Article: The New Paper – Fans go crazy at 2NE1’s surprise pre-concert showcase

It was a bridge-shaking event for thousands of K-pop fans Friday.

When they turned up at Read Bridge at Clarke Quay – some of them hours in advance – they weren’t sure of what to expect.

For a while, it looked like it might just be some images of girl group 2NE1.

Then the sexy singers appeared in the flesh and the fans went delirious.

As part of SingTel’s new initiative to bring “unexpected joy” to its customers, it had been dropping hints on social media for the past week that an immensely popular K-pop act was due to turn up at the Read Bridge for a showcase at 7.30pm.

For 2NE1 fans, it was a stellar surprise as the girl group was due here only on Dec 1 for their first full-length concert.

Among the fans were two best friends, Miss Anne Lee and Ms Celeste Goh, who had taken leave from work.

Said Miss Lee, 25, a marketing manager: “I was telling Celeste that my hunch was very strong that it was 2NE1. There was no particular reason for it, perhaps I just wished it into reality.

“It was difficult for us to get leave at the last minute, but we managed and it was all worth it.

“The rationale was that this was free so all we would waste was just a day’s leave.

“I still couldn’t believe it when I saw the girls appear onstage. Goodness, we were so near them!”

The sexy quartet – on their third visit to Singapore – went onstage punctually, thrilling the 2,000-strong crowd.

As the bridge could accommodate only 600 people, many of the fans lined the footpaths nearby, but they screamed their heads off anyway.

To tease the audience, a hologram of CL, Bom, Dara and Minzy, aged 18 to 28, singing and dancing was projected on the stage before the girls arrived.

Some fans admitted that they thought the jiving apparitions were all they were going to get.

It was only when flashes of blonde, black, purple and orange hair were spotted that pandemonium broke out.

Constant shouts of “Oh my god!” rang out into the night as the crowd reacted in disbelief at the start of the half-hour showcase.

Said group leader CL, who blew kisses to her adoring audience: “We’re so surprised that so many of you turned up. Thank you, we love you so much.

“We love to represent girl power and be (the gold standard) for independent women.”

The most lusty screams were reserved for Dara and Bom, with the latter pulling out all the stops as she worked her curvaceous physique.

Sweat poured down Dara’s face. She must have regretted wearing long pants in the humid weather.

But the Korean beauty looked ravishing anyway as she carefully wiped the perspiration off her flawless complexion with her hand time and time again.

In the audience, fans were also sweating through their shirts as there was no room to move on the packed bridge.

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