eaJ Asia Tour 2022
Gateway Theatre
8 December 2022
SINGAPORE — Argentine-born Jae Park stopped by Singapore for a concert on 8 Dec. Held at Gateway Theatre, it was his first solo concert here.
Park was previously from a pop rock band Day6, signed under JYP Entertainment. The five-piece band, at that time, played a show at The Star Theatre back in 2019.
But Park now goes by his new stage name eaJ. For the 30 year-old singer-songwriter, this moniker represents a renewed identity after his departure from the group.
eaJ only has two official tracks released. But he managed to pack an hour worth of songs into his setlist.
Here are four highlights from his first solo show where fans rediscovered eaJ as a singer and a human.
1 – eaJ’s sonic output
eaJ has only officially released two songs on Spotify, Car Crash (2022) and typical story (2022). The rest of his unreleased tracks also feature a mix of distinct synth-pop and strings-inspired elements.
Somehow or rather, eaJ has found his signature sound that he can call uniquely his.
2- eaJ’s stable vocals
eaJ held his high notes so well that singing beside a professional choral singer would not pose much difficulty. He ran, and jumped on stage during the one hour performance, each time successfully hitting the high notes in his songs masterfully!
After all, he was the former vocalist of his band Day6. And he lived up to his reputation, having emerged one of the final six contestants in the first season of the singing competition television series K-pop Star.
3 – eaJ’s energy on stage that never seems to run out
The stage never felt empty throughout the whole hour of performance despite having no live band, no dancers, no additional props with him on stage.
Watching eaJ’s performance on stage makes one wonder where this singer gets his energy from. Right from the moment eaJ stepped out on stage, there was no one moment where there was silence. Perhaps except that one time he was sipping water in the middle of the set.
4 – eaJ’s confession about his mental health journey
“I’m taking my hat off to show you guys respect,” eaJ said, in a move to honour his local fans. He also went on his knees to do a deep bow, or keunjeol in Korean. He explains that this is a traditional Korean gesture he learnt, but has not got to use it much.
“I want to thank you guys so much. I’m really appreciative,” he thanked his fans, his source of strength that stuck by him even during his dark period of his life.
