YouTube Singing Sensation David Choi Returns to Jakarta

Katrin Figge

Last year in June, something unusual occurred at eX Plaza in Central Jakarta: As a casually dressed young man made his way through the mall to the record store across from the Hard Rock Cafe, seemingly out of nowhere, screaming teenage girls showed up, following closely on his heels.

The incident raised the eyebrows of many adult mall-goers. Little did they know that the young man was Korean-American singer and YouTube sensation David Choi, who held a meet-and-greet session with fans before playing shows at the Hard Rock Cafe the next two days.

Choi may not look like a typical superstar, but then again, this might be exactly why his young fans adore him so much.

After his sold-out shows last year, Choi will return to Indonesia on Monday to play yet another concert at the Hard Rock Cafe. The show is part of his tour of Asia and Australia, which will also take him to the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.

The 26-year-old Choi is a California native who grew up in a house filled with music — mostly classical and jazz. He worked as a songwriter before making a big splash in 2006 with his feel-good number “YouTube (A Love Song),” which earned him a huge online following.

The rest is YouTube history. His debut album “Only You” was released in 2008, followed by “By My Side” in 2010.

The fame has not been easy on the shy and soft-spoken Choi, as he revealed in an interview with online OA (The Other Asians) Magazine last year.

“I sing my best when I’m in my car by myself. I think that’s the same for everybody,” he said. “When I do my shows, I’m honestly not singing my best. I’m too shy to release that much. I feel nervous.”

But it hasn’t stopped Choi from continuing to make music. His third and latest studio album, “Forever and Ever,” was released in October.

“I try to find the good things about performing,” Choi said. “Sometimes people are touched. Hopefully they’ll learn something, go away a better person.”

After his show on Monday, Choi will hold another meet-and-greet at 7 p.m. If you are planning to visit eX Plaza around that time, prepare yourself for more screams.