366: One Story Per Day (2024)

Day 97 - From Author, To Artist

     This is the first story in this book told from the author's perspective.

     Hey, that's me.

     I have attended mall shows and small gigs from known and underground artists alike, but tonight marks the first time I went to a concert.

     Saturday afternoon, the time was three in the afternoon. I just left my three-hour Japanese class and rode a bus to the city. The trip was an hour and a half long. I reached the venue at around thirty minutes past four. I was not familiar with the place, but somehow, I managed to locate the concert venue using, I don't know... heart?

     I stood outside the venue. I have balcony tickets. They opened the doors for VIP ticket holders for their photoshoot sessions. I got jealous that they had the chance to meet the artists, but hey, I'm still lucky I got concert tickets!

     But first, who are these artists?

     KAIA is a five-member girl group from the Philippines. During their pre-debut days, I quickly became a ZAIA (KAIA's fandom name). They officially debuted on April 8, 2022, and released five songs in total (plus remixes).

     I could not attend their 1st Fan Concert last November because of school-related stuff. When they announced a second one that coincides with their 2nd Anniversary, I told myself "You should be there!"

     And I was there.

     I got excited when the doors opened for other ticket holders. It was already thirty minutes past six. I stood outside the concert hall for hours. I looked at the hundreds, if not thousands, of people there with me. They all look excited and happy. Most of them came in groups. I was there on my own. I wanted to interact with them, but I was too shy.

     The moment I stepped inside the concert hall, I got chills. The stage felt like it was within reach. They are going for a university-themed concert. Some attendees even wore their uniforms. I (technically) wore my school outfit since I went straight to the venue after class.

     The instrumental for their first song begins. I got chills. I was waiting for them to come out of the stage, but they were down there! Behind the audiences in the VIP section. I froze when I first saw them. I wasn't even able to grab my phone and record.

     I chose not to record anything from the concert. I want to enjoy my first concert looking at them, not through the lenses of my phone's camera.

     I am not going to talk about the specifics of what happened during the concert, but it was a rollercoaster ride. KAIA and ZAIA sang, laughed, danced, and even cried together when they read some of our handwritten letters to them.

     It was a great experience.

     They also performed a new song. A year has passed since they released one, and I can't wait for April 12 to arrive sooner.

     I am looking forward to watching them perform live again. I will treasure every moment from tonight's concert experience.

     I just realized that I've been talking a lot about them already, but thank you for reading this. We'll be back to our regular scheduled programming tomorrow.

     Give KAIA a chance. Listen to their songs on your preferred music platform.