Billie Eilish back in Seoul after 4 years for one-day concert

American pop star Billie Eilish returned to Seoul for a one-day concert on Monday, her second concert in Korea since the first four years ago.

The event took place at 8 p.m. at Gocheok Sky Dome on Korean Liberation Day, a holiday that commemorates Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule 77 years ago. In 2018, she held the concert on the same day, Aug. 15, at the 2,000-seat Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul.

The show was part of Eilish’s world tour for her second full-length album, “Happier Than Ever,” released in May last year. The singer-songwriter originally planned to hold a show in 2020 but canceled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tickets for the concert venue, the largest capacity stadium in the country with room for around 25,000 attendees, were sold out in 20 minutes, according to the concert’s organizer Hyundai Card.

Her world tour, which includes stops in North America and Europe, also sold out just hours after tickets went on sale last year.

The 20-year-old musician plans to donate part of the proceeds from the ticket sales -- $1 per ticket -- to the nonprofit environmental group Reverb as part of efforts to contribute to global climate change action.

Eilish showcased various hit songs, including tracks featured in “Happier Than Ever” onstage in front of tens of thousands of local fans.

Making her debut in 2016 with her first single “Ocean Eyes,” Eilish is known for her delicate, wispy voice and eerily dark self-directed music videos.

Her first studio album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” debuted atop the Billboard 200 in 2019, as well as on the UK Albums Chart. 

At the 2020 Grammy Awards, Eilish became the first solo artist to win the four major honors, and also the first woman to achieve the feat. She was also the youngest solo performer in Grammy history to ever win album of the year.

Meanwhile, it was the first time in nearly three years for Hyundai Card to invite global musicians to the country, followed by Queen’s show in January 2020. The organizer has hosted various big-name artists including Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)