Washington, D.C. saw one of its first warm days of the year on March 25 as spring made its presence known on the East Coast. But the weather wasn’t the only thing getting hot in the city after a long winter. That night, Hwasa, one-fourth of the iconic girl group MAMAMOO, lit up the historic Warner Theatre with a stunning performance on the seventh stop of her HWASA LIVE TOUR [Twits] in North America.
The tour is Hwasa’s first as a soloist and marks her return to the United States after MAMAMOO’s sold-out arena tour in 2023. The show was entertaining and personal, showcasing Hwasa’s style as a solo artist and her inspirations while paying homage to her roots.
Warner Theatre was filled with MooMoos and Twits, MAMAMOO and Hwasa’s respective fanbases, some of whom were carrying Moobongs – aka MAMAMOO’s lightstick. Once the audience was settled in, the house lights went down, and an intro VCR depicting a theater marquee with Hwasa’s name began to play. The visual was accompanied by a jazzy overture, fitting for the venue’s Art Deco architecture. The venue went dark one last time before spotlights illuminated Hwasa dressed in a sparkling silver bodysuit on the center stage. Her commanding energy, power pose, and windswept hair had the audience going wild.
Hwasa kicked off the show with her eponymous song, “HWASA,” a self-love anthem that put her rich vocals on full display. Fans sang out Hwasa’s name without fail during the chorus. Now joined by backup dancers, she continued heating up the venue with “Chili,” a catchy Moombahton song that had fans on their feet.
After a stunning start to the concert, Hwasa took a moment to catch her breath and greet the audience. The venue was so persistent with their cheers and “barking” sounds that Hwasa delayed her introduction by egging on the crowd. Once she was able to speak, she noted that she had been seeing videos of her swearing from previous stops. Hwasa said that she would try to calm down for D.C. but joked, “Who knows what will happen if you guys get me all excited!”
She joked around some more with audience members, but then Hwasa got back into “professional idol” mode to do her “official” ments. “It’s been a while, but I’m finally here. How are you feeling? It’s been a long time coming, so let’s get it!” she said in English.
Hwasa then went on to perform “Somebody!,” her whimsical city pop-inspired collaboration with Loco about the happiness felt during summer. Despite the gentle vibe of the song, Twits danced and cheered, taking Hwasa by surprise.
“Oh Washington, what are we gonna do about all this energy?” she said, motioning for attendees to sit during her ments. Hwasa explained, “Throughout the setlist, we’ll have a bit of ‘tea time.’ You don’t drink tea standing up, do you? I’ll let you know when it’s time.”
Once the crowd was settled in their seats, Hwasa noted that it was time for a vibe shift. “It’s my favorite time of the night,” she said. “I looove sexy. Show me how sexy you all can be!” With practiced ease, she then turned around, looked over her shoulder, and said, “Now…time for some tea.”
Hwasa put her seductive energy on full display with her cover of “Snooze” by SZA. She kept the sultry vibe going with “Lemon,” which featured partner choreography that made the audience wonder if they should be giving Hwasa and her dancer some privacy. She closed off the stage with “Don’t,” which showcased Hwasa’s solo sensuality in red light and highlighted her versatile vocal range.
After leaving the stage for an outfit change, the audience was treated to two VCRs that gave them a glimpse into Hwasa’s personality. The first showed her visiting some of D.C.’s popular tourist spots such as the Lincoln Memorial, searching for a classic American hot dog, and recreating Forrest and Jenny’s reunion scene from Forrest Gump at the National Mall. At one point, Hwasa visited the White House and commented that it felt “apocalyptic” since the White House and the Statue of Liberty are always the first to fall in apocalypse films. The description had the audience cracking up – while Hwasa likely didn’t mean for it to be a political reference, the comment felt timely for a crowd made up of people who live and work in the country’s government region.
