New music, a tour, SBTown Philippines’ next boy group: YGIG’s first fanmeet had all that and more.
Related: Shaba Shaba: Get To Know YGIG, SBTown’s First P-pop Girl Group
February 18, 2023, was a special day for one of P-pop’s newest girl groups, YGIG. It was their first-ever fanmeet that saw them perform in front of their fans, the WeGo, since their debut last November. Over 250 fans, friends, family, and special guests, such as the Korean staff of SBTown, filled the venue, ready to see the girls. But little did the audience know that they were getting a show filled with surprises, special announcements, and sneak peeks. Here’s a rundown of some of the event’s biggest moments.
THE PERFORMANCES
YGIG – I Can’t Stop Me by TWICE [FanCam]
— Pixcells 📷🍊 ia (@pixcells_fs) February 19, 2023
20230218_Maybank Theater, BGC
FB: https://t.co/mba3DieEpP
YGIG HEARTSTRUCK DAY#YGIGFanMeeting #YouGoIGoxWeGo#YGIG @ygig_official #TWICE pic.twitter.com/LDm6CpEI2M
WeGo came to watch YGIG perform, and that’s exactly what they got with the multiple stages the girls prepared. Opening the fanmeet with a dance cover of Lick by Cardi B followed by Shaba Shaba set the tone for the rest of the day. Covers from Rent, TWICE, and LE SSERAFIM got the crowd cheering. Then, YGIG split into two subunits sub-units, with Vien, Jewel, and Hazelyn doing a cover of NVMD by Denise Julia and JM, Alexi, and Maeg giving the crowd a dance number.
And if that wasn’t enough, each member prepared solo stages. Vien did a dance number, Jewel beatboxed with Tatang Robin (who was also the host of the fanmeet), Hazelyn slayed her acapella cover of This Is Me, JM delivered bars with her take on Gloc 9’s Sirena, Alexi, who was surprised by her mom who flew in from Cebu, strutted down the catwalk and served poses, and Maeg teased her acting era as she and Tatang Robin reenacted a scene from Love Is Colorblind.
FIRST COMEBACK
@ygig_official YGIG Heartstruck 1st Official WeGo Meeting #YGIGFanMeeting #YGIG #YouGoIGo pic.twitter.com/kXQP5AmCfo
— FanBoyDollArch (@fanboydollarch) February 18, 2023
Since dropping their debut song in November, we haven’t heard much about their next comeback, until the fanmeet, that is. Halfway through the event, Tatang Robin shared that the group is currently hard at work on their debut album and already recorded three songs. And to the treat of the crowd, one of those songs, I Don’t Know Why, was performed live for the very first time. Like with Shaba Shaba, I Don’t Know Why is a pop number, but with a bit more upbeat and bouncier vibe. Tatang Robin didn’t give an exact release date for the track, but he did say that they’re trying their best to get it out as soon as possible.
NATIONAL TOUR
🗓️ [YGIG]
— YGIG (@ygig_official) February 19, 2023
WeGo, how time flies so fast! Miss na namin kayo agad! 🫂🤧
Make sure you follow our SNS accounts as we will post highlights from Heartstruck: 1st Official WeGo Meeting very soon!#YGIGHearstruck#YGIG #YouGoIGo #WeGo pic.twitter.com/k2KpDoTptW
Tatang Robin had a lot to say during the fanmeet as at one point, he brought up the concern of why YGIG wasn’t going to be at PPOPCON. Clearing the air, he said that he didn’t feel that it was okay for YGIG to perform at the concert without their upcoming boy group (more on them later). But don’t fret as Tatang Robin did share that instead of a PPOPCON performance, YGIG and the company were preparing for a national tour, hitting cities across the country later this year. And the best part? It’s entirely free.
ONE DOWN
BREAKING: YGIG’s Darlene will no longer be part of YGIG as she is still recuperating from her health problems.
— Sarah Jessica🧣 (@heysaje) February 18, 2023
She will redebut as a solo artist instead as soon as she gained her health status back. #YGIGFanMeeting#YouGoIGoxWeGo#YGIG @ygig_official pic.twitter.com/KhEvukJJB0
While a fun time was what YGIG’s fanmeet was all about, there were also more somber moments sprinkled throughout. One of the most moving was when Tatang Robin brought up the elephant in the room, Darlene’s absence. He shared that due to Darlene’s health concerns, she couldn’t join the group for the fanmeet. Tatang Robin added that Darlene was no longer going to join YGIG in their group activities, essentially making the group a six-member group moving forward.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel as he announced that SBTown was preparing to debut Darlene as a solo artist once her health concerns are cleared. Speaking of Darlene, she was at the fanmeet and surprised the crowd with a moving cover of Tagpuan by Moira Dela Torre. And because the feels weren’t enough, the rest of YGIG joined Darlene as they did their group greeting for probably the last time.
NEW BOY GROUP
[+] New SBTown Boy Group
— PLUUS (@pluus_official) February 18, 2023
WE ARE PLUUS.
ALWAYS PLUS US.
DEBU+ S0:0N 🌐
March 2023
Connec+ with us:https://t.co/SM8H6hcAxehttps://t.co/1Dy6ypFdfAhttps://t.co/H6RbGlqtjhhttps://t.co/i7yTITMl3Khttps://t.co/wgyhiNEYyk#PLUUS #AlwaysPLUUS pic.twitter.com/QhKC9XyuZR
If you thought Tatang Robin was done with his surprises, think again. By the fanmeet’s end, he revealed that there was one more special guest, and it was none other than the SBTalent Camp male trainees. But the six guys weren’t there as trainees. Instead, the event served as the first public unveiling of SBTown’s next boy group, Pluus, a combination of Plus and Us. The group is set to make their debut in March, and while they did not perform their debut song, they did treat WeGos to a cute cover of Shaba Shaba. And just like that, the SBTown family just got bigger.
Continue Reading: P-Pop Rise! PPOPCON Is Getting Bigger And Better This 2023
