YARA, VXON, and AJAA take center stage in HallyUniverse 9: 9OLDEN
MANILA, Philippines — Rising P-Pop groups YARA, VXON, and AJAA shine golden on their first-ever HallyUniverse appearance at the IBG-KAL Theater on May 18, 2024.
The University of the Philippines Society of Students for Korean Popular Culture (HallyUP) holds its flagship fundraising event, HallyUniverse: 9OLDEN, in its second iteration after the pandemic.
Amid the blazing summer heat; fans, concessionaires, partner booths, and attendees headed to the golden venue with hearts ablaze to witness the thrilling performances in store.
No Questions Asked
YARA makes yet another Eksena on stage. Gaining fame from their cover of the hit song Bakit Papa?, there is clearly no stopping Gelou, Rocher, Christa, and Kim from success. The crowd cheered wildly as they were first of the three headliners to take the HallyUniverse 9 stage with their singles Bakit Papa? and ADDA.
In between their performances, they had a mini-game show that not only introduced them better to the audience but also made them dance to P-Pop hits such as SB19’s Moonlight.
It’s Showtime!
Alongside P-Pop acts, lighting up the stage are HallyUP’s roster of homegrown talents, AECM and ELIXIIR.
Performing after headliner YARA, AECM rendered an explosive medley of aespa’s Drama and Spicy. Meanwhile, mega-dance group ELIXIIR flavorfully blended nine songs by K-Pop and P-Pop groups such as Red Velvet, GOT7, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), and Alamat.
Guest performer Vanessa Evia shook the stage up with a 2NE1 mashup of Hello Bitches, Fire, and I’m the Best.
Returning HallyUniverse performer Joshua Kim sweetly serenaded the audience with his originals, Anna and Aries Eyes.
Aspiring P-Pop group FANTAXY staged a song cover of Tingin by Cup of Joe and Janine Berdin and a dance cover of TXT’s Crown.
Cover group AETERNUM amped up the vibe at the theater with a powerful performance mashup of TXT, LE SSERAFIM, and EXO.
The BEST DAY EVER
Cornerstone P-Pop quartet AJAA marked the Best Day Ever at HallyUniverse through energizing stages of crowd-favorite Torpe and their debut song Hany.’
Through fun mini-games, members Alex, JC, Axl, and Ash put their K-Pop knowledge to the test. The ‘consequences’ made them do popular dance challenges such as BINI’s Salamin Salamin and LE SSERAFIM’s Easy.
Despite technical difficulties during one of their stages, the group showed they were indeed professionals as they overcame the mishap just like one. And to that, we say, “Aja (Fighting)!”
20:20 Vision
Five-member P-Pop boy group VXON delivered nothing short of a golden performance.
C13, Franz, Patrick, Vince, and Sam enchanted the HallyUniverse crowd with their latest tracks SSP (Saksak Sa Puso) and KNT (Kanta Ng Tanga) from their album 20:20.
Being the last of the headliners to go onstage, they made sure to leave a mark on their VIXIES’ memories. They not only performed their hearts out but also entertained the audience with their fun and whimsical characters as they enthusiastically played along with the mini-games prepared for them.
A Chock-full of Amenities
What made the event more enjoyable were the partner shops and fanbases that set up booths at the IBG-KAL Theatre. Catered specifically to the HallyUniverse audience, various food and beverage concessionaires, K-Pop merchandise stalls, and special booths like Globe’s photo booth were in store for the attendees.
Not just a golden time, but also a golden opportunity
HallyUniverse is foremost a fundraising event, and this year for two beneficiaries — Kopino Children Association Inc. and UP Transport Group. While a convention to celebrate the love and appreciation for Hallyu, HallyUniverse 9: 9OLDEN, with the support of everyone involved in its production, became an avenue for K-Pop and P-Pop enthusiasts to help those in need.
Months in the making, HallyUniverse 9 truly became the perfect successor to last year’s relaunch. It is HallyUP’s continuous mission to serve as a bridge between K-Pop and P-Pop enthusiasts and, ultimately, between the University of the Philippines and the Filipino public. With yet another successful event, the organization is one step closer to its purpose of giving back to the community.
The golden hour may have come to an end, but the golden age of Hallyu has only dawned upon us.
Media coverage by Claro Reliel Taguba
