Since their debut last March, hip hop trio One Way has been acclaimed as a “fresh breath of air” in the music industry, noted for their eclectic inspirations and unique sound. This weekend, Chance, Peter and Young Sky got to meet their fans in America for the first time with their live performance in New Jersey at Rutgers University KSA’s annual show, “Project Korea 4″!
When it comes to throwing cultural events, Rutgers Korean Student Association (KSA) knows how to deliver — after a sold-out show featuring Jay Park and a musical rendition of popular drama Goong in 2010, “Project Korea” stepped it up this year with a triple threat line-up of events for the evening: first, the finals of “Superstar KSA” (a spin-off of Mnet’s singing competition Superstar K); second, a full musical performance of popular drama “Hong Gil Dong”; and finally, a live performance by none other than One Way.
Although One Way was the headliner of the show, the two-hour event was jam-packed from the first minute. The Rutgers Superstar KSA has gained attention across campus as contestants fulfilled a new challenge each week (ie. kpop, write an original song etc) with eliminations each round. The Rutgers edition finally came to a conclusion as the two finalists, Sarah Lee and Janice Kim, faced off by opening the show by each performing original tracks by @FortLeeMusic. As people began texting in their votes for the winner of the competition, the lights dimmed again as the show transitioned to its second feature of the night.
For those that aren’t familiar with the classic story, Hong Gil Dong, which was revived with a 2008 drama, is an old tale from the 16th century loosely hailed as Korea’s version of Robin Hood: a hero who steals from nobles in order to give to the poor. Per tradition, Project Korea delivered a comedic, rehashed version of the story, consisting of live stage performances and filmed parts that were broadcast on large screens.
As the play came to a heartfelt close, Dave Yoon, a student artist who had competed on MBC Star Audition and has received offers from Sony Music Japan, CUBE and Mnet, performed a few acoustic tracks, ranging from mainstream Top 40 tracks to Secret Garden’s “Here I Am.” Pairing his guitar tunes with a drum accompaniment, Yoon charmed the audience with his soothing vocals and warm personality. It was then revealed that the audience had voted Janice as the Superstar KSA winner, proceeded by a modified performance of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” as a bonus.
Finally, the restless buzz came to a roar as the curtain raised and the members of One Way stepped into the bright stage lights. As energy began to practically pulsate through the audience, the trio turned up their swag and kicked off with their self-titled track “One Way” as the audience cheered along. As the song neared its end, the beat switched and sped up for an English cover of 50 Cent’s “Baby by Me.” With another seamless transition, Chance, Peter & Young Sky returned to their familiar R&B beats for “Wrong Number.”
After briefly introducing themselves, Chance, Peter & Young Sky took a seat and drew more tracks out of their album “Rainy Days,” performing “U Drag” then the ever-soothing “Rainy Days,” a crowd favorite. Giving a nod to fellow Korean artist Taeyang, the trio then harmonized a cover of “Look Only At Me,” which has earned nearly 200,000 views on Youtube. As fog began to pour out of the stage wings, One Way talked about their similarities to senior group SOLID, paying a tribute to the old school R&B group with a cover of “Holding On to the End of the Night (이밤의 끝을 잡고).” Finally, One Way wrapped up with their breakthrough single, “Magic,” amid a cheering crowd as the energetic beat and vocals thrummed through the speaker system.
Check out a montage of One Way’s performances below:
Videography & Editing: Matt Marasigan
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