“Am I a Panda now?” I thought to myself after leaving Apink’s concert at Arena @ Expo Hall 7 on Thursday night (Feb 20). The popular girl group – part of the “second-generation” of K-pop – made its highly-anticipated return to Singapore since its last show in the country in 2016. And boy did they unleash nine years' worth of excitement.

I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of Apink’s discography is limited to NoNoNo and Mr Chu. After Thursday’s concert, however, I immediately went on a deep dive into the (many) tracks that scratched my brain during the show.

Chorong, Bomi, Eunji, Namjoo and Hayoung delivered their A-game for three full hours, serving vocals, moves, and, surprisingly, laughs. 

One of the best laugh-out-loud moments of any concert I had been to happened during a segment where the five members of Apink praised the show’s interpreter April Kim for singing out her interpretation.

“You can be our seventh member,” they said, unconsciously including former member Son Na-eun who left Apink in 2022. The exchange drew a sea of “oohs” and laughs from fans, including myself.

The members of Apink executed songs like Dumhdurum, Five and I’m So Sick to perfection. Personally, I thought they shined the brightest during their respective solo stages which saw each member covering a song that showed off their charms and mature sides.

In particular, Namjoo’s cover of Water by Tyla got the crowd roaring as the 29-year-old staged a sultry show that ended with her pouring water over her body.

As the show drew to a close, the members of Apink visibly became emotional – especially after watching a video prepared by fans. It’s clear that the group felt a mix of guilt and sadness for not visiting Singapore for close to a decade.

It got so overwhelming to the point where Eunji, a member known for not shedding tears easily, ended up crying while performing the last few songs of the concert. In fact, most of the Apink members were in tears by this point.

“We’ll visit more often from now on,” promised the group.

All in all, Apink’s Pink New Year was a buffet of highly-polished performances and engaging video segments – making it a resounding success. With Apink celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2026 and promising a new album, hopefully, it won’t be nine years before our next meeting with the group.