Maybe it’s fate that the final stop of BewhY’s ‘The Movie Star’ Tour fell on the same night as the Oscars, where the Korean film Parasite made history in taking home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Original Screenplay. While the night of February 9th, 2020 had us flocking to New York’s Mission Nightclub instead of the Dolby Theatre (or our TV screens), the amount of fun we had with BewhY probably deserves an award of its own!

“I’m a rap-star representing Korea,” announced BewhY, and he was met with applause. While the opening acts, filled with everything from the throaty, gruff trap of Swimcoach to the melodic tunes of Ted Park’s “Me Love,” built excitement in the crowd, nothing can compare to the energy that came when BewhY finally took the stage: hands up, cameras up, and everyone jumping around. If he’s Korea’s representative, then Korea is getting some incredible Western representation.

A master of the stage, BewhY’s “New York City, put your hands up!” felt like a spell: everyone’s hands instantly went up and waving to the beat of his songs. BewhY is able to play with the audience just as much as his songs play with unusual instruments and riffs – the uniquely sinister piano motif of “Edgy” paired with BewhY’s rap sent the audience into a frenzy.

The show made full use of MISSION NYC's artistry, from the colorful lights streaming across the ceiling fixtures to the hydraulics steaming out into the crowd. Lights, water thrown into the crowd, and the entire audience jumping to the beat: the perfect backdrop to a movie-worthy concert.

Some of our favorite beats of the night came from Simba Jawabi, an artist under BewhY's Dejavu Music that made an appearance. His outfit and style was relatively simple, which made the way he took complete control of the stage and flow stand out even more.

The moments we loved most were where the music cut out and we were left with Bewhy spitting straight fire. Everyone fell silent, just in awe of his rap. Incredible.

Things We Didn’t Keep Track of but Wish We Did:
- Every time BewhY splashed water over the crowd!
- BewhY’s SPS (Syllables per Second), estimated to be in the millions
- Every time BewhY handed out water bottles to the thirsty, thirsty crowd.
- Every time the crowd broke into loud, synchronized chants of BewhY’s name!

At one of these raucous chants, BewhY made reference to all the string instruments used in his music: he brought the chants to a swift end with a flourish of a conductor’s cutoff.

"Hallelujah, hallelujah!” Just like he brought these chants to an end, the show had to, unfortunately, come to an end. As the last stop on “The Movie Star” tour, the tour itself came to a satisfying conclusion.

That night, New York wasn't NY ("en why."). It was Bewhy. Thank you Socialite Music Group for giving KpopStarz access to such an amazing show!

Article by: Kaitlin Cunanan
Photos by: Karen May