EXO-SC came to Manila, leaving with a promise to come back and bring EXO back to the Philippine concert stage!

The best-selling subunit of South Korea, EXO-SC, was here, and EXO-L gathered in an all-out SOLD-OUT show and dominated The Big Dome.

Park Chanyeol and Oh Sehun, more commonly known together as EXO-SC, a subunit from the hailed “K-Pop Kings” EXO concluded their Asia fan concert tour in Manila, Philippines on May 20, 2023. The duo finished strong with the EXO-SC BACK TO BACK FANCON TOUR with hit after hit songs and memorable moments that crowned Philippines as the favorite crowd of the group with their palpable and unwavering energy. 

Look back on that incredible Saturday with EXO-SC— a first of hopefully more events with the EXO members this year.

Closer to You: Press Conference with Sehun and Chanyeol

Ahead of the fan concert, the press and lucky fans who won in a raffle met EXO-SC for an exclusive press conference that revealed more of the duo’s relationship, personalities, and plans.

When asked about recalling the time when they were partnered up to form a sub-unit and how did they feel about appearing as a duo in public, Sehun said that at first, he didn’t think that SM Entertainment was serious about putting them together in a group but it’s been 5 years and he’s looking forward to creating more projects and activities to present to the fans.

Touch basing on Sehun’s acting career, he was also asked that if given the chance to choose a character to portray, what kind of character he would like to do. The singer-actor expressed he has a lot of characters he wants to portray and asked Chanyeol what would he recommend Sehun to play in a role. Chanyeol thought Sehun has sharp features on his face so it would fit for him to play a killer role. A playful tease from the fans ensued saying that they would volunteer for Sehun to end them to which Sehun just laughed at. 

Still on the topic of acting, Sehun who is currently playing Goo Yoo in an ongoing drama “All That We Loved” talked about how he prepared for the role. He’s currently in his 30s (Korean age) and was aware of the gap between his age and his character’s age so the dilemma was how he was going to prepare for the role. Sehun said that had to make a proper recollection of what he was like in high school, or when he was a young eighteen-year-old to be able to fit in the role. He focused on his innocence, how he looked liked, and how he used to focus on his friends. What a great method of acting!

Chanyeol, who is also an actor, appeared in the film “The Box,” and he stated that if given the opportunity to act again, he would want to take on a quiet character. He said it would be amazing to get a character that is only quiet because he constantly gets roles that need him to run, get hurt, or fall. 

When asked about pre-show rituals, Chanyeol shared that they have to do his vocalizations and he has to release his voice. He also does a little stretching and he emphasized that he always prays before performances. EXO-SC teased the fans about the fan event itself, saying they have a lot in store for the EXO-Ls and that they should only see it for themselves to appreciate it. The response to this was positive, and you can already sense how enthusiastic everyone is about the show!

Chanyeol and Sehun also ebbed the curiosity of the fans as to what they do during their free time on which Chanyeol mentioned that he likes to go exercising and go to the gym and ride his bike, especially now that the weather in South Korea is getting nice. He also mentioned he rests at home as needed and Sehun agreed and added his sentiments about having to rest just like everyone else during his free time. He likes eating, watching movies and just simply resting at home and doing absolutely nothing. We all need downtime, don’t we?

Chanyeol took the initiative and responded when we asked what they are most appreciative of about being in EXO-SC and what they have discovered about one another as a sub-unit. Chanyeol said he is very grateful because, they can experiment with various musical genres, and having someone to travel with during tours makes everything less lonely. He also realizes that Sehun has varied perspectives and interpretations, which helps widen his understanding. Sehun’s observations, according to Chanyeol, have broadened his perspective.

Chanyeol was also asked what form of music he wants to make as a composer, and he stated that there isn’t really a certain genre he wants to tackle, but rather that he just wants to try out different types of music and believes that they haven’t revealed everything they have. He also expressed that he’s doing a lot and working on different kinds of music because he really wants to show more to the fans what he can do. 

