin), Lean On Me (Hwang Min-hyun, Ha Sung-woon, Yoon Ji-sung), The Heal (Lee Daeh-wi and Ong Seong-wu) and No.1 (Bae Jin-young, Lai Kuan-lin, Park Ji-hoon).
The unit performances was a good way to let each artist shine during their solo stages as some tend to get overshadowed by others during the group performances. It’s inevitable when there are 11 pop stars vying for your attention. By breaking into sub-units, fans got to root for their favourite singers as they did on the reality show.
Don’t get us wrong, Wanna One was in sync when they churn out hits like “Boomerang”, “Beautiful”, “I Wanna Have”, and more. But it was during Bae Jin-young’s performance on “11” by No. 1 where we got to see his charismatic side.
Lee Daeh-wi and Ong Seong-wu’s emotional delivery during The Heal’s “Hourglass” was also heartwarming to watch. We wouldn’t be surprised if some fans shed tears when a short montage of them as trainees during “Produce 101” was flashed across the large screens. Kim Jae-hwan’s impressive solo intro for “I’ll Remember” also gave us major goosebumps!
Yes, there were soft and sweet moments. But Wanna One also knew how to keep the show cheerful and lively when Triple Position’s Kim Jae-hwan, Kang Daniel, and Park Woo-jin entertained concert-goers with a fun performance of “Kangaroo”. It was also our first time experiencing a stadium being turned into a club atmosphere when oldest member Yoon Ji-sung took on the role as DJ Hankki. That was pretty dope, wasn’t it?
Time literally flew by as Wanna One reached the last few songs from their setlist. The boys elevated “One: The World” with classic songs “It’s Me (Pick Me)”, “Gold” and their latest tune “Light”. Wanna One concluded their encore with a fan-dedicated track “I Promise You (I.P.U)” as each members thanked their fans for the wonderful memories in Malaysia.
We hope to see you soon Wanna One 🙂
