Wheein Sparkles at the Last Stop of her Tour in New York
If there’s any female group that has garnered respect in the K-Pop industry for vocals, it’s MAMAMOO, and the powerhouse that is member Wheein. An artist who has her own defined discography, she is recognized as much as a soloist as an idol group singer. Earlier this year she kicked off her first solo tour, WHEE IN THE MOOD [BEYOND], and last week on June 4, New York was able to celebrate the finale of the U.S. stop of her tour at the Brooklyn Paramount. Glamorous, sexy, sweet, and funny, Wheein showed her delightful colors as she sang right into everyone’s hearts.
The venue itself, a recently renovated gorgeous theater space with soaring ceilings and period details, was the perfect showcase for this finale. After a mood setting VCR, Wheein appeared on stage through a wave of star-like lights in a silver lamé dress. It was just her with a mic and her voice filling the air as the deceptively simple "I Know I Know I Know” opened acapella in the night. She cast a spell as the tones of her voice fell onto wanting ears as the dramatic backtrack folded into her voice. The echoes of "I Know I Know I Know” built at each chorus as more people jumped in to sing along with every verse.
With the next song, color and vibrancy splashed onto the stage. “Water Color” was set against a backdrop of RBG rainbow lights that couldn’t help but brighten up the room. With two male and female backup dancers, whose white outfits just absorbed the color on stage, she had the floor moving. Continuing with this groove, “Spark” was the next song showcasing the upper registers of Wheein’s voice. Effortlessly dancing and singing with mic in hand, her live vocals were clear and effortless as lights and a background of fireworks played behind her.
Ready to address the crowd for the first time that night, the floor erupted in “woof, woofs” ready to cheer her on. Introducing herself, she laughed a genuine “Wow” greeting “New York” in “Empire State of Mind” style. Impressed by the size of the crowd, she was thrilled to see so many faces and had everyone cheering as she noted that everyone on staff, including the dancers, were giving all that they had for this final tour stop. Taking a moment to let everyone know the theme behind the tour, Wheein went on to say she really wanted to show what type of artist she was, and would continue to tell her stories throughout the performances. Issuing a mandate that everyone’s job that night was to cheer and have fun, everyone was happy to accept their role.
The next group of songs started with “Easy,” which had Wheein walking around the stage singing to those on the floor. As fluid with the rap segments as the vocals, the transitions were seamless. Jumping into “TRASH,” Wheein changed up the vibe from sexy to sassy. As the screen swapped between the highlighted song title, palm trees and rainbows, the floor came alive with her dancers as she made her way through the mist. In the sexier “Bite Me,” Wheein’s comfort as a seasoned performer came through, not only via the vocals, but through the choreography as well. Taking a momentary ment after this set, Wheein’s energy seemed to remain high as shown through her laughter. Lamenting the end of her tour and her need to return to Korea, she noted that at the MAMAMOO tour last year she had promised to return and wanted to acknowledge her promise was kept.Thanking everyone from the bottom of her heart she was soon ready to move into the next trio of songs.
The romantic background of flying butterflies against the background set the stage for “Butterfly.” Not only visually lovely, her voice seemed to soar as and float with the lyrics as “Moo” lightsticks danced in the air. Wheein wasn’t ready to let us touch ground yet as “Paraglide” was next. Working the stage to engage with fans with a video of the sky in the background, she worked her crazy vocals. Switching up the pace with a pretty garden of flowers, the feel good song “Make Me Happy “ did exactly that.
During a VCR depicting a cute blond Wheein getting made up, she had an outfit change going from angelic silver to a sexy black sparkling bodysuit with all dancers in tow. This next segment was going to be hot. Beginning with “Deserve,” the stage was gorgeous and dramatic. The slower rhythmic movements that ebbed with the song flowed into “On The Island.” The group choreography was particularly striking in the latter. Putting the focus back onto just her voice, “Dance 4 U” felt like a sultry night at a cabaret with Wheein singing. With her belts and sultry vibrato, I almost wished that there wasn’t a backtrack, as her voice would’ve carried the song strong solo. “17” brought the beat back, and with dancers in tow, her sexy body rolled effortlessly while she poured herself into the notes of the song.
For the next stage, instead of changing her mic backstage, Wheein stayed onstage to chat while adjusting, stating she wanted to spend more time with everyone there. She bought a hat, ate a lot of food, and went to Times Square to get the type of vibe you can only get in New York. While experiencing this on tour, she realized how thankful she was for being able to perform at so many places. She mentioned her encore concert when in Korea and when a fan yelled out, “Saranghae!,” Wheein responded in kind.
Wheein couldn’t resist a bit of TMI: “The dancers wanted to go for a strong look the other night, and they have strong makeup on tonight. I didn’t want to lose out to my dancers, so I made my makeup even more extreme. Unfortunately there’s no jumbotron for you to see it closely and I have cubics on my nails as well!”
The tour’s theme song, “In The Mood,” began with Wheein and her female dancers dominating the stage. A vibrant country background with saturated greens to the sky contrasted to the vibrancy of the routine as the male dancers began to fold into the party. Sexy was back with “Shhhh.” Flanked by the two male dancers with molton red lights glowing off the stage made the stage as sexy as could be while feeding off the lower registers of her voice. A bit less spice, but just as much flavor, Wheein was still pulling the sexy vibe with “Pastel.” Her every movement was like an answer to each phrase of the song.
After some more words, it was soon the “last” song of the night. With the spotlight on her “Here I Am,” was the final song, her powerful voice hitting our souls. The song was an anthem of being present. With mic in hand, her amazing voice elevated hearts. The explosion of vocals with the heartfelt screams of Moomooos made the energy in the room rise even further. Though the official concert may have ended, any K-Pop fan knows that the encore is a part of the show. Showing a video of Moomoos welcoming her was especially touching. As she returned on stage with tour gear on, the staff came out with a butterfly cake. After the expected group photo with banners, the real final songs, “OHOO,” “Springtime,” “D-Day” and “Wheee” ended the night.
Thank you to Wonderwall, RBW Entertainment, and Wheein herself for allowing us to cover this stop of the tour. We wish her the best on her encore performance and hope that Moomoos will get a chance to see her live again soon.