Julia Peng sang hit songs like Living Room Dreaming, Darling, Old Dream, and Knock 'Em Dead as fans in the crowd cheered “se moi ie an jiang”, or “she looks stunning”, in Hakka. As soon as Ella Chen stepped on stage, she greeted concertgoers enthusiastically in Hakka, saying that performing in KMC felt like coming home! She exhilarated the audience with Like Boom Boom, who shook the floor in dance, glad to join the occasion.
Sheng-Xiang & Band performed a series of songs written for their homeland, such as Mother Mound, I-Village, and Mien Ban Tiau, lauding Hakka traditional architecture, flavors, and memories. During the intermission, Lin Sheng-xiang introduced the differences between northern and southern Hakka flat rice noodles, or ban tiau, and suggested that everyone should drop by Meinong and enjoy a bowl of mien ban tiau before heading home. Additionally, Joanna Wang mesmerized melophiles with her soft, soothing voice, delivering First Line Of The Poem—part of the soundtrack for Hakka TV show Gold Leaf—and You're Breaking My Heart. She also shared her childhood experience of listening to her great grandmother, grandmother, and father talking in Hakka, yet she herself only knew a few words. She expressed joy at being able to learn Hakka through songs.
J Hall, the youngest kids’ rock band with average age of 12, opened the show. Together with the impressive lineup of children’s choir Natus Cantorum Jr., they performed Hakka song Wind on Cha-ding Mountain, causing the audience to break into applause. Ozone, boy band of the moment, took over the stage at the intermission and didn’t disappoint. They blasted the stage with their extraordinary dancing and singing skills, adapting World Top into Hakka as an homage to Hakka culture. They also revealed that this was the first time they tried their hand at singing in Hakka. Despite the challenge, they expressed gratitude to Wing Lo, who mentored them and enabled them to complete the show with excellent pronunciation.
“Home Return” is KPM’s first large event centered on Mandarin and Hakka music. Producer and Golden Melody awardee Wing Lo chose the theme of “Home Return” and spared no effort to invite artists who’d convey the nostalgic emotions of urban migrants, awakening the heart’s purest feelings.
