Taeyeon Returns to Manila for ‘The TENSE’ Concert

Korean pop artist Taeyeon made her return to the Philippine stage with “The TENSE” concert at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, March 29.

Performing a 25-song setlist, the Girls’ Generation leader and solo singer delivered a mix of tracks from across her career. Songs like “Fabulous,” “I,” “Letter to Myself,” “Blue Eyes,” “Make Me Love You,” “Heaven,” “Hot Mess,” “Cold as Hell,” “INVU,” “My Tragedy,” “Melt Away,” “To. X,” “What Do I Call You” and “Weekend” were met with loud cheers from fans. Filipino SONEs also sang along to older songs including “Four Seasons,” “Disaster” and “Time Lapse.”

One of the highlights of the night was her interaction with fans. When the crowd began chanting “beshie,” Taeyeon responded, “Beshie? I remember!” Later, she told them, “Beshie tayo forever. Beshie, beshie. We’re beshie.” She also thanked them in Filipino, saying, “Salamat po! Masaya ako.”

She performed a medley of her more upbeat songs—“Weekend,” “Stress” and “Baram X 3”—and said the audience’s energy made the night feel like a dream. Before wrapping up, she shared, “I think I’ll have such a good, good memory about Manila even more.”

Taeyeon ended her Manila stop with “Curtain Call” and “U R,” which earned her a standing ovation. During the encore, she thanked fans for their support over the years. “In my memory, actually this is one of the places with the best cheers,” she said. “From the very beginning, I really want to say thank you so much for joining me with loud cheers.”

The TENSE tour marks the 10th anniversary of Taeyeon’s solo debut. In one of her recent YouTube vlogs, she explained the meaning behind the tour’s name. “In terms of meaning [of] The TENSE, I think this would be more meaningful as it’s the 10th anniversary too. Feels it’d be more symbolic too. And if we have this as concept too, it’s a bit of a wide spectrum of a concept,” she said.

The tour kicked off in Seoul on March 7 and continued to Taipei on March 16. After Manila, Taeyeon is scheduled to perform at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta on April 12, The Venetian Arena in Macau on April 26, Singapore Indoor Stadium on May 3 and 4, Impact Arena in Bangkok on May 31 and June 1, and AsiaWorld-Arena in Hong Kong on June 7, 2025.

Taeyeon last performed in the Philippines in July 2023 for “The Odd of Love” concert held at the Araneta Coliseum. She first gained fame in 2007 as a member of Girls’ Generation and later launched her solo career in 2015 with tracks like “11:11” and “Fine.”

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