South Korean singer-rapper B.I at his fan meeting at the Mall of Asia Arena, March 4, 2024. ABS-CBN NewsSouth Korean singer-songwriter B.I has visited the Philippines several times since COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased. And with each trip, the “BTBT” hitmaker and his Filipino fans never failed to show their love and appreciation for one another.

The same was true when the 27-year-old artist returned to Manila last Monday for a fan meeting organized by Privé Alliance, a streetwear brand under which B.I released a collection.

For nearly two hours, the modest crowd that trooped to the Mall of Asia Arena on a weekday evening cheered and shrieked to almost every little thing that B.I did, some of which — as the event’s host Denise Laurel noted — “are not on the script.”

At one point in the show, for instance, B.I descended from the stage to closely speak to an audience member’s toddler son, whom he gifted with a signed hoodie from his collection. After that, he continued to roam the arena’s floor, allowing more Filipino IDs (as his fans are called) to see and interact with the good-looking singer up close.

When B.I went backstage, Laurel invited a fan to the stage to dance “BTBT,” only for the artist to suddenly reappear and ask her to show her moves again while he sang the song.

And speaking of singing along, B.I also admitted to feeling “very proud” of his Filipino fans after the crowd sang along to his unaccompanied snippet of “Michaelangelo,” which he picked as the song that he associates with his local IDs.

While the bulk of the event was spent on fan interactions, B.I still treated fans to a few song numbers, including his latest single “Loved,” “BTBT” and “Cosmos.”

Tour plans

B.I also did an interview segment, answering amusing questions that revealed his love for bagoong and preference for comfortable clothing.

When asked about his plans for the rest of the year, B.I talked about his upcoming “Hype Up” tour, which kicks off in Seoul in May. And while there’s no official announcement yet, B.I declared that there would be a stop for the Philippines.

“Actually I’m gonna go on tour and definitely, I’ll be here, too. Though there’s no official announcement yet, it’s quite certain that I’ll be here in the Philippines,” he said.

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Near the end of the show, Filipino IDs surprised B.I with a video containing heartwarming messages from fans, who repeatedly said, “Hanbin is love,” referring to his real name Kim Han-bin. After the clip, the audience raised blue roses (after the singer’s favorite color).

The efforts were not lost on B.I. “I always like this kind of event. Thank you so much for doing it again for me. I really like the idea of the video that you prepared for me this time,” the singer said.

“I really feel touched about how you actually prepared a video. I almost cried but I was able to hold my tears,” he said.

“I’ll be back for sure so please don’t forget and wait for me until I come back, okay? I had so much fun and I love you guys. Mahal kita (I love you),” B.I told fans.

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