When asked about what is the secret to having a long-lasting career, Chanyeol shared that the key is to have fun and not consider what they do as a job. He said that if they did that, they would have been exhausted a long time ago. He also heartwarmingly shared that his relationship with the EXO members is more of a family and they are his very close friends. This is why they are having so much fun, and has helped them carry on longer as they go on with their career.

You can clearly see that EXO has formed an unbreakable brotherhood relationship.

Next Station: Manila

EXO-SC was impressed and enthused on the energy EXO-L gave during the whole duration of the show. Sehun said that the Filipinos are the best and are expecting a lot coming to the country which Chanyeol followed with how they couldn’t even hear themselves because the crowd is too loud! Only in the Philippines do international stars continue to repeat this. The Big Dome was literally trembling as EXO-L pound their feet in along with the screams, bringing back EXO concert memories.

Chanyeol impressed the crowd by speaking in Filipino during his opening greeting saying, “Magandang gabi! Nag-enjoy ba kayo? Kayo ang best! Mahal kita!” Sehun said that feel like they’ve been in the country around 30,000 times as many as they feel that they’ve been in the country more than they can count! Almost feels like home right?

The beauty of a fan con is getting to know the idols more than their music. Starting with a segment called “Catch Up Talk” where they shared personal pictures from their phones. Sehun shared pictures of him swimming in a pool from a different country which Chanyeol titled the picture, “Sea Seal” and a picture from the set of “All That We Loved”, where he’s doing a stunt where he is upside down in monkey bars, which Chanyeol also titled “Elementary School Student.” Chanyeol said Sehun looked like an elementary student in the picture. 

When it comes to Chanyeol’s pictures, he shared a cute picture from the Singapore Airport on their way to the Philippines for their fan concert. Sehun titled this photo, “Fan (of) Teddy Bears.” Chanyeol shared a picture of his feet in a jacuzzi in a hotel room in Singapore, with a yacht view. Sehun flexed and titled the photo, “It’s a nice day today, what boat should I buy?” 

They also played a game called “Can You Hear My Heart” and answered questions to assess their compatibility, indicating that they are more similar than they seem. They also participated in various brotherly competition games “Unang Tang Tang Relay” such as “sipa” (a traditional Philippine sport) and bottle flips. 

Sehun won the competition and was incredibly happy to win against Chanyeol, who is a known competitive person. Chanyeol had to suffer the penalty which is to put stickers on his face. A very cute Chanyeol came out of this with his dimple showing and the fans seem to enjoy this rather than see it as a penalty. As the winner, Sehun get to sample Filipino delicacies such as “sapin-sapin,” “pichi pichi,” and “Biko” which Sehun and Chanyeol seemed to love as they emptied the whole plate! 

They also teamed up and chose their activity based on the Ladder Game, inspired by their most awaited, most requested variety shows, and did hearts for all the sections for the fans to see. At this point, the fans couldn’t contain their excitement as the duo showed picture-worthy heart poses. If you think this was cute, they even wore bunny headbands and hopped on stage like bunnies. (Writer’s note: I swear this was too cute to handle!)

One of the results of the ladder game was Chanyeol doing one of the most memorable performances of the night. This was when Chanyeol took his guitar and dedicated the birthday celebrations to a song dear to the hearts of Filipinos, Yeng Constantino’s “Hawak Kamay.” EXO first performed this song in 2013 on their very first visit to the country and have been performing snippets of it ever since. Fans nearly lost it when he sang his own version of Radiohead’s “Creep” in response to their request for another song to play. It was even an extended rendition of the song, making it even more remarkable!

Of course, Sehun did his own thing, and as EXO’s lead dancer, he performed a random play dance of all popular EXO songs. Among these songs are “Love Shot,” South Korea’s KPOP National Anthem “Growl,” the sensual “The Eve,” (Writer’s note: Kinda lost it here), and, at the request of fans, he also danced “Love Me Right,” which was joined by Chanyeol near the end of the song. 

