EXO’s Chen, Lyn make K-drama fans fall in love again at first KOSTCon in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — “Descendants of the Sun,” “Secret Garden” and “Business Proposal” have long finished airing on TV, but a few notes from the beautiful voices of Lyn, Kim Bum-soo and EXO’s Chen bring back feelings of love, angst and heartache — especially when sung live in front of K-drama fans.

K-dramas come with soundtracks that set the mood for crucial scenes or plot points that move the story forward. While music scoring is not new, K-dramas are particularly noted for the songs and music featured in them. Some are even recorded by K-pop groups or members of a popular group, such as EXO’s Chen.

South Koreans have mastered and banked on the popularity of OSTs, catapulting not just the shows’ actors, but also the voices behind the most popular songs associated with K-dramas.

This symbiosis between Korean dramas and their OST singers is a hallmark of the Hallyu (Korean) wave.

The singers may hide behind their heavenly voices, singing in a language that is mostly foreign to global audiences, but they are known for one simple reason: they sang the song that scored the meet-cute moment or the breakup scene in a drama.

1st KOSTCon brings the voices to life

Some of the featured singers at last Wednesday night’s 1st KOSTCon, held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, perfectly illustrated this phenomenon.

The silence in the first few minutes of their introduction to mostly Filipino K-drama fans gradually became a harmony of hums and singing once they started performing their “signature” songs.

Who could forget the saccharine first notes of “Sweet” from “Business Proposal” or the melancholic melody of “Rain and You” from “Hospital Playlist”? Definitely not K-drama fans — even if some of them might not know the singer, Lee Mujin.

Mujin, who went first in a lineup of singers that serenaded the MoA Arena crowd from 8 p.m. to near midnight, even quipped that his songs are more popular than him.

Familiar voices, familiar scenes

It was the same case for Soyou, who sang a couple of ballads including “I Miss You” from the hugely popular fantasy romance “Goblin,” and K.Will, the voice behind the “Descendants of the Sun” hit “Talk Love.”

“Descendants of the Sun,” starring two of South Korea’s most bankable stars, Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, remained a favorite repertoire last night.

It continues to be a huge draw for Filipinos, as several artists featured at the event were part of its soundtrack album.

Chen brought the house down when he sang “Everytime,” the song commonly associated with the romance drama about a soldier and a doctor. He originally recorded it with Punch.

Apart from it, Chen showcased his vocal prowess as one of the vocalists of the popular K-pop group EXO when he performed “Best Luck” from the 2014 drama “It’s Okay, That’s Love,” which starred Jo In-sung and Gong Hyo-jin.

Veterans of the genre

Kim Bum-soo and Lyn are arguably most popular among fans who have been watching Korean dramas for more than a decade.

As the last two performers of the night, the two singers showed how vocal prowess can be subdued to render soulful songs that add more heart to dramatic moments.

Kim, performing for the first time in the Philippines, sang a couple of songs. He has been lending his voice to K-dramas since the mid-2000s, performing “Appear” from the 2010 body-swap drama “Secret Garden,” starring Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won, and the iconic “Stairway to Heaven” theme “Bogoshipda” from the 2003 drama.

Lyn, as the finale, did not disappoint the remaining K-drama fans who had been waiting to hear her perform the OSTs of some of their favorites.

She sang three of her most popular OST songs: “Love Story” from “Legend of the Blue Sea,” “With You” from “Descendants of the Sun,” and arguably her most famous, “My Destiny” from “My Love From the Star.”

A night to remember. The 1st KOSTCon was undeniably a treat for any K-drama fan. Nothing beats hearing their favorite OSTs live and reliving the rollercoaster of emotions they felt years after their favorite dramas ended.

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