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| ▲ This photo, provided by Lloyd Wakefield, shows Harry Styles waving the Korean flag at his first concert in Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Live Nation Korea, shows Harry Styles. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Lloyd Wakefield, shows Harry Styles singing enthusiastically at his first concert in Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Mar. 21 (Yonhap) -- "(In Korean) Hello! It's my first time in Korea. Thank you so much for welcoming me so warmly. I promise I'll do my best to entertain you tonight!"
British pop star Harry Styles shouted "Thank you" in Korean at his first concert in Korea at KSPO Dome in Seoul Olympic Park on the afternoon of the 20th.
Styles, who debuted in 2011 as a boy group One Direction, has performed in Korea for the first time.
As part of the Asia tour "LOVE ON TOUR," which tours Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, and Tokyo, Japan, the first Korean stage was made in 12 years since its debut.
Styles showed off his splendid stage manners all the time, stretching his hands to the sky while leisurely going back and forth from the left and right of the stage, and also showing a dance move while leaving his body to the band's ensemble rhythm.
He didn't forget to look around the concert hall and send hand kisses and finger hearts. The attraction power and sensuality doubled, and the audience couldn't take their eyes off.
In line with the reputation of the hottest pop star of this era, the area near the concert hall was crowded with audiences who came to greet him early on.
The KSPO Dome, which is only allowed to top K-pop stars, was filled with fans regardless of the standing area and seats. Not only Koreans but also foreign audiences were often seen.
The stage, decorated in various colors such as red, yellow, blue, orange, and white, attracted attention.
The concert hall was filled with shouts as the hall was darkened and Styles ran to the stage. He sang about love, emitting as many charms as the color of the stage.
Styles started with the first track of his third album, "Music for a Sushi Restaurant," and heated up the market with "Golden," "Adore You," and "Keep Driving."
When he shouted "One, two, three, go!" wearing a guitar and laughed once, the audience who could not overcome the excitement jumped from their seats.
Styles appeared in the pop music scene in 2010 as a five-member boy group One Direction, consisting of cast members of the British audition program "The X-Factor."
One Direction has grown into a global boy group with sensational popularity, with its first to fourth full-length albums topping the U.S. Billboard main album chart "Billboard 200" and accumulated sales of about 70 million albums.
After a break from One Direction, Styles began to stand alone in 2017 by releasing his single "Sign of the Time".
His third album "As It Was," released last year, was a great success, topping the UK official single chart 10 times and topping the Billboard single chart 15 times.
Styles, in particular, won two awards, including the Album of the Year, at the Grammy Awards, the most prestigious popular music awards in the U.S. last month with his third album, “Harry's House.” He also swept "Mastercard Album of the Year," "Artist of the Year," "Song of the Year" and "Best Pop/R&B Act" at the British pop music awards ceremony "Brit Awards."
When Styles sang "Matilda," 15,000 audiences responded with flash waves on their phones at once, as if a Milky Way had opened up in the hall.
Styles also showed off his fashion sense. The zebra-like black striped sleeveless costume glistened more brightly under colorful lights.
He rewarded the long-awaited audience with customized fan services.
In Korean, he said, "I'm happy to be in Korea," and read each English picket written by fans. He pointed out a birthday fan and asked her name, saying, "Happy birthday." He smiled and waved the Korean flag.
The excitement in the hall reached its peak when the hit song "Watermelon Sugar" and the global hit song "As It Was" selected as encore songs were played. The audience all stood up and sang the chorus, "Watermelon Sugar High," adding to the heat.
Styles continued to sing, looking around the excited audience. The performance ended by waving the Korean flag and hanging it on the standing microphone.
K-pop stars, including some members of the group BTS, have also enjoyed the performance together as an audience.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)
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