The One and Only Game is about Chanyeol and Sehun customizing tumblers for two lucky fans of the night. The two fans were selected by raffle. Sehun just wrote his name while Chanyeol drew his famous fruit representation, a pair of cherries! Take note that these are one of a kind!

A Setlist worth 1 Billion Views 

EXO-SC’s setlist for the night was strong as they have a music discography that was strong itself. The duo kicked off the show with “What a Life,” a song from the same-titled EP “WHAT A LIFE,” which smashed records for the sub-units in KPOP back in 2019. The duo did not disappoint in making EXO-Ls roar from the start with a lighthearted and carefree melody that talked about youth and how good life should be. They also performed “Borderline” another song from “WHAT A LIFE” and 1 Billion Views from their first full album “1 BILLION VIEWS”, which is one of the most awaited performances of the night. The Filipino EXO-Ls flexed their vocals when the bridge hit and sang not a tune out of place. The SeChan duo seemed very happy about this and expected that the Filipino EXO-Ls will deliver! (As Filipino concert crowds always do!) They also performed “Fly Away”, which showed a little intimacy as from the duo as it slowed down the night. 

The duo also sang “We Young,” their debut song together before being labeled as EXO-SC, or as regarded as the birth of EXO-SC. It was only performed as an unreleased track as part of the concert at the time, but owing to public demand, the song was released as a single on SM Station.

“Rodeo Station” was also jammed by the Filipino EXO-Ls, also a very requested track from the sub-unit. A playful and fun song plucked from their first album “1 BILLION VIEWS” and teased the fans about the night ending. Of course, they couldn’t end the night just like that so they tested the power of EXO-L’s screams and once more appeared for an encore for the song “Just Us 2” from their first EP. The duo ended with a high note with a lot of memories with the EXO-Ls.

Just Us 2: Creating a Perfect Harmony with EXO-SC and EXO-L

It wouldn’t be a fan con without the fans and their fan project. Dressed up to the glam and showing a sea of yellows, EXO-Ls made their country proud again by singing every lyric of the songs the duo sang the whole night, which Sehun even said was the most memorable moment for him to hear the fans sing the songs in full Hangul. The Filo EXO-Ls went on extra mile by dedicating a cover of 1 Billion Views to the duo after the crowd picture was taken

“Why are you guys so good at singing? It’s because you’re fans of the best singers too!” – Chanyeol to Filipino EXO-Ls

Like idols like fans indeed! PHIXOs who have been supportive of EXO since day one did not fall short on energy, enthusiasm, and dedication that seem to just bring out EXO in their most heightened state. Indeed, you will notice that international fans want to go here in the country because there ain’t no party like a Filipino EXO-L party!

Chanyeol seemed to enjoy too much in staying in the Philippines that he wants to buy a property in the country! He said he wants to stay here because he wants to see the beaches and the islands as they expressed in the press conference earlier that day. Next fan project: Chanyeol’s House and Lot? The Filipino fans are just that infectious in joy and love for music that whatever it is, you know that in the world, Filipinos are generally the best crowd and Filipino EXO-Ls are not an exception, whether it was just two members or the full group visiting.

The duo has constantly promised that they are coming back and they have never broken that promise before, next time with the full group! So I guess EXO-Ls has no rest and have to prepare very soon for the comeback!

Whatever the future holds, you will find the EXO-Ls just two steps behind the multi-faceted group despite all the struggles and hindrances in their career that can’t seem to bring them down. A decade-long career has proven that EXO is not a group you mess with, especially when they just keep on breaking their own records and are already in the phase of just doing the love and joy of making music and inspiring fans and idols alike. We’re sure that the industry will stop again for the much-awaited full group comeback for the “KPOP Kings” as they always have and we can’t wait for the return of the Kings as the tingi version of the group will finally end and where we can see the full group say, “We Are One!”

---

The EXO-SC BACK TO BACK FANCON TOUR IN MANILA was presented by PULP Live World and Happee Hour. Special thanks to PULP Live World for the invitation.

Words and Press Conference Photos by Arielle Elep