WE might not be able to witness One Direction performing live in KL any time soon, but local events organiser Pop Edge KL managed to make Directioners’ dreams come true with its One Direction Tribute Night listening party!
The Tribute Night, which was referred to as a fan concert, took place on Feb 11 at RUANG, Petaling Jaya, and drew in approximately 300 local fans of One Direction, giving them the opportunity to enjoy their favourite 1D tunes in an intimate setting.
The listening party, organised by Pop Edge KL together with their official media partner Fly FM, sought to replicate the concert-going experience, allowing fans to sing and dance all night to songs by their favourite English-Irish boy band, which consisted of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomplinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik.
The group first rose to fame after its five members met as individual contestants on the reality competition programme The X Factor in 2010.
After releasing five successful albums, the band split up in 2016, and many of their local fans have given up on the idea of seeing them perform live.
But with their unique listening party concept, Pop Edge KL has succeeded in making local Malaysian Directioners’ dreams come true.
One of the founding members of Pop Edge KL, Mohammad Amirul, told theSun that the inspiration for this type of event was derived from their personal experiences as festival and concert goers.
Amirul explained: “As festival and concert goers [ourselves], we [realised we] have to pay a lot for the tickets and – let’s be real – sometimes we can’t afford them.
“On top of that, some of the international artistes we’d like to see performing do not make a stop in our country, so we’re denied the fan-artiste experience.
“As a result, we aimed to create an experience that would be equal to attending such a performance, with a much more [affordable price], as well as to ensure that the international concert experience is accessible to everyone who seeks it.”
(left) Mohammad Amirul, one of Pop Edge KL’s founders.
Prior to the One Direction event, Pop Edge KL had already organised multiple events since July last year, with the first being a listening party with local ARMYs for K-pop supergroup BTS, followed by a celebration of Taylor Swift’s recently released album, Midnights, and BLACKPINK Listening Party for local Blinks.
On the same day as the BLACKPINK Listening Party took place, Pop Edge also hosted an event for fans to reminisce about their childhood with a small event for High School Musical lovers, which took place at The Ark, Hartamas.
The popular success of their past events indicated that many people appreciate the concepts, which was certainly reflected by the support their accomplishments have received.
This encouraged them to kick off 2023 with the One Direction Tribute Night.
Amirul was eager to share what he and his team believe could have a positive effect on today’s youth.
“When we saw the big smiles and happiness radiating from the fans, dancing and singing with so much excitement and enthusiasm (even without their favourite artistes being present), we knew we wanted to continue giving people this opportunity, this space and time to enjoy music whilst being themselves with no judgements whatsoever.
“Essentially [it is] a safe space for everyone to fangirl and go crazy, because where else can you do this, other than your own bedroom? To be in a room full of people who feel the exact same way as you is incredibly comforting.”
The audience at the One Direction Tribute Night were spotted having a good time singing and dancing to their favourite songs, which included Night Changes, Steal My Girl, Drag Me Down, and the iconic What Makes You Beautiful, among others.
Pop Edge KL also made the event more ‘interactive’ by inviting local band Cheesecake to perform covers of One Direction songs, making the entire experience even more memorable for attendees.
Amirul said: “For the One Direction Tribute Night, we felt that ... rather than just playing a video and projecting it on the big screen, [we] wanted to give Directioners a more enhanced experience.”
He added: “We picked Cheesecake, and during the rehearsals, they left us with the greatest first impressions, completely blowing our expectations out of the water.
“They were professional in telling us why they picked the selected One Direction songs [to perform] and we were so happy with the outcome.
“It also helped that they are Directioners as well! Lead singers Tim and Kai were so great at fan interaction and we know from all the big smiles we saw in the videos [taken at the event] how much fun the Directioners had, especially during the last encore song, Best Song Ever.”
Pop Edge has confirmed that they have more events planned for 2023, the first of which is Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, a listening party honouring International Women’s Day, on March 11 at RUANG PJ from 8pm to 11pm, featuring the greatest hits ever performed by female artistes.
For more info, visit their Instagram account @popedgekl or linktr.ee/popedgekl.
