Insooni's "Let Everyone Shine" Opening Ceremony Performance Was Missing One Very Important Thing

Friday, Feb. 9 marks the official opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics. After all of the hype and trying to figure out what exactly the rules to curling are, the time has come to get the games underway. Before all the fierce competition, though, you have to see the opening ceremony in PyeongChang because not only is it a time for all of the competing nations to come together as an Olympic community, but there are also some killer performances that you absolutely must see. If you only have time to catch one, you don't want to miss Insooni's "Let Everyone Shine" performance — even though Insooni wasn't there to sing the song.

Prior to the start of the 2018 Winter Olympics, "Let Everyone Shine" was chosen as the slogan of the Olympic Relay, which began in November 2017, according to the official Olympics website. The reasoning behind the decision was simple: It's about sparking dreams and passion opening up new horizons for all. To celebrate the end of the Olympic Torch Relay and the beginning of the Olympic Games, Korean R&B singer, Insooni, performed an inspiring rendition of the song during the final Torch Relay at the opening ceremony on Friday, Feb. 9. Seriously, get ready for all the feels once you watch it.

Even though Insooni didn't perform IRL, the performance showed off the very best parts of the upcoming games and of the host country, all to the tune of "Let Everyone Shine."

The message was incredibly important.

The Torch Relay began on Nov. 1, 2017, and it was a 101-day journey through 17 cities and provinces across the Republic of Korea before the Olympic cauldron was lit at the opening ceremony on Feb. 9, 2018. Before that Olympic journey began, Insooni gave a rousing performance of the "Let Everyone Shine" back in July 2017 to celebrate the 200-days-to-go milestone. While those days have flown by and the Games are now here, the sentiment behind the Olympic Torch Relay slogan remains.

As previously stated, "Let Everyone Shine" was chosen as the Relay slogan because it so strongly evokes the Olympics. The song speaks to the messages of igniting passion inside of everyone with lyrics (which have been translated from Korean to English) like:

All of us gathered here, share one dream

It is the moment to rise again, and follow the flame

With a shining dream deep inside of you

Together we can move forward one step at a time

When all our dreams come together

And shine as one bright flame

Let everyone shine

Let everyone shine and shine

Lighting up every corner of the world

The honor of performing this special song is not lost on Insooni. The "Korean R&B diva" commented on the honor when she first performed "Let Everyone Shine" back in July. She exclaimed, “I am honored to sing this very special song at the 200-days-to-go celebration and to be an ambassador for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang." Furthermore, Insooni highlighted the importance of the this musical Olympic connection. She explained,

Music has the power to connect people, just like sport does. This is a special moment where the two have come together, and we can all celebrate this exciting time for Korea and look forward to an amazing event in 200 days’ time.

Insooni certainly brought the inspiration needed to kick off the 2018 Winter Olympics during the opening ceremony, but she was not the only musical act to get things going. The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony also featured performances by Ahn Ji-young (of K-Pop favorite Bolbbalgan4) and Ha Hyun Woo (of indie rock band Guckkasten) to get this quadrennial winter sports extravaganza off and running.

Even if you weren't fully pumped for the Winter Olympics before Friday, there's nothing like a little ceremonial pomp and circumstance to really get your blood pumping for this awesome weeks-long competition featuring some of the best athletes from around the world. Plus, the encouragement to "Let Everyone Shine" is bound to produce some of the fiercest competition, so let the Games begin!