APINK
Since its debut in 2011, Apink, one of the most popular K-pop girl bands today, has maintained its preference for “innocent”—cutesy, traditionally girly—visual concepts when it comes to its members’ overall packaging.
When will they try their hands in a “sexy theme?”
That question is nothing new to the girls. And as it is, those raring to see them sporting an edgier and more mature style would most likely have to wait a little longer.
“We get asked a lot about that by our fans. It’s not that we don’t want to do it—we just don’t have enough time at the moment. But I think that would come naturally as we age and become more mature,” Jung Eun-ji, the six-girl act’s most proficient singer, said in a pocket interview, a few hours before Apink took the stage at the recent MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016 at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds.
Apink is currently finishing work on its third studio album, but its concept could not be revealed just yet. “Please bear with us as we work on new songs…We’re doing our best to release it as soon as possible for our fans,” Eun-ji added through an interpreter.
Just as one would expect from a well-trained K-Pop group, the young ladies of Apink—who are in their late teens and early 20s—presented themselves in an almost mathematical fashion.
One by one they entered the room—Oh Ha-young, Eun-ji, Yoon Bo-mi, Son Na-eun, Park Cho-rong and Kim Nam-joo—stood in line and greeted us in unison, before finally settling down in their respective seats.
It was their first visit to the Philippines, and the girls said they were “happy, honored” to have been given a chance to perform here. “We wanted to meet our Filipino fans,” said Ha-young, adding that she and the rest of the band love halo-halo, which is similar to the Korean dessert patbingsu.
Synchronized
They were indeed met by hordes of ardent supporters—most of whom toting posters and banners—during the show, where they performed five songs on a set list that barely lasted 30 minutes. And with every synchronized shuffle and hip sway, the fans, or the “Pink Pandas,” squealed and chanted. They were at their loudest during Apink’s rendition of “NoNoNo.”
“A lot of fans know that song, and they can easily follow the dance,” Nam-joo pointed out. “That one’s always fun to perform onstage.”
Lasting five years in the K-pop world, where groups come and go and where aspiring stars could at times end up with careers shorter than the time they spent training, is considered a laudable achievement. Is there a secret? Having “shared dreams and goals,” they said, is a solid foundation.
“Instead of seeing other groups as competition, we focus on ourselves, instead…And we believe that we have our own ‘color’—or something unique to share with our fans,” Cho-rong said. “I think that’s the reason we have managed to stay for as long we have.”
E-mail apolicarpio@inquirer.com.ph