K-Pop sensation Exo drew UAE fans to the foot of Burj Khalifa to view the Dubai Fountain dance to their hit song Power, followed by a light and sound display on the facade of the world’s tallest tower on Saturday nigth.
The record-breaking South Korean boy band has been taking Dubai by storm ever since their song Power was added to the list of melodies of the Dubai Fountain in January 2018. The LED show was organised by a group of Exo enthusiasts who’ve been planning this project since then. It was scheduled to match with the second day of Exo’s three-day encore concert and fourth world tour, Exo Planet #4-The Elyxion, that took place in Seoul.
And here it is, the moment #Exo fans have been waiting for: their idols projected on the @BurjKhalifa. #ExoLs pic.twitter.com/wnytecY3ix
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) July 14, 2018
While the band was not in attendance, hundreds of fans, who call themselves Exo-Love or Exo-Ls from all over the UAE gathered around the Burj Khalifa hours before the schedule in the humid weather, waiting excitedly for the show to start.
Happening now: #UAE #EXO fans showing off their dance moves ahead of the @BurjKhalifa show in honor of the #KPop band tonight. pic.twitter.com/9pjD7f2BDS
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) July 14, 2018
Clarisse, a 24-year-old fan from the Philippines, said that she had been “looking forward to this, ever since the news had been released”.
Esraa Samhi, 17, another fan, couldn’t wait for the show to start and said she was extremely proud of all the members of the band.
And the #Exo craze begins at the foot of the @BurjKhalifa which will play a special video of the #KPop band @weareoneEXO tonight. pic.twitter.com/GU4m8DYHjt
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) July 14, 2018
The Dubai fountain amped up the fervour with a the song Power once again, leaving the fans impatiently staring at the Burj Khalifa. The show started exactly at 8.10pm as fans cheered frantically, chanting the phrase, “We are one” in a chorus. The three-minute light and sound show cast all the members — Lay, Xiumin, Suho, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, Do Kyung-soo, Kai and Sehun — one by one. It ended with a final display of the band’s hexagonal logo, along with an image of the entire band together. The crowd kept on chanting ‘Exo’ even after the show came to an end, the Dubai heat not dampening their enthusiasm.
Fans Hoor and Mohisha said they have been following Exo ever since their debut in 2012. “They all work so hard and they dance beautifully, their music is so catchy which is why I love them,” Hoor exclaimed cheerfully.
UAE fans of #Exo are here all set for the #ExoPlanet show at the @BurjKhalifa. pic.twitter.com/SYuNJpbcKW
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) July 14, 2018
David, another 17-year-old fan, made it to the venue all the way from Sharjah.
“Exo is targeting a wider range of audiences and continuously experimenting with different music which manages to reach everyone. This gesture is the best way to bring K-Pop to the mainstream audience,” he said.
Following their January appearance, Exo returned to the Dubai in April for a concert at the Autism Rocks Arena, as part of SMTown Live World Tour VI along with fellow artists Girls’ Generation, Kangta, Red velvet, Shinee and others.
K-Pop or Korean pop, has one of the largest fan-following in the world, with more than 4 million fans.
— Pavneet Kaur is an intern at Gulf News.