The second VCR saw makeup-free Hwasa hosting a “Get Ready with Me” beauty tutorial. To tease the next stage, she tries to do “diva” makeup. After searching online, Hwasa finds many overexaggerated drag-style looks that aren’t quite what she’s looking for. In one funny moment, her googling is briefly interrupted by a Duolingo notification asking her why she isn’t practicing her English for the tour. Finally, she finds a makeup look she likes and attempts to recreate it – but her makeup artists see the result and sit her down to redo it more accurately.
Finally, Hwasa returned to the stage wearing a black one-shoulder bodysuit and subtly sparkly tights. She launched right into a mashup of covers of “Diva” by Beyoncé, “Hung Up” by Madonna, “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez, and “Toxic” by Britney Spears. The crowd danced and sang along to the iconic songs. After the high-energy performance, Hwasa mentioned that each of the artists were people who influenced her growing up. She also noted that fans had nicknamed the mashup, “The Mother Medley.” a nod to the term “mother,” popularized by the Black and Latinx ballroom scene and now widely used to describe iconic women in pop culture.
Hwasa became vulnerable when transitioning into the next chapter of the show. She credited fans for making her dream of being a performer possible and shared how her trip to D.C. was surprisingly calming, revitalizing, and healing. Hwasa talked about the way she is perceived as a performer and what she hoped to show the world.
“Ever since I was young, I dreamed of becoming this tough, gritty woman. I think that is still kind of left in me. Whenever I stand on stage as ‘Hwasa’ I become feral, like, grrr, a tough woman. But just because I show you that, it doesn’t mean it’s that one side,” said Hwasa, introducing the next song. “I think [this next song] really shows this humane side of me, this journey I’ve taken to get to this point. So for now, let me show you this side of Hwasa. For this song, I want to show you how I own my way.”
Hwasa then performed “ROAD,” a stripped-down, guitar and piano-led song about finding one’s path. The crowd solemnly waved their Moobongs and phone flashlights to the ballad, but went back to their previous wild energy immediately after. Rejoined by her dancers, she brought the self-love attitude back with “EGO” and “Kidding.” The addition of the three songs to the North American leg of her tour’s setlist also marked the first time Hwasa performed them live. After Hwasa noted that this change made some Korean fans jealous, the audience did a few “victory” cheers and whistles at their gain.
Following the songs, Hwasa again took the opportunity to connect with fans and share a personal story. She reminisced about a time in middle school when an elderly woman once randomly stopped her on the street and predicted that Hwasa would travel the world when she grew up.
“At the time, I was like, ‘ehhh.’ But now…shit,” she playfully swore in English as she reflected on how the old woman’s prediction had come true. “I think this is one of the reasons why I love music. It goes beyond the language barriers we have and we feel the same things together. I’m always amazed by the awesomeness of these cultures and I really want to work harder. “
Sadly, it was now time for the last stage. But Hwasa smiled cheekily and said in English, “I’m a liar, I love lying! I love deceiving you all.” She emphasized that it was actually the “last stage” but with finger quotes, and asked the audience to “please pretend to be disappointed.”
To prepare the audience for the next song, Hwasa openly shared the feelings that went into writing the track.
“It encapsulates the darkness that I experienced. I realized that once I fall into this pit of depression, I just keep falling through. I was thinking, wow this feels so endless. Why don’t I just try to write a song? By the time I had wrapped up writing, I had become someone who was brighter and filled with hope. As soon as I finished it felt like I was watching the beginning of the sunrise. You know how people try to avoid the sense of heaviness or weight? To me, those are such important times. Because I think those are times we can truly rest and come to realizations. So even if for a brief moment, I want to be the shade for you and give you my shoulder to lean on.”
– Hwasa
Hwasa then sang “LMM,” which stands for “lost my mind,” lit up by the visual of a red and orange sun rising behind her as she rediscovered hope. The rawness of the performance moved listeners and quieted the audience for the first time that night. Wrapping up the stage was “Maria,” which tells the story of Hwasa overcoming her critics and embracing her true self.
