BY DENISE J. MALLABO

The epitome of crazy, sexy, cool, how South Korean performer JESSI wowed her Pinoy Jebbies..

Together with a few friends, I decided to watch American-Korean singer and rapper Jessica Ho, popularly known as Jessi, in her first solo concert ever, which she decided to do here in Manila. It was held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. It was the first time that I’ll watch a concert headlined by a Korean artist and I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. However, from the get-go, I had high hopes that the concert will be great and entertaining because I have seen a few performances of Jessi online, even saw a couple of episodes of her online talk show Showterview with Jessi.

My friends and I arrived at the venue before the show's planned start time of 7 p.m. The show, however, was delayed for an hour because the producers, I believe, opted to wait for other ticket holders to come. It was a Friday night, and it was also payday, so the Philippine traffic was extra horrendous. Honestly, this was the first time I had attended a performance where the start of the show had to be moved owing to this reason. It was odd, in fact, that those who arrived on time were the ones who had to "adapt" to the latecomers. But as the show started, that issue was forgiven (but not forgotten). Jessi was oozing with sex appeal and amusing. Although she had backup dancers, she mostly controlled the stage on her own. She mentioned that it was her first solo concert, that she was nervous, and she kept asking her Pinoy Jebbies if we have her back. We, of course, did.

I haven't gotten into all of Jessi's songs, but it was an experience seeing her perform live for the first time. Apart from her obvious talent, part of her charm was her candidness. Zoom in Manila seemed like a cross between a concert and a fan meet. Jessi would speak to the crowd before and after a performance to tell them about the song, her challenges as a female musician, and how people, like her, should never give up on their aspirations and always be true to themselves. She was dressed in a black leather ensemble with a cloak and stated that she could never wear such clothing in Korea because the locals are so traditional. And she went on to ask if Filipinos are the same, which elicited a resounding "No!" from fans and urging her to simply remove the cloak, which she eventually did.

The concert was one giant party; the music they played, as well as the trippy graphics, reminded me of being at a rave party at times. There was also a touching moment when a video montage of some of Jessi's fans, friends, and family members sent her warm greetings, which caused her to shed a few tears. I also enjoyed the fact that all Filipino dance group, A-Team, performed with Jessi on the show. Overall, Zoom in Manila was enjoyable, and I'm glad Jessi chose to hold her first solo concert in the Philippines, where her Pinoy Jebbies made her feel so welcomed and loved.