If we could embed Chanyeol singing Hawak Kamay in our brains, we would.
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Thousands of Filo EXO-Ls made their way to the Araneta Coliseum for an event they waited years for, EXO-SC’s first fanmeet in the country. As part of their Back to Back fancon tour, the EXO sub-unit, comprised of Sehun and Chanyeol, made their way to Manila for a night of performances, games, and more.
Even before the show started, Pinoy EXO-Ls made sure to give the duo a proper welcome as they filled the Coliseum and its surrounding areas with an energy that would make you think that the whole group was having a concert there. As such, Sehun and Chanyeol were more than welcome to return the love, with the latter member, in particular, giving us a throwback we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
HAWAK KAMAY, 2023 EDITION
Fan concert lang usapan bakit po nagpapaiyak 😭😭😭 CHANYEOL performs Hawak Kamay tonight at the #EXOSCinMNL!
— Philippine Concerts (@philconcerts) May 20, 2023
EXO serenaded fans with Hawak Kamay during their first ever appearance on the Philippine concert stage in 2013.@pulpliveworld @happeehour pic.twitter.com/sCUKNCiZQ0
During the show, Chanyeol got his famous guitar to perform a song. While most expected him to sing Creep (which he did later in the concert), he, along with Sehun, surprised the crowd by performing Yeng Constantino’s seminal classic Hawak Kamay. Now, to some, this moment might just seem like another great cover of a Tagalog song from a K-pop idol. But for Filipino EXO-Ls, especially long-time ones, Chanyeol’s rendition of Hawak Kamay threw it back to an early moment in their career.
In 2013, EXO traveled to the Philippines for the first time for the Dream K-pop Fantasy Concert. There, Chanyeol whipped out his guitar as he and the rest of the group sang Hawak Kamay as a surprise for Filipino fans. Since then, its become an iconic moment for Filo EXO-Ls. And we should also point out that it was Pulp who organized that event. Now, over a decade later, not only did Pulp bring back the duo once more, but Chanyeol also serenaded the crowd with his cover.
chanyeol hawak kamay fancam @ #EXOSCinMNL
— Kring Kim 🦄💖✨ (@KringKim) May 21, 2023
u can see the exact instances na nagfla-flashback ang buhay ko as a fan & as an mc. it was so special sharing that moment w the 🇵🇭 eris. dabest kayo. dabest ang sechan. thank u for the kind words abt my hosting 🙏🏼 #EXOSC_BackToBack pic.twitter.com/q2c2T5tqvw
It’s the best kind of throwback you can ask for that high-key got us emotional. While Chanyeol has sung the song a few times since the Dream concert, it hits differently knowing that he’d give an updated version ten years after he first sang it. All we need now is for Chanyeol to buy a house in the Philippines to complete the moment.
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