STAR POWER

The music videos of pop stars, such as Jin and Coldplay, help boost Singapore as a tourist destination

- Eddino Abdul Hadi

A day after BTS member Jin released the shot-in-Singapore music video for his single Don't Say You Love Me on May 16, local content creator Syafiqa Noor uploaded her social media reel recreating the scenes filmed at National Gallery Singapore (NGS)."Kim Seok-jin was here," the SGAG comedienne raves multiple times in the viral clip, referencing the South Korean singer's full name as she excitedly points out the building's various spots featured in his MV.

Showcasing eight landmarks and hidden gems in Singapore — such as Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer and Goldhill Plaza — it is a collaboration between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and K-pop boy band BTS' South Korean music label and entertainment company BigHit Music. The video has 17 million views on YouTube.

Syafiqa had planned to visit NGS with friends to see the City Of Others: Asian Artists In Paris, 1920s-1940s exhibition, and it turned out to be a fortunate coincidence that they were also able to film their reel.

The 28-year-old tells The Straits Times: "I was pleasantly surprised to see the familiar sights in a global music video."

Ms Fiona Goh, another Singaporean BTS fan, plans to visit the museum and check out the sites Jin was at. To her, the K-pop star featuring Singapore in his MV gives her a sense of pride and makes her feel more connected to him.

The 46-year-old bank manager adds: "I love how the MV blends the historical and modern parts of Singapore. The scene at the Goldhill Plaza rooftop with the vintage car is particularly captivating. It gives the impression that Jin is just like one of us, rather than someone untouchable."

Don't Say You Love Me's MV also led to a surge in NGS' social media engagement and content shared by fans visiting the spaces featured. On Instagram, for example, the post on Jin received about 148 times more likes and 56 times more views in comparison with other posts in the same month of May.