MANILA — In the middle of her concert at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, K-pop singer Kim Taeyeon told thousands of fans that she had been feeling lonely prior to the event.

"A while ago while we were having our rehearsal I had this thought. We were having a rehearsal a while ago and I suddenly felt lonely," Taeyeon said through an interpreter during the Philippine leg of "The Odd of Love" tour on Sunday.

Taeyeon said her loneliness continued even though she was surrounded by her staff, band members and dancers, whose eagerness pushed her to work hard for the concert.

But Taeyeon concluded by saying, "I realized that maybe I felt kind of lonely a while ago because the venue, this place, was empty."

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon holds rehearsals at the Araneta Coliseum ahead of her 'The Odd of Love' concert in Manila. Screenshots from Instagram/@taeyeon.smtown

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon holds rehearsals at the Araneta Coliseum ahead of her 'The Odd of Love' concert in Manila. Screenshots from Instagram/@taeyeon.smtown

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon holds rehearsals at the Araneta Coliseum ahead of her 'The Odd of Love' concert in Manila. Screenshots from Instagram/@taeyeon.smtown

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon holds rehearsals at the Araneta Coliseum ahead of her 'The Odd of Love' concert in Manila. Screenshots from Instagram/@taeyeon.smtown

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon holds rehearsals at the Araneta Coliseum ahead of her 'The Odd of Love' concert in Manila. Screenshots from Instagram/@taeyeon.smtown

"Now, seeing you all here filling this stadium, I really feel thankful, and I regret [and] wonder why I had such thoughts," she said.

Taeyeon recalled that when she arrived in Manila, "I had a lot of thoughts in my mind."

"That's what happens to me when I'm alone for a long time, I just have so many thoughts. But in conclusion, the reason why I'm sharing this is because I really wanted to see you," she said.

"That's actually what I wanted to tell you. I just made it long," she added with a chuckle.

Taeyeon, a member of the hitmaking group Girls' Generation, also confessed that she feared her Manila concert would not push through.

"Because there could be so many reasons that could happen or that could stop this concert without my intentions. But finally I'm here to perform in front of you and I'm very happy," she said.

The 34-year-old singer has not shied away from opening up to fans, called SONE. And her Manila concert was no exception.

"I'm actually a very introverted person. I'm really shy," Taeyeon said as Filipino fans chanted her name.

Taeyeon opens #TheODDOfLOVE_in_MANILA with “INVU,” the lead single off her 2022 album with the same title. | via @jaehwabernardo pic.twitter.com/3xRbRTCIYc

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) July 30, 2023

But Taeyeon's shyness was hardly evident in her performances throughout the concert, where she showed her prowess on stage as one of K-pop's most seasoned artists.

The concert, organized by DNM Entertainment, ran for a little over two hours and featured all of the songs from Taeyeon's 2022 album "INVU" as well as nearly all tracks from her 2020 extended play (EP) "What Do I Call You," with some getting fresh arrangements.

Taeyeon's 25-piece setlist also included fan favorites "Time Lapse" and "Spark," and angstier offerings such as "My Tragedy," "Better Babe" and "Four Seasons."

She also showcased early hits "I" and "Fine," with the latter featuring an acapella moment that highlighted Taeyeon's powerful and emotive singing, harkening back to her performance during her first solo concert in Manila last 2018.

During "Stress," a song from her 2015 debut EP, the Big Dome turned into one big rave party as fans jumped while waving their light sticks and purple cloths (purple is Taeyeon's favorite color).

"I think it's my first time to see SONE enjoying my concert so much. You have all this vibe, just enjoying my concert, it's so good," Taeyeon said after the energetic number.

She later joined in on the fun, waving her own purple cloth — which the fans prepared for the concert — while closing the concert with the song aptly titled "Ending Credits."

TAEYEON CONCERT TOUR 2023 - 'The ODD Of LOVE' in MANILA💜#태연 #TAEYEON #TheODDOfLOVE#TheODDOfLOVE_in_MANILA#TAEYEONCONCERT_TheODDOfLOVE pic.twitter.com/VjtlKrvv1k

— TAEYEON Official (@TAEYEONsmtown) July 30, 2023

Taeyeon also gamely posed for group photos with the audience while holding the purple cloth and banners prepared by Filipino SONE.

"Masaya ako!" said the singer fondly called "beshie" (a slang for "best friend") by her Filipino fans, as she held a banner that read "PH SONE you and I are timless" — a reference to her song "Timeless."

Taeyeon also obliged in singing along with concertgoers a portion of her 2016 single "Rain," which fans sung before the encore as part of a fan project.

"I think you guys are my fans that's why you sing so well, but I wonder why you sing the hardest part," the singer said in jest. "I think you guys wanted to sing it! So cute!"

The ODD Of LOVE in MANILA
Thank you MANILA 💟✨#태연 #TAEYEON #TheODDOfLOVE#TheODDOfLOVE_in_MANILA#TAEYEONCONCERT_TheODDOfLOVE pic.twitter.com/hLEHRBGEAc

— TAEYEON Official (@TAEYEONsmtown) July 30, 2023

Promise kept

With the Manila stop of her "The Odd of Love" tour, Taeyeon fulfilled a promise that she made during the K-verse music festival last April: that she would come back for a solo concert.

• Taeyeon, The Boyz, aespa create short but sweet memories with Filipino fans

And on Sunday night, before her final song, Taeyeon renewed her promise to return to Manila.

"The songs that we weren't able to listen to tonight, I will prepare them for our next time. So I hope you guys still invite me again to Manila," Taeyeon said, gesturing another pinky promise to the delight of the crowd.

"I'm very thankful that we all enjoyed today," she said.

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For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the Hallyu Corner microsite.

— With a report from Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

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