By Manolo Gatmaitan

Fresh off his North American tour, the insanely famous 21-year-old singer-songwriter, Shawn Mendes, arrived in Asia. First stop: Seoul, South Korea. 

Performing in front of 15,000 fans, the concert took place at the KSPO Dome at the Olympic Park in Jamsil on Wednesday, September 25 from 8-10 pm. Despite being Mendes’ first time in the country, fans were happy and excited to see him play live. Before the concert started, Shawn hosted a Q&A session for VIP fans, and there was even a translator provided for those who couldn’t ask their questions in English. 

“I was talking to Julia Michaels’s photographer, and she said that this was the best crowd of the tour so far. So I’m expecting to see big things from you guys!” Mendes said, in an interview. During the Q&A, fans asked him questions about his music, high school life, and gave them positive words of advice. When fans asked about his experience in Korea so far, he said, “I think it’s beautiful! I didn’t know there were so many trees here.”. 

There were 18 songs in Shawn’s setlist: Lost In Japan, There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, Nervous, Stitches, Mutual, Bad Reputation, Never Be Alone, Life of the Party, When You’re Ready, Like To Be You, Ruin, Treat You Better, Particular Taste, Where Were You In The Morning?, Fallin’ All In You, Youth, Why, If I Can’t Have You and In My Blood. Interestingly, when he sang If I Can’t Have You, he said, “I’m in Korea, and I got this view.” instead of saying, “I’m in Toronto, and I got this view.” 

Following his 2-hour setlist, he met K-Pop group, Blackpink, backstage and received a platinum plaque. The next morning, Mendes flew to Shanghai and performed at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. He will then play in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday, October 1, at the Impact Arena.