KUALA LUMPUR: Sabahan dancer Isaac Voo received thunderous cheers when he and his K-Pop group IN2IT greeted more than a thousand fans at Pavilion KL yesterday.
The 23-year-old made the country proud last year by being the first Malaysian to debut in a K-Pop group, a feat he achieved through the reality competition Boys24.
He was one of the 5,500 applicants who had auditioned in 2016, and had made it through the first round where less than 30 hopefuls were selected to join the programme.
After 18 months of intense training and 260 show performances held, Voo and seven South Korean contestants were finally chosen to debut as IN2IT.
The boy group who made its debut in October last year, is currently in town to perform at a showcase at PJ Live Arts in Petaling Jaya, tonight.
"It's a dream come true for me to come back and perform in front of so many people in my own home country," said Voo at a Press conference.
"This proud moment is made even more special since my fellow group members are here with me today,” he said.
Having started dancing at the age of 17, Voo pursued his dreams of being a K-Pop star by moving to South Korea.
He has also auditioned to become the 10th member of the K-Pop group AlphaBAT in 2014 but didn’t make it.
"Those who have a similar ambition as mine, never give up! If you're scared of failure, just try it anyway. Make an effort, at least. If you do fail, it's natural to feel sad but remember that it's only the beginning.
"Keep improving on your Korean, dancing and singing and I'm sure there will be a new K-Pop idol to come from Malaysia soon," said Voo.
He also said that despite having learned Korean before going to South Korea, the language barrier was still harsh on him.
"I suffered for about two months but thankfully my Korean members had helped me a lot in mastering the language," he said.
"My advice to those who wish to learn Korean fast is to practise by conversing with the locals. You'll be fluent in no time,” said the Kota Kinabalu-born act.
Besides Voo, IN2IT comprises Yoo Ji-ahn, Jung Yeon-tae, Hwang In-ho, Han Hyun-uk, Lee In-pyo, Kim Jin-sub and Kim Sung-hyun.
Having released their debut EP Carpe Diem last year, the boys are currently working on their second album.
"We look forward to visiting Malaysia again and seeing all of you. Maybe we can also visit Isaac's hometown in Kota Kinabalu," said Jung.
Those who wish to attend the IN2IT Asia Showcase Tour “Carpe Diem” tonight can still do so. Tickets are priced at RM488 each and sold via www.airasiaredtix.com.