The ON Festival: OFF Manila gathered the most influential and sought-after names in the music industry as Korean artists SUHO of EXO, Wave To Earth, Melomance and Seori took the stage of MOA Arena for a one-night only concert.

The festival also featured Filipino artists Adie, Darren Espanto, Moira and Ben&Ben. These names aren’t new in the industry as they are popular in the Philippines for making great music.

Sharing their talents in one stage, the ON Festival: OFF Manila organized by KAMP and ABS-CBN last November 3 made its successful debut in the Philippines with its more than eight-hour long set of performances from talented artists.

Seori’s music and her cover of a Filipino song

The pretty face and outstanding voice of Seori caught the attention the audience as she performs some of her hit songs including “Lovers in the Night” and “Dive With You” alongside SUHO’s band. Seori also did a cover of Zack Tabudlo’s song “Pano.”

Melomance

South Korean indie folk duo Melomance captivated the hearts of their fans as they sing the favorite OSTs of Kdrama fans. The crowd sing along as Melomance sang “Love, Maybe 사랑인가 봐” from A Business Proposal OST, “Our Story 우리의 이야기 ” from Yumi’s Cell OST, “Good Day 좋은 날 ” from Mr. Sunshine OST, and “I Want To Love 사랑하고 싶게 돼” from Because This Is My First Life OST.

They also sing “Invitation 초대“, sang a little bit of “Sa Ilalim ng Buwan“. “You“, “I Like Her“, “Bashful“, and “Gift“. They also promised that they would be back in Manila after they experienced a heartfelt welcome from the crowd.

Wave To Earth

A dynamic trio composed of Kim Daniel, Shin Dong Gyu and Cha Soon Jong, Wave To Earth hit the music industry by storm and has produced some of South Korea’s rock songs including “Bad”, “Peaches Eyes”, “Daisy”, “Evening Glow”, “Love”, “Seasons”, “Light,” “Sunburn” and “So Real.”

All three performers, Seori, Melomance and Wave To Earth are all new to the Philippines as it is their first visit here.

SUHO of EXO

“We are one, this is Suho of EXO.” His greeting marks SUHO’s first solo engagement in Manila and this made Filo EXO-Ls more than eight hours of waiting game worth it.

SUHO sang “Self-Portrait“,  “02“, “사랑, 하자 Let’s Love” from his 1st mini album Self-Portrait. He almost cried when the crowd started to sing along with him while singing Let’s Love.

SUHO also shared that he reminisced on the memories he had with EXO as he waits at the backstage for his turn to perform. MOA Arena is also the venue where his group previously performed for their world tour so the venue is truly a familiar place for him. SUHO also performed a medley of EXO songs including “Growl“, “Overdose“, and “Love Me Might“. He ended his performance with “Grey Suit” and “Made in You.”

Aside from our favorite South Korean acts, Filipino favorites including the band Ben&Ben performed some of their hit songs including “Pagtingin”, “Could Be Something” and “Leaves”. The hugot queen Moira also serenaded the crowd while Darren Espanto entered the stage with a cover of BTS Jungkook’s “3D”. Another fan favorite Filipino artist Adie also performed at the festival.

Special thanks to ABS-CBN for the invites!

Article: Regine Monsanto and Mikhaela Javier
Photos: ABS-CBN, Mikhaela Javier