After bagging rookie awards and being crowned first in music shows, THE BOYZ continue to lay the foundations for their fortress of success with the next milestone: touring around Asia for their 2019 Fan-Con 'The Castle'.

The Bs (official fan club name for THE BOYZ), armed with their lightsticks and a huge dosage of zeal and zest, charged into Zepp@Big Box on 16 June 2019 with anticipation and enthusiasm. Their cheers were so thunderously loud that even the emcees had trouble hearing the microphone-clad members, Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Ju Haknyeon, Hwall, Sunwoo, and Eric.

Right from the start to the end, everyone rode on a constant high, with the boy band reminding the fans to just let go and truly soak in the present moment by opening the concert with the song 'Right Here'.

Laughs and cheers reverberated through the hall as the games commenced. The twelve members were broken up into three teams of four, decided randomly through a revised version of scissors-paper-stone that instead had the members on their feet, squatting and spinning. Each group took charge of one section of the crowd. The rules of the game were simple: a second of the song would be played and the group had to guess the title of the song and present the signature dance moves to the audience as well. The boys showed their wide knowledge of K-pop songs and dance moves as they easily shouted out the names of popular tracks such as Blackpink's 'Ddu Ddu Ddu', and BTS's 'Boy in Luv'. All of them were eager to launch into the respective choreographies as well. Fans squealed to the subtle aegyos displayed during the short but sweet performance of Twice's 'TT' and swooned as the mood turned sultry when Sunmi's 'Gashina' hit the speakers.

Following the Introduction game, the members played the well-known Whisper Challenge. It was entertaining watching them struggle to communicate with one another and eventually messing up the names of our iconic Singaporean landmarks "Marina Bay", "Universal Studios" and "CHIJmes".

Along the tangent of the Singaporean theme, native fans were in for a treat when the group surprised us with a Chinese song that we all knew and loved - '只对你说' from our very own famous local singer, JJ Lin. Apart from their accurate pronunciations, the genuine emotions that echoed through every syllable left the fans feeling touched and deeply appreciated.

While THE BOYZ returned backstage for a wardrobe change, a ten minute VCR titled "The Castle" was played on the screen. For fans who watched the popular K-Drama "Sky Castle", they would have recognised the similar reference to the drama's plot immediately. Tensions were spiked when the boys displayed moments of rivalry, which was intermingled with heart-stopping 'shippable' moments. Eventually, the VCR wrapped itself up with a wholesome ending that emphasised the need for teamwork and synergy. As the boys came back on stage, looking dashing in their biker jackets and tight black jeans, they proved that this synergy extended beyond the boys' coordinated dance moves as fans joined in to sing their hearts out to THE BOYZ's covers of EXO's 'Call Me Maybe' and Twice's 'Cheer Up'.

After some intimate interactions with fans, the handsome boys yet again switched up their image, reverting back to the youthful vibe that everyone knew and loved in their fresh, colourful outfits. They performed their recent comeback title 'Bloom Bloom' to an explosion of chants, truly a 'bloom bloom pow' moment indeed. The energy levels remained intoxicatingly high even throughout a slower number. The members serenaded their fans with 'I'm Your Boy' as heart-shaped visuals filled the screen behind them.

What made the fan-con all the more perfect was the opportunity to rise up from their seats during the encore and to truly dance to the last few tracks. Beckoned to stand up, the fans did not hesitate to surge towards the stage for the chance to see their idols up close. Even then, they did not forget to return to their seats to ensure that the fan event was a success. Singaporean fans promptly raised up coloured papers that spelt out 'TBZ', bringing a few boys to tears. The concert concluded with the mutual understanding that the relationship between THE BOYZ and The B would definitely last '4Ever' and that what they shared was truly a "Keeper". 

Special thanks to Three Angles Production for inviting KpopStarz to cover The Boyz Asia Fan-Con Tour [The Castle] 2019 In Singapore.

Writer: Jean Leong | Photo Credits: Xin En