Jaehwa Bernardo

Article (news)

What made Baekhyun feel like ‘very big person’ in PH

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738568879698BAEKHYUN.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>K-pop singer Baekhyun during his &#x27;The Best Day&#x27; fan meeting at the Mall of Asia Arena, Feb. 2, 2025. Photo from Bench&#x27;s Facebook pageMANILA — A day before his “The Best Day” fan meeting, K-pop star Baekhyun took a moment to admire the massive billboards featuring his latest campaign for local clothing brand Bench. Spotted along the Pasig River near the Guadalupe Bridge, the EXO member snapped photos of the five towering advertisements — moments that he later shared with his fans on Instagram.</div>Seeing his own images displayed on such a grand scale left an impression on Baekhyun.“Through being a Bench ambassador… I’m also in a big billboard,” the 32-year-old idol said through an interpreter during the brand-organized fan meeting at the Mall of Asia Arena last Feb. 2.“It just makes me feel like I became a very, very big person in the Philippines, that’s why I’m very, very happy,” he added.TV and radio personality Sam Oh, who hosted the event, could only agree and succinctly emphasized the significance of the billboards’ location. “That’s a coveted spot,” she said.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738569028898Snapinst.app_475980792_18519028759041392_8308282286895294966_n_1080.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Baekhyun poses for photos with his billboards along the Pasig River near Guadalupe Bridge. Photos from Baekhyun&#x27;s Instagram account<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738569079579Snapinst.app_476022257_18519028774041392_4529732473464199424_n_1080.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>The Guadalupe Bridge is a daily thoroughfare for countless motorists and commuters, whether driving along EDSA or taking the MRT. It’s no surprise, then, that many, especially those on the bridge’s northbound lanes, take notice of the billboards.</div>Many top local celebrities, including Kathryn Bernardo, Alden Richards and SB19 have appeared on the billboards, alongside popular Korean heartthrobs like Kim Seon-ho and Ji Chang-wook, as well as K-pop groups such as Stray Kids, ITZY and ENHYPEN.Baekhyun is undoubtedly on par with these artists, with no need to question his star power. His latest extended play (EP), “Hello, World,” <a href="https://www.soompi.com/article/1688386wpp/exos-baekhyuns-hello-world-becomes-his-1st-solo-album-to-surpass-1-million-1st-week-sales">reportedly</a> sold over a million copies within its first week of release last September, marking his third EP to achieve “million-seller” status after “Delight” in 2020 and “Bambi” in 2021.In the Philippines, Baekhyun proved his strong local fan base by filling the Araneta Coliseum during his <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/4/16/sleek-moves-vocal-prowess-mark-baekhyun-s-manila-concert-1306">“Lonsdaleite” concert</a> tour in 2024.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738569192677BAEKHYUN2.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from Bench&#x27;s Facebook pageBright, playful personality</div>But unlike the “Lonsdaleite” concert, “The Best Day” featured fewer song-and-dance numbers, focusing more on a Q&amp;A session and games.It’s a given that Baekhyun is one of K-pop’s finest performers, with fluid yet powerful vocals and the ability to execute sleek dance moves effortlessly. What many may not realize, though his fans certainly do, is his endearingly bright and playful personality. These charming qualities shined through during the fan meeting.One of the funniest moments of the night occurred when Bench founder Ben Chan was invited on stage for a photo op. While waiting, an energetic Baekhyun chanted, “Ben Chan, Ben Chan, coming up, coming up” to the beat of the EDM music, sending the crowd into fits of laughter. During the photo op, Baekhyun also showed Chan how to do a heart pose.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738569236338BAEKHYUN3.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from Bench&#x27;s Facebook pageWhen asked to draw on a shirt, Baekhyun drew a literal bench and gifted it to Chan. During their photo op with the shirt, he even playfully posed with a V sign behind Chan’s head.</div>There were plenty of engaging moments with the fans, too. For instance, when Baekhyun mentioned he wanted to try bulalo, he asked who in the crowd knew how to make a good bulalo. Instantly, hands shot up, but Baekhyun wasn’t convinced. “A lot of people raised their hands, but we need confirmation,” he joked.After watching a clip of him practicing hapkido (a Korean martial art), the audience erupted with shouts of “Sample!”. But Baekhyun had the perfect excuse: “Because I wore Bench apparel and clothing, I cannot make it dirty.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738569385172BAEKHYUN5.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from Bench&#x27;s Facebook pageIn relation to a video of himself making pizza, Baekhyun asked the crowd who liked and disliked Hawaiian pizza, prompting hands to shoot up once again. “It feels like all of you are just raising your hands,” he joked, letting out a light laugh afterward.</div>He also spotted and gave a shout-out to a fan who came to the event dressed in one of his costumes from the “Lonsdaleite” concert.In another segment, the audience was invited to dance along to some of Baekhyun’s viral dance clips, including his cover of “Igloo” by Kiss of Life, his performance of EXO’s “History” during his Christmas livestream, and the choreography from his single “Candy.”Prior to the segment, Baekhyun said he didn’t trust the fans’ dancing. “I have to see it myself,” he challenged. But afterward, he admitted, “I felt tired,” since he danced along with them. “I saw that there were fans who were dancers and were very passionate with their moves, which is why we had really good vibes,” he said.<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1886023974561468728&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-02-03T07%3A44%3A22.097845%3A4e42446c-e766-4ab0-89af-8114c3d1d522%26action%3Dedit%26popup&amp;sessionId=c4a76b552e891049e0e6877e5c7256b7f3852067&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:825px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1886023974561468728"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script>While the fan meeting focused less on performances, Baekhyun still treated fans to live renditions of “Good Morning” and “Rendez-Vous” from “Hello, World.” After hearing the crowd sing along to the EP’s lead single “Pineapple Slice,” he returned to the stage to perform the song, though not in its entirety.To close the evening, Baekhyun performed “Garden In The Air,” a song that showcased the connection between him and his fans as the light stick-wielding crowd mirrored his hand movements.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738569301857BAEKHYUN4.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from Bench&#x27;s Facebook pageInspiration to fans</div>As is common with many K-pop events, the fans prepared a special video for Baekhyun, which was shown towards the end of the program. The video featured heartfelt messages, including one from a fan who shared how Baekhyun gave her the courage to be brave during the toughest time of her life. Another fan expressed how the singer inspired her to become a better person.“The more time passes, we realize and feel that we should be together and we know the importance of each other,” Baekhyun told the crowd after watching the fan-made video.“I want to be a source of pride for you guys, just as you are for me, for a long period of time. So I hope we can spend more time together,” he said.Baekhyun also thanked fans for attending the event. “I really think that without all the EXO-Ls who came to fill this venue up, this fan meeting would not have happened and would’ve not been possible so I really feel grateful about that,” he said.He also hinted at the possibility of returning to the Philippines this 2025 for a concert. Until then, fans can hold onto the memories of their “best day” with the artist.

Seeing his own images displayed on massive billboards left an impression on K-pop star Baekhyun, who recently visited Manila for a fan meeting.

Seeing his own images displayed on massive billboards left an impression on K-pop star Baekhyun, who recently visited Manila for a fan meeting.