2K13 Feel Korea in Sao Paulo

2K13 Feel Korea, held to celebrate fifty years of Korean immigration in Brazil, occurred on February 23rd and 24th in Sao Paulo. The event was organized by KOFICE, with the support of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea’s Tourism Organization and Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Sao Paulo.

On February 23rd, fans of Korean culture had the opportunity to participate in dancing and make-up workshops. The first was given by the group Trouble Markers Family, teaching the choreography of Psy’s Gangnam Style to 500 people. The make-up workshop was handled by the make-up artist Su Jin, teaching how to create the look of many K-pop artists.

February 24th promised to be more exciting to K-pop fans, because it brought to Brazil a show with big artists Kim Hyun Joong, Ailee, Baechigi, Ongals and the dance group TMF.

The doors of Club Esperia opened at 7:00 pm and the fans rapidly filled the hall. Some problems with the security bars and some steps in front of the stage caused an uproar before the beginning of the show, but when the situation was solved the lights went off so the performances could start.

First, a video showed the KOFICE’s president thanking everyone for coming and talking about Korean immigration in Brazil. An opening video introduced the five artists that would perform that night, under ecstatic cheers.

After a few minutes of suspense, it was time for a promotional video of the dance group TMF. When they entered the stage, the four members performed dances for the songs One of a Kind and Crayon from G-DRAGON, Fantastic Baby from Big Bang and Gangnam Style from Psy. The last one included the participation of dancers chosen in the workshop the day before.

Following, the comedy group Ongals took the stage for a funny performance. With juggling, balloons and even a beatbox presentation, the four members gave it their all to make the crowd laugh, without saying a word. Then, a video introducing the hip-hop duo Baechigi and the singer Ailee appeared on the screen, continuing the music performances of the night.

The duo formed by the rappers Mu Woong and Tak took the stage with the music Turn a deaf ear and, after a good reception by the audience, they stopped a little for an MC. The duo thanked the audience for coming and expressed their happiness to be there celebrating fifty years of Korean immigration in Brazil, also expressing a desire to come back and learn a little Brazilian Portuguese so that they could communicate with fans. Alongside the group TMF, they performed the song Two Mari and again stopped to chat with the audience.

This time, they said they were happy to visit a country they only knew from books and videos. They thanked the audience for their reception and said they regretted being there after Carnival, because they couldn’t see a samba show. They asked the audience to jump in Nº. 3, and after an intro video for Shower of Tears, the song ended Baechigi’s presentation, with special participation of Ailee.

Ailee took the stage with Crazy in Love from Beyoncé, followed by the audience who sang in unison. “I’m very happy to meet you today. Very happy!” she said in Korean and added that Brazil only had beautiful people. She thanked her fans for their love and kindness, especially because she is a newcomer artist in the K-pop scene, and continued with the song I Will Show You, followed by Heaven. The fans threw gifts on the stage and, during the break, Ailee took them all thankfully. The audience, even happier with her reaction, started to scream “Saranghae” ("I love you" in Korean) and received in return a “heart pose” from her. As a last song, Ailee presented a cover of Umbrella, from Rihanna.

The moment the singer left the stage, a heavy rain caused a blackout that lasted a few minutes. When the lights were on again, the organization had to re-adjust the sound and lights, which took time from one of the most anticipated performances of the night. Because of that, Kim Hyun Joong’s performance had to be a bit shorter than the others. After a brief introductory video, the singer entered with the song Do You Like That, followed by Lucky Guy with TMF participating as dancers. During a small break, Hyun Joong made a brief introduction and expressed his happiness to be there. A park bench and tables were added to the scenery and the singer sat to sing Kiss Kiss. With not much time left, Hyun Joong thanked the fans for their presence and continued to the last two songs of the evening, Please and Break Down, leaving the stage with a quick wave.

Despite all the unforeseen happenings of the evening, mainly the blackout that reduced Hyun Joong’s performance, not allowing him to interact much with the fans, both fans and artists seemed happy and satisfied with the performances of that night. Now, we can only wait for the event to repeat itself, with more features and artists.

Set list:

TMF
1. One of a Kind
2. Crayon
3. Fantastic Baby
4. Gangnam Style

Ongals

Baechigi
1. Turn a deaf ear
MC
2. Two Mari
MC
3. Nº. 3
4. Shower of Tears (feat. Ailee)

Ailee
1. Crazy in Love
MC
2. I Will Show You
3. Heaven
MC
4. Umbrella

Kim Hyun Joong
1. Do You Like That
2. Lucky Guy
MC
3. Kiss Kiss
4. Please
5. Break Down