JUNHEE's First Solo Tour, "Into the Oce@n", Triggers a Tsunami-like Wave Through Atlanta
- thishugegeek
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Throughout the past 8 years, JUNHEE has evolved as an artist from being the leader of A.C.E, to completing his military enlistment, starting his own company, H&P Entertainment, and debuting as a soloist. Though he has been to the United States before as a part of A.C.E, this is his first time on a solo tour, which he admitted made him nervous. In collaboration with KorUS Entertainment and Oppang Kpop store based in North Carolina, they brought JUNHEE stateside to meet CC, his fandom, in a new way and secure his spot in their hearts forever. Through his nervousness, JUNHEE was able to show a more playful and flirtatious side of himself to CC.
The show started with his debut title track, ‘Supernova’, which melted the crowd with his magic vocals and a sneak peek at the choreography. Afterwards, he asked if Atlanta missed him since it had been so long, and the crowd made it very clear that they missed him more than he missed them, as a playful battle of love ensued. He conceded to them while making fans’ hearts flutter as he would randomly ask fans’ names throughout his set, making special connections with as many people as possible. ‘Sugar’ was the next track that graced the crowd’s eardrums, taking them to cloud 9 with his honey vocals and ad-libs as he sang about a polarizing person who was sweet but salty. As he kept the energy flowing, he dedicated his next performance to a new fan in the crowd and thanked everyone who was seeing him for the first time. ‘You Should Come’ played as JUNHEE was paying special attention to the people who were new to him, holding hands as he sang this invitation to new fans to join the following.
JUNHEE has always had a flirtatious side to him, and this show was no different as he introduced his first cover of the night. He talked about how he was looking out into the crowd and seeing all the beautiful faces, so he sang ‘Beautiful’ by Bazzi. After his rendition, he continued to talk about how beautiful everyone looked and how amazing the vibes were in Atlanta. Junhee asked the crowd who practiced his songs before coming and was surprised at the number of people who raised their hands. He wanted to check the vibe and had his own Freddie Mercury moment as he led the crowd in some ‘yeah yeah yeahs’, praising them as they followed along, then he started to get shy as his fans kept saying they loved him and shouting compliments. He was so flustered, he forgot to introduce the next cover he had prepared, which was ‘Soft Spot’ by Keshi, a love song that talks about someone being extra special. As he started his second title track, ‘Umbrella’, he mentioned that this song was great for a rainy day and continued to show off his musicality. Despite the music stopping abruptly, he continued to finish the last couple of bars, wanting to sing with everyone. He loved hearing everyone’s voices and complimented the conglomerate on their ability to follow him. In one of his ments, he tried to say he loved CC more than CC loves him, but he eventually gave in after going back and forth for a while, again conceding to his fans.
The intro and back track for the next track featured the other 4 A.C.E members’ voices as Junhee led us in the sentimental song, ‘Tattoo’ that he wrote about his time with A.C.E and their fandom Choice. There was a short moment when he was talking with the crowd about what local food he should try, and through a lot of different suggestions, the staff eventually brought out some chicken wings and fries from the local restaurant, JR Crickets. As he tried it on stage, he was incredibly animated, as the local fans told him how good it was, and he even gestured, throwing a wing into the crowd for them jokingly. Following the chicken wings was a cover of ‘toxic til the end’ by Rose, which he made his own with harmonizations that added his own flavor to the track. Throughout the set, JUNHEE would show off his vocal ability with multiple runs, falsetto, and added personal color and unique timbre, making the crowd even more hyped as the night went on. The vibes then slowed as he followed Rose with his own song, ‘Night,’ which talks about being left alone and not knowing why. So much emotion was coming from his voice that it moved many members of the crowd to tears as he described this dysfunctional relationship. He followed this melancholy track with an explanation that he was able to release this song and his first album, because of his fans supporting him. He mentioned that the lyrics from the album he wrote during one of the hardest parts of his life, and he was grateful that we sang along and that we came to see him as a soloist. JUNHEE had some fun with the crowd as he teased the last song, saying that if everyone’s energy was good, he would think about doing more. What followed was one of the most energetic performances of the night with JUNHEE’s cover of ‘Your Idol’ from K-Pop Demon Hunters, which went viral on his YouTube channel in the middle of last year. He then surprised everyone with a cover of ‘Blinding Lights’ by the Weeknd, adding his own vocal flavor to this well-known track.
JUNHEE then tried to close the concert with a solo version of A.C.E’s song ‘Clover’ that he wrote, making all the Choice in the crowd emotional as they sang along. Hearing the familiar lyrics, the love and connection with everyone in the room was palpable, making everyone sway with the music. The last few songs continued in rapid succession as he performed ‘Just Better’ by A.C.E, which talks about replacing the listener’s boyfriend, saying he can be better. He then performed ‘My Girl’, which is another A.C.E song that they released after completing their military service. After this A.C.E throwback, JUNHEE went on to talk about how nervous he was touring solo and how much he loved everyone and appreciated their support, even crying a little bit as he heard the continuous cheers and love confessions. He wanted to give the crowd the best gift he could since it had been so long since he was in Atlanta, reiterating how much he loves everyone. As he tried to say it was the final song, people kept rejecting that reality, but JUNHEE finished the concert with another performance of ‘Supernova’ with even more vocal embellishments as he let the crowd sing the song with him. But the real final song was his feel-good song, ‘Too Bad’, that talks about being with someone who makes him feel some way, thinking about them all the time, even if it scares them both.
As a whole, JUNHEE filled the stage all on his own, making his solo tour a success with his amazingly colorful and unmistakable vocals as they filled the venue and CC’s hearts to the max. His energy never wavered and continued to increase as the night went on, feeding off the energy given by the crowd.
K Fuse would like to give a big thank you to the staff at KorUS for not only this unbelievable opportunity, but also for an incredible experience!
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