Two groups to represent Cebu at Changwon

CEBU, Philippines — After heating up the stage with their K-Pop performances, only two cover groups prevailed in the regional rounds for the Changwon K-Pop World Festival which unfolded at the Northwing Atrium of SM City Cebu on July 6.

The Changwon K-Pop World Festival (ChangFe) 2019 Regional Round was organized by the Cebu Korean Association, Inc., alongside the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Cebu in an effort to send Cebuano talents to South Korea.

No doubt that the success of Korean pop music, which is enjoyed all over the world, has contributed to the growth of the South Korean economy and tourism. Changwon K-Pop World Festival is among the events that celebrate South Korea’s international reach through music.

Out of 73 dance groups, K-Pop cover groups SOLSTICE and IMMINENCE dominated the competition as Cebu’s ChangFe Regional Round Champions. Each group took home a P20,000 cash prize and earned the chance to represent Cebu at the Changwon K-Pop World Festival in October.

The international festival has a reach of over 70 countries, with the Philippines eligible to represent Manila and Cebu. Presented by KBS World, the Changwon K-Pop World Festival will have their global auditions next month, where they will be assessing audition videos.

Now on its ninth staging, the festival will be selecting acts and invite them to Korea in September where these K-Pop enthusiasts will get the experience of a lifetime by immersing themselves in the K-Pop idol experience. Not only will they learn more about Korean culture, they might just perform in the Changwon K-Pop World Festival finals and even catch their favorite K-Pop idol groups.

“We are all still in shock after bringing home the bacon. Being chosen as one of the representatives for the 2019 Changwon World Festival for the second time is truly an honor for us,” SOLSTICE, an all-male group, wrote on their Facebook page.

“We’ve had our doubts and a fair share of conflicts along the way but these only made us work harder for our goal as a group. We’d like to congratulate everyone who performed…We all did great! We’d also like to thank everyone who supported us, both friends and family. We will do our best to succeed and we also hope to inspire other people with this journey.”

IMMINENCE also wrote a heartfelt message to supporters online. They thanked their followers for the “overwhelming and undying support” and proceeded to talk about their passion in dance, getting real about their struggles, saying that winning the regional rounds for ChangFe was among their greatest achievements.

Apart from winning the top prize, IMMINENCE member Jan Emily L. Manigque also won Best Performer, winning a round-trip ticket to Incheon sponsored by Jeju Air.

“Started from the bottom, and now, well, the journey has just begun,” the group began in a Facebook post.

“We never asked for anything so grand yet we always did our best. There were lots of heartbreaks we overcame and lots of failures we encountered, however we never had any thoughts of unloving what we love doing. Dancing: not just an obligation within a group, it’s what we live for. We still have many roads to go through, many critics to encounter, but we will always have this drive. Thriving for success is nothing without hard work. Every one did their best. Every achievement we had was nothing compared to the achievement we had yesterday because all those achievements represent our hearts, our tears, and sacrifices.”

Consolation prizes of P5,000 were also given out to dance groups YOUNGBLOOD, MI6X, X.O.X.O. Fusion Uprising, SMS-Aloysians, and vocal performers Ezra Augusto, and MUMU.

The Changwon K-Pop World Festival 2019 Regionals likewise doubled as the preliminary round for the annual Cebu K-Pop Star search which gathers Cebuano K-Pop fans and is among the festivities, if not a highlight, of the Korea Day Celebration every September.