Show Review: (G)I-DLE is all about empowerment and confidence at their Singapore gig

K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE has the superpower to empower listeners through their music, it seems. Myself included.

I feel as though I’m at the top of the world, unfazed, as the quintet performed Queencard (2023) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Their Singapore gig here marked the last stop of their I Am Free-ty world tour.

Their fans, collectively known as Neverland, felt the same too, I reckon.

The approximately 8000-strong crowd chanted every word of the uplifting song in sync with the girls and even struck a pre-planned pose during the iconic “take a photo” moment.

Throughout their 2½-hour set, the girls served up various hits. There were throwback songs like their debut track LATATA (2018), DUMDi DUMDi (2020) and Uh-Oh (2019).

There were also more recent hits like Allergy (2023) and TOMBOY (2022), both of which were wildly popular. Towards the end of the set, members also performed their latest releases I DO (2023) and an acapella rendition of I Want That (2023).

For their solo stages, members played to their strengths. This was a new segment where members showed more of themselves as individuals, as their previous show here last October only saw group performances.

Miyeon and Soyeon both danced to their solo tunes while Minnie played DAHLIA (2021) live on the keyboard, a track she co-wrote.

Usually a humorous soul, the band’s youngest member, Shuhua worked through sultry choreography to Britney Spears’ Boys (2001).

Yuqi, who spoke to the crowd in Mandarin, covered some songs she listened to during her childhood days. This includes JJ Lin’s Back To Back (2009) and Jay Chou’s Rice Field (2008). For her actual performance, she chose to go with an unreleased track, Could It Be.

During their short talk sets in between their performances, members mostly spoke in English. Of course, members Yuqi and Shuhua occasionally spoke in Mandarin, and they were met with roars of cheers.

At some point, Yuqi even sang a Mandarin version of Queencard. Unfortunately, it’s not available on any streaming platforms, but it’s been making its rounds on short-form content platforms like TikTok.

It is this multilingual line-up with members of different nationalities that makes for great diversity in the band too. That very diversity is also reflected in their songs.

For instance, TOMBOY (2022) is all about breaking traditional stereotypes against women. It talks about independence, breaking the mould of femininity and masculinity, and that everyone can be different.

With Singapore being the last stop of the tour, it’s evident that the girls were going all out with their performances. “If you guys want to sing along, sing. If you want to dance along, just dance,” Miyeon said.

And for the girls, Singapore has a special place in their hearts. The quintet previously shot their first mini-album cover here at Haji Lane back in 2018.

Reflecting on their journey since, Yuqi said: “In some way, Singapore is the start of (G)I-DLE”.

They took a moment to thank fans for their support. “Thank you so much for cheering us on,” Shuhua said in Mandarin. “It is thanks to you guys that we were able to play in a bigger arena this time,” she added.