The Grand Wave K-pop Music Festival finally happened last weekend with the highly anticipated line-up at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach. The festival was celebrated and partied by the warmest welcome and support from fans for each artiste! The artiste tease Malaysian fans for the crowd understanding of Korean, checking if they are really in Malaysia and are fans attending Malaysian! (well, Korean language is like a love language to show our support) Opening the festival was open by power vocal Park Bom of 2NE1 with 'Fire' that turn the cooling after rain weather hot! BLACKJACKs sweet treat continues with Park Bom performing her greatest hits. Park Bom sang '4:44' and 'Don't Cry' - another hit from 2NE1 that felt like a little trip down memory lane which we will always remember. Park Bom got off the stage to be closer to fans while singing 'You and I'. Park Bom was back on stage with 'Shamful' and ending with 'Do Re Mi Fa Sol'.

Queen #PARKBOM close-up during YOU AND I!!! 😍😍😍#GrandwaveinKL pic.twitter.com/pmWdAC5sRb

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

Next, GOT7 Youngjae appeared on stage opening with Vibin'. Malaysian Ahgase watched Youngjae as a solo artiste here for the very first time. Although it was night festival, Youngjae sure did bring sunshineine to the audience. His smile and jovial personality shone through all his stages. He performed Sugar which got our legs moving followed by Tasty which he removed his jacket! Youngjae had the sweetest smile and interaction also checking if he was really in Malaysia when fans could understand him without the translator.

#YOUNGJAE - “Malaysia you are the best!!” Yes, we are indeed 😭❤️#GrandwaveinKL #YoungjaeinMY pic.twitter.com/Uyo2OZGyDi

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

Youngjae and continued his set with Focus and ending with Crema. The night sure did filled the hearts of many Ahgase with happiness.

#YOUNGJAE performing the last song CREMA! Hopefully we get to see you again in Malaysia! 🥺#GrandwaveinKL #YoungjaeinMY pic.twitter.com/xeNUe3Rprg

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

Soon after, Pharynx (EXO's Lightstick) was lighted up filling the audience in cosmic latte colour calling for EXO CHEN! EXO-Ls scream was loud and clear. CHEN appears and serenades with 'Shall We?' and continuing with 'Beatiful Goodbye'.

#CHEN is now on stage performing Shall We!! 🫶😭#GrandwaveinKL #CHENinMY pic.twitter.com/q9yQKyw2rH

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

CHEN mentioned Malaysian fans has gifted him with a local traditional wear.

#CHEN said that he’s very happy to see many fans came to see him and also very thankful that he received malaysian traditional clothing as a gift as well ❤️#GrandwaveinKL #CHENinMY pic.twitter.com/UJkyt03deC

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

He promised to come back here with the other EXO members. CHEN continue to fill the air with his powerful vocals and sang 'Last Scene' and 'I Don't Even Mind'.

#CHEN’s beautiful voice during I Don’t Even Mind! ❤️#GrandwaveinKL #CHENinMY pic.twitter.com/evW1yp8ZHh

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

Before the next song, CHEN said that he has 1 more song and sang his OST for It's Okay, That's Love, 'Best Luck (최고의 행운)'. Everytime when any artiste mentioned it'll be the last song the fans will be sad but lucky fans were in for a treat when the music of popular OST from Descendant of The Sun, 'Everytime' begun.

We can’t help to sing along during EVERYTIME with #CHEN too!! 😭#GrandwaveinKL #CHENinMY pic.twitter.com/SEa2H2n5Sq

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

A little break we had as the next artiste band was getting ready. That's right, a band was brought here for the audience too! And it was none other than SHAUN opening with 'Traveller' followed by 'Lunisolar'.

It’s #SHAUN’s turn to perform LUNISOLAR 💫#GrandwaveinKL #SHAUNinMY pic.twitter.com/MhBIDOOO60

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

SHAUN has picked up some Bahasa too which melted the hearts of many with his love expression. The audience was cheering on for him and requesting his next song to be 'Way Back Home' which he kept for later. He continued his set with 'Road' where audience sang along with, "Closed Ending' and 'Bad Habits' which audience knows the lyrics to too! And it's time for the crowd highly requested song 'Way Back Home' before he close his set with 'Don't Let Me Know'. As the night continues, it was time for one of Asia most popular female DJ, DJ Soda! It was party time with DJ Soda set remixing different genre of music including Blackpink's 'Pink Venom' with her teasing a bit of dance. And sang some of her songs like 'Shooting Star' and her latest 'Alice in Wonderland'

#DJSODA remixed #BLACKPINK’s PINK VENOM! 🔥🔥🔥#GrandwaveinKL #DJSODAinMY pic.twitter.com/rzPwlFs3hv

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

The night of amazing line-up continues with BI starting his set with 'Waterfall' looking suave. BI set the stage hotter with 'Flame'

Now #BI is slaying the stage with FLAME!! 🔥🔥🔥#GrandwaveinKL #BIinMY #HANBINinMY pic.twitter.com/OOEQlNQS2L

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

The multi-talented artiste performed 'Illusion' , although the weather was hot enough, the heat from BI sure got fans all frenzy and makes the audience heart goes 'BTBT'. His vocals, dance and the overall performance was just amazing!

YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS!! BTBT 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥#GrandwaveinKL #BIinMY #HANBINinMY pic.twitter.com/4cskECj92A

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

BI learn some Bahasa and express his love with 'Saya Cinta Kamu?' and mentioned he would love to come back to Malaysia again with his upcoming tour! (We are all waiting). He continued his performance with 'Keep Me Up', 'Lover'and ending it with 'Cosmos'. The finale and closing artiste of the night was Girls Generation Hyoyeon (DJ Hyo) that lit the audience pink and her charisma. Her set kick off with Girls Generation 'Forever 1' that got the audience wild!

Queen #HYOYEON is here!! 🔥🔥🔥#GrandwaveinKL #HYOYEONinMY pic.twitter.com/TbhaqjOQKI

— GOKPOP (@goKPOP) January 14, 2023

Her 1 hour set was filled with nostalgic memories of songs that majority of the audience grew up listening like 'Conga' and current trending songs like 'As It Was'. As she spins and remix the songs as DJ, we got singer-dancer HYO performing 'Dessert' and 'Deep'! Hyoyeon interacted with audience in Korean, English and Mandarin! It was a cute moment when the music suddenly stopped for photo time! She requested the lights to be switch on for better photo lighting in Mandarin. Her cue for audience was 'SoShi (소시)' and Hyoyeon. Just before leaving the stage ending the night Hyoyeon thanked the fans in English and Mandarin and mentioned in Mandarin 以后见面吧，今天热死了 (yi hou jian mian ba, jin tian re si le) (Translation: See you night time, it's been a really hot day today) It was indeed an incredible night with amazing artiste line up! Special thanks to Grand Wave Entertainment.

K-Pop superstar Sandara Park has recently teamed up with Rising local actresses Chantelle Ng and Tay Ying to host tvN Asia's brand new original production Get It Beauty On The Road. Following the concept of popular K-beauty programme Get It Beauty, the co-production between CJ E&M Hong Kong and StarHub TV will focus on exploring Korean beauty products and trends in Singapore. Get It Beauty On The Road aims to localise Korean beauty and makeup trends, as well as provide useful tips on skincare (especially with our hot weather over here!)

In their recent press conference over the last weekend, the trio had met with members of the media to share their filming adventures in Singapore as well as reveal their own personal beauty secrets. For both Chantalle and Tay Ying, Dara has always been a famous superstar that they had known about since they were much younger, which makes it even more stressful considering Dara’s popularity. However, after meeting her in person, they got comfortable quickly due to Dara’s kind-hearted and humble nature.

Dara also mentioned that the last time she was here with 2NE1 a couple of years back, she received a lot of love from local fans and is extremely excited to be back here in Singapore to visit multiple tourist attractions. It is her very first time having to film a big show in Singapore that is also her first show that requires her to converse in English, making it an experience that she was originally really worried about.

When asked about how she maintains her youthful looks, Dara had mentioned that her skincare routine is simple - she tries her best to do a mask pack everyday even if she is tired or feeling lazy, because fifteen minutes per day is all she needs to keep her skin hydrated. When asked to pick only three essential items, she picked the iconic BB cushion, as well as face masks and a lipstick that can be used for many purposes. For tips for the local viewers, she talked about how spending more time researching and understanding the kind of products we put on our face is important, because the tendency of having cakey makeup in our super hot and humid weather is really high.
One essential tip from Sandara: She emphasizes on the importance of drinking plenty of water

No doubt that everybody wanted to know when this fashionista realized her passion for makeup and fashion – the interest started at 8 years old, but the huge style change happened when Sandara first met her 2NE1 stylist. She grew to love outspoken styles, and even till now she still talks about fashion and styling with friends, as well as spending time to look for styles/trends that suit her perfectly. Her love for loud and unconventional styles had developed over time and was especially prominent after having met 2NE1’s stylist.

At the same time, Dara had also emphasized on the importance of getting sufficient sleep and exercise, and had also mentioned that she will be giving more home-based exercise tips to viewers of the upcoming series. There will also be many secret tips as well as beauty insights included in Get It Beauty On The Road, so local viewers can look forward to learning many beauty and skincare wellness tips from the trio!


We would like to thank Starhub and TvN Asia for the coverage opportunity.

Head over to GOkpop's social media platforms for more pictures!

(Photography: Nigel)

CNN Style – CNN’s multi-platform destination for stylish content – has released a short documentary on CL and her attempt to break into the U.S. music industry. This short video, directed by Grammy-award winner Dave Meyers, follows CL through New York as she speaks about identity, cultural appropriation and about trying to break America as an Asian singer, and the difference between being a star in Asia and in the US. Joined by Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang and Luka Sabbat, the CNN Style documentary highlights CL’s candid thoughts behind her long but promising journey to the musical stardom in the U.S.

Highlights from the online documentary:
CL on the cultural difference:
“It's the complete opposite of Asia. Because you know in Korea everything is about yin yang and keeping the balance. There's a saying in Asia, if you're too strong you break. But here, I feel like it is about being too strong. I want to see how I could take that yin yang and do it here.” 

CL on her fans:
“These days, I mean my fans are internet kids. So they're everywhere and they're my crowd. If they're a fan of me, somehow, I'm happy you know, if I can inspire them, or even if they hate me, I love that I can do that to them. It takes so much more effort and energy to hate something or someone or anything so, I appreciate the hate!”

On the importance of ‘breaking America’:
“I feel like I put so much energy and time into that I, I'm going to, I have to do it. I think it's also about how you do it and what the message is and who I represent and who I am. So I want to do it right, and that's why it's taking so long.”

Check out her online documentary HERE.

Credit: CNN Style