After Hwasa and her dancers left the stage, another VCR played, this time showing the hours of practice that went into preparing for the concert. PSY, the star entertainer and founder of Hwasa’s label P Nation, even made an appearance to observe and offer feedback. The end of the video featured a voiceover spoken in English by Hwasa:
“You know, I’ve practiced and performed thousands of times and yet, I still fall or make mistakes. But it’s moments that make performing in front of you all the more exhilarating, as if it’s my first time ever. This right here is my life and this is my everything. I, Hwasa, will always give it my all right here on stage for you. Thank you everyone for coming. You’re the reason I get to be on this stage doing what I love. Thank you to my fans, my Twits. Thank you for making the time to come watch our show tonight. It means the world to me. I love you!” The audience cheered at the heartfelt words. There was a brief pause before she spoke again, “Phew! I’ve always wanted to do a full monologue fluently in English.”
The venue once again went dark for a moment before lighting up as Hwasa could be heard beginning to sing “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga. The audience looked around frantically before realizing that Hwasa herself was making her way down one of the theatre’s side aisles. She greeted as many fans as she could with handshakes, hugs, and selfies before heading back to the stage.
Once onstage, Hwasa and her dancers took things back to her roots with a fun medley of hit MAMAMOO songs like “Décalcomanie,” “Dingga” and “HIP.” She kept the medley fresh with a cover of “Water” by Tyla mixed in, which had the audience going wild.
Hwasa went offstage again after the mini-dance party, but fans didn’t have to wait long for her return. After chants of Hwasa’s name, a “meter” appeared on the stage screen that measured how loud the audience could get. If they could get the orange bar to reach the top, Hwasa would come out again. They succeeded – and potentially broke the sound barrier. Hwasa returned dressed in a modified version of the tour’s official merch styled with a tweed blazer and miniskirt, to perform “NA,” off her latest album, O.
After the song, Hwasa spoke with the audience one last time. She said that she wanted her professional-inspired outfit to reflect D.C.’s fashion, and wondered aloud if this was how tourists thought when they would come to Seoul and wear hanbok. Before going into the last song, Hwasa shared how much she loved D.C.’s warm weather, freshly bloomed cherry blossoms, and the city’s amazing energy.
Hwasa also shared her honest thoughts about her career and her fans. “I never know where I’m going to pop off. I might be ‘too much,’ but truthfully, inside, it’s just love. I think that the whole reason I started this journey as well is because of love. As long as all of you guys are still here, I’ll go until I’m like 80. Or maybe 60 years old? So I’ll keep you in my mind and really work hard to maintain a strong self and continue this journey,” she said.
She brought the cheeky energy back as she introduced the last song. “I love my hair. I love my skirt,” she began. She started to imply that she loved her rear before realizing there was a young person in the audience, but continued. “I love my nails, I love my Twits…I love my body.”
At that, Hwasa launched right into a soulful rendition of “I Love My Body,” with the words displayed in bright marquee letters throughout the performance. Like a classic theatre show, the venue’s red velvet curtains dropped right in front of Hwasa as she waved to the crowd at the end of the performance.
Many thought that was the last of the concert and began to gather their belongings after giving the show a standing ovation. But then a spotlight illuminated the center of the curtain, and background music began to play again, which had the crowd rushing back to their seats. The lights went down, and Hwasa peeked through the curtains as she began a cover of Billie Eilish’s hit song “LUNCH” for a third encore. The curtains raised to reveal her dancers, and the venue turned into a club with colorful lasers and strobe lights. After the mini dance party, Hwasa said her real, final send-off.
Referencing The Truman Show at her curtain call, she told the audience, “I am Hwasa! In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!”
All in all, Hwasa’s first-ever solo concert in Washington, D.C. was a success – so much so that fans were jokingly hoping for a fourth encore. The night gave attendees a full showcase of her dynamic performances and fiery personality. And when Hwasa returns, D.C. fans will eagerly welcome her back with open arms.