Show Review: Kyuhyun proves that he can be both an idol and a ballad singer

At the Singapore leg of his Restart tour, Kyuhyun told fans that the show will be mostly filled with ballads.

True enough, other than the occasional peppy tracks, most were sombre and emotional. But that didn’t stop fans from singing along, even though Kyuhyun himself told them it might be “slightly boring”.

From dancing to Super Junior’s tracks to singing a musical number live, here are four highlights from his first overseas stop of the tour.

1. Explaining the difference between ballads and dance

If there’s anyone who’s going to tell us the difference between being an idol and a ballad singer, it has got to be Kyuhyun, given the numbers of experience he had dabbling in both fields.

“When I was an idol, the lyrics didn’t matter,” he said. The key factors though, he added, were a handsome face, dance lines and an alluring gaze. “For ballads, you need to put our all in singing,” he explained, and the lyrics were key too.

That’s why Kyuhyun asked if the lyrics were on screen at multiple junctures, to ensure the crowd understood the message the song intended to convey.

2. He covered Eric Chou and danced to Yoasobi

Even when singing tracks that aren’t organically his, Kyuhyun doesn’t disappoint.

He covered Eric Chou’s hit Mandarin track How Have You Been (2016) (with almost native pronunciation no less). And he subsequently danced to Yoasobi’s Idol (2023) together with his team of dancers, wearing a pastel pink blazer.

3. He delivered a musical number

There’s no doubt at all that Kyuhyun sings live. He even told the band to soften their instruments during a snippet in Aewol-ri so he could sing acapella.

Known for his musical shows as well, Kyuhyun brought Destiny (2021), a number from his musical Ben-hur (2023) live for local fans. His fans chose the track as he took off his top while singing this very number in the actual musical.

But he didn’t replicate that in his Singapore concert, one he termed to be a “high-grade” one.

4. New songs from his latest album

While Kyuhyun did sing fan favourites throughout the set, like A Million Pieces (2015) and At Kwanghwamun (2014), he also mixed in newer releases.

From his newest album Restart, which happens to be his tour title too, he performed The Story Behind (2024), Slow, Slowly (2024) amidst other songs.