MANILA, Philippines – After almost three years, GOT7’s BamBam was finally back in the Philippines!
The 25-year-old singer held a press conference and fan meeting in Cebu and Manila, where he shared his Philippine bucket list, some funny anecdotes, future career plans, and how much he missed his Ahgases.
“I feel really good. I’ve been waiting to perform, and I’ve been waiting to meet up with you guys like this. I don’t know how I spent the last two years without meeting everyone and just being home with my cats. I’m really happy that everything came back to normal, almost,” said BamBam during his press conference on Thursday, July 28, at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
‘Ngiti’
BamBam was eager to honor an old promise he made to his Filipino fans. He recalled how, in one of his past shows in Manila, he vowed that he would come back to sing a cover of “Ngiti” by Ronnie Liang.
“My first time, when I came to Manila, I was singing a song called ‘Ngiti’. You guys really loved it.” The singer assured his fans that he would sing it again at the 2022 K-POP Masterz in Manila, a one-night concert held Friday, July 29 at the Mall of Asia Arena, where he performed alongside TREASURE and fellow GOT7 member Jackson Wang.
“It’s gonna be the best show that you’ll see this year, I’ll say that,” he added.
After clips of BamBam’s “Ngiti” performance in 2022 K-POP Masterz in Manila went viral on social media, Ronnie Liang thanked the Thai idol for performing his track.
Battling sisig
BamBam also took time between fan meetings and shows to explore the country and sample well-known local delicacies. “I went to try bangus. Last night, I saw the city with a couple of friends and they bought me sisig,” he recounted.
He did, however, admit that he experienced difficulty adjusting to sisig’s spiciness. “I already went to the restroom three times today,” he jested. “It was really spicy, so you know, I just keep letting go,” he added, causing the audience to laugh.
On top of that, the artist had other activities in mind for his Philippine bucket list – a list of activities he intended to do during his stay – in addition to eating our cuisine.
“I wanna go to the beach. I also really want to go to [a] night market in the Philippines and in Manila.”
Solo work
In 2021, BamBam made waves in the K-pop scene when he debuted as a solo artist. He released his first mini-album with the title track “riBBon.” Following its success, he made another mini album titled B, which featured “Who Are You,” a collaboration with SEULGI of Red Velvet.
The Thai musician said that he would love to do collaborations with Filipino artists in the future. He then asked his fans who they wanted to see him work with, to which they replied, “James Reid!” The local singer and actor James Reid had frequently made an appearance in BamBam’s social media accounts – finding the time to meet up when both of them were either in South Korea or in the Philippines – spurring rumors about the two’s budding friendship and possible collaborations.
“James? Oh yeah, I can do that. Actually, we’ve been talking about, ‘Oh we should make a song’. Nothing happened yet…. If I have the chance, I would be happy to [collaborate] with James,” BamBam said.
Making history
BamBam also went down in history as the first K-pop act to perform at the NBA Halftime Show in April. As the global ambassador of the Golden State Warriors, he commanded the stage with a performance of his hit single “Wheels Up.”
“I don’t think I’m super tall, but I don’t think I’m super short. Every time I’m in Korea, I’m like the basic height. But when I go to the NBA, I see all the players, my god, I feel like a little baby,” he joked. “It was a good experience,” he said.
Such feats would not have been possible had he not been granted the freedom to flourish and the power to decide the course of his career. Hence, BamBam shared valuable advice to other aspiring artists.
“Just be yourself and never give up. I want you to know what you want to be doing right now. Because I know a lot of people that just follow what people tell them to do, or do what people think they’re supposed to do,” he explained. “Know exactly what you are doing right now, what dream you want to reach, stuff like that,” he added.
It seemed like he had to learn this the hard way. Fans still remembered how, seven years after their debut, his group GOT7 left JYP entertainment in 2021. The seven members had to pursue their solo careers from different agencies from then on.
“Actually, It changed my life. I got to go to a lot of places. You know, that’s why I’m here right now with you guys. It changed myself too – the way I think, the way I live. It changed the people around me too – my family, my friends.”
Good thing that the members of GOT7 managed to keep in touch with each other. In fact, they even launched a Youtube channel along with a group comeback titled “Encore” in February 2021. Amidst pursuing solo careers, GOT7 also reunited in May 2022 with a self-titled album that carried the title track “NANANA.”
Healthy competition
For now, though, BamBam is focused on his solo career. After all, a little bit of friendly competition is healthy among longtime friends. He even made light of how he could be so protective of his songs that he hesitates to share them with his bandmates.
“Actually, I think it’s kinda weird but I don’t give my members a listen to my solo song, because they will steal my idea,” he said jokingly.
“For riBBon, actually ‘Pandora’ was the title song for the riBBon album. Then, Yugyeom sent me his solo music, and I was like ‘Oh, the concept is [the] same with mine. Okay, I need to change.’ So I changed it to ‘riBBon.’ That’s the time when I was like, ‘I’m never gonna show them my album,’” he explained.
BamBam has a lot more in store for his beloved Ahgases. He hinted at another upcoming album that would highlight a distinct concept. “You guys will see something different from me,” he teased.
“I’m really confident with my next album right now. I hope I can have a concert in the Philippines again. I would bring a new album and songs to sing. I want to perform it for you guys,” BamBam remarked. – Rappler.com
Beatriz Joyce Bertuldo is a Rappler intern.