Show review: B.I served up fiery raps and iconic earworms in first solo Singapore concert

B.I 2023 Asia Tour – L.O.L The Hidden Stage in Singapore
Singapore Expo
18 March 2023

Following the release of his first EP last November, South Korean rapper B.I, born Kim Han-bin, is now staging his titular Asia tour. The Singapore leg was held yesterday (18 Mar) at the Singapore Expo.

Kim held an intimate fan-meeting in Singapore last July. So it comes as a pleasant surprise that he’s back for a solo concert just seven months after that, since most K-pop idols visit only once a year at best.

Here are four highlights from his first solo concert in Singapore – one packed with bass-filled audio. And it was occasionally sprinkled with confetti sprays to perfect the concert-going experience.

1. Simplicity is key

B.I is one artist who prefers to keep things simple. He first appeared in a full monochromatic look, with a white outerwear and a black sheer singlet, topping off his look with a silver necklace.

There were only a few outfit changes throughout the approximately two-hour set.

Despite a no-frills stage setup, he has got his own way to get up close and personal with fans. He toured the entire hall as he performed Numb (2021), a track off his debut studio album.

Along the way, he also stopped by to snap a photo or two with them.

2. His live performances don’t disappoint

Having made his debut in 2015, B.I has got quite the experience onstage.

Some of his tracks are heavy on rap, but some are physically demanding due to the nature of its choreography, like Waterfall (2021) for instance.

He had to pause for a good while to catch his breath after the intense dance sequence to address the crowd: “It’s been a while [since I last came right]”?

It is apparent that he is now more at ease on stage than months ago where he primarily interacted with fans via interactive games in the fan meet session.

Throughout the show, he also brought back many fan favourites, like BTBT (2022), Keep me up (2022) and Daydream (2021), a duet track with vocalist Lee Hi.

3. Teasing a new single

Halfway into the show, B.I strayed away from the setlist he performed for previous cities.

He let Singapore fans in on a secret: “I will be releasing a song in April”.

“It’s not going to be an album. It’s going to be a single with another rapper Reddy,” he revealed.

Reddy, born Kim Hong-woo, is a South Korean rapper signed under 131 Label, the brainchild of B.I. He is now the CEO of the record label.

He performed one of his tracks titled Chicken Dinna (2022), and an unreleased track together with B.I.

“There are more songs that Hanbin (B.I) and I are preparing,” rapper Reddy teased.

4. He sings live, no doubt

For naysayers saying that B.I doesn’t sing live, he can well prove them wrong.

As he served up a live rendition of one of his top hits illa illa (2021), his microphone malfunctioned.

But he makes up for the lack of vocals by posing for cameras and interacting with fans, like the seasoned artist he is.

Throughout that minute of awkwardness and tension, fans only heard accompanying vocals played though. That itself is a testament to the fact that everything was performed live.