BoA to perform at Chinese music festival amid retirement rumors, gains support from fans

“Star of Asia” singer BoA is set to perform at a Chinese music festival, drawing attention after her recent remarks hinting at retirement, which caused concern among fans.

According to Star News on the 18th, BoA will appear at the “2024 TMEA 5th Tencent Music Entertainment Awards” (5th TMEA 2024), held at the Macau Galaxy Arena from July 19 to 21.

The “5th TMEA 2024” is a music festival and awards ceremony organized by Tencent Music Entertainment, China’s largest music platform. The lineup includes K-pop stars such as Epik High, ZeroBaseOne, NMIXX, NCT Wish, ILLIT, and BABYMONSTER. BoA, who has led the Hallyu wave since her debut, will stand alongside these artists.

In the first half of this year, BoA showcased her versatility as a multi-entertainer, balancing acting and music activities. She took on a dramatic transformation as a fierce villain in the tvN drama “Divorce Attorney Shin,” which ended on February 20. She also demonstrated her production skills as the producer of NCT Wish, who officially debuted on February 21. BoA continued her music career, releasing a new single “Emptiness” on March 26.

However, in early April, BoA raised concerns among fans by hinting at retirement due to the stress caused by malicious comments on her personal social media account. She wrote, “Can I retire when my contract ends?” adding, “My contract runs until December 31, 2025. Until then, I will do my best as a singer BoA and be truly happy.”

Subsequently, SM Entertainment, her agency, stated, “The defamatory acts have reached a level that is unbearable for one person to handle,” and hinted at legal action, saying, “We have been collecting concrete examples of malicious acts, including false information, defamation, appearance insults, and sexual harassment against BoA.”

Fans have expressed warm support, hoping BoA’s retirement hint was just a fleeting thought. Fortunately, BoA met her fans on April 21 at the “UTO FEST 2024 in Fukuoka” in Japan.

On May 14, she also announced via social live stream that she would hold a concert in Korea in October.