At KCON Day 1, An Icon and 4th Generation Leaders Take the Stage
Several K-Pop groups made their North American debut at KCON, while Taemin performed for the first time as a soloist.
Taemin onstage at KCON. CJ ENM Global PR
“Wow,” IVE’s Jang Wonyoung said gamely as she greeted a huge crowd in Los Angeles at KCON last Friday night. “It is hot in here.” Appearing as KCON’s MC, Wonyoung set the stage for a night of legendary performances. “This is a night I’ll never forget,” she said, which proved to speak for the entire audience.
On Friday night’s opening day of KCON several popular groups who rarely perform in North America took the stage. SHINee’s Taemin was billed as the show’s headliner, but the night’s stage was stacked with some of the most promising groups in Asian music.
Most notably was WayV, a Chinese boy group who are part of SM Entertainment’s 23-member group NCT. WayV have been in the periphery of K-Pop since their debut in 2019, and they are consistently one of the strongest groups to form from NCT. After a scandal halted the group’s activities for over a year, the members broke off to complete solo endeavors: Ten and YangYang are regular MCs on Dive Studios podcasts, while WinWin has become a prominent actor on dramas in China. But their latest comeback “Phantom”, released in December, signified how underutilized the group is.
WayV making their North American stage debut. CJ ENM Global PR
WayV’s stage was perhaps one of the most exciting events of the night: The group has never performed Stateside, and I never thought I’d be able to attend one of their concerts. The group opened the festival with the KCON signature song, which was a genuine surprise. When the boys returned for “Love Talk”, a song that the group performs entirely in English, they leaned into the racy lyrics with KCONers loudly singing along to “Touch me/ tease me/ feel me up”.
“It was nice to hear you guys sing along with us,” Ten said after their performance as he looked out into the crowd. “KCON is so hot right now,” YangYang added with a smile. “This is our first impression of KCON LA, and we poured everything into our performance and we practiced really hard.”
When the group launched into their most recent comeback “Phantom”, they were electrifying. “Phantom” reminded me how WayV is in many ways an old school boy group. Their songs are more harmony driven than most popular K-Pop groups, and their choreography is usually some of the cleanest in the genre. They’re also extraordinarily hard workers on stage, adding both sensuality and some tension to each performance.
Taeyong and Ten performing “Baby Don’t Stop”. CJ ENM Global PR
Following WayV’s performance, Ten was back onstage, this time with Taeyong, to perform one of the greatest songs from NCT’s discography, “Baby Don’t Stop”. The boys haven’t performed this song in the U.S. since the wild and surreal days of the SuperM tour, and it was a welcome addition to the night’s stages. “Baby Don’t Stop” has only grown as a classic over the years, and as someone who was not able to attend the SuperM tour (I will always regret this), it was incredible to see in person. Taeyong and Ten’s chemistry is what really sells this song: They’re both sensual and cute, deftly interacting with each other and nailing the difficult choreography. The guys even engaged in some fan service, with Ten tickling Taeyong’s chin while Taeyong winked at the camera.
Taeyong performing “Sha La La”. CJ ENM Global PR
When Taeyong returned for his solo stage, the set felt decidedly more hip-hop. Since debuting as a soloist, NCT’s leader has created a unique stage persona as an artist who is edgier and more thought provoking than as NCT’s leader. “Sha La La”, Taeyong’s title track, can be divisive for many listeners. It’s a song that I’m still on the fence about, but Taeyong is clearly seeking references far beyond K-Pop. This was evident in his performance which was darker than any stage that night.
NMIXX ending fairies. CJ ENM Global PR
Oddly, one of the safest stages of the night came from K-Pop’s strangest “Big Three” group, NMIXX Though they debuted with a sound that is either grating or brilliant (depending on your taste), NMIXX has recently shifted towards more of a girl-crush concept. Their music, which was once bombastic, has been sanded down to a sound that is appetizing for everyone. At KCON, the group ditched their frantic debut single “O.O” for their most radio-friendly song, “Love Me Like This”. For many fans, NMIXX’s recent output is the most satisfying but without the group’s most sky-high, euphoric moments, their set felt tame.
IVE also made their North American debut at KCON. CJ ENM Global PR
IVE, a breakout girl group from Starship Entertainment, also made their North American debut at KCON. They opened with a new b-side, the fun and frothy “Kitsch” with many of the members styled in schoolgirl uniforms that were reminiscent of “Love Dive”. That song came next, and was one of my most anticipated stages. “Love Dive” nearly shook the arena live: the song has legs, from Wonyoung’s iconic line “Narcissistic/ My god, I love it” to an absolutely sick dance break, this was a song I had waited to hear in an arena. And IVE can fill up a stage. They are world-class performers. Two members, Wonyoung and Yujin, are graduates of IZ*ONE, the insanely popular project group formed from Mnet’s competition show Produce48. But Liz, Rei, Leeso, and Guael have proven that they are stars themselves. Their choreography is nearly always innovative, but it’s their bombastic, girl-power music that has truly made IVE standout.
SHOWNU X HYUNGWON perform “Love Me. A Little”. CJ ENM Global PR
The group returned once more that night to perform their huge title track “I AM” on KCON’s dream stage, which brought together a large group of fans to dance on stage with the girls. It was a sweet and high-energy moment to see so many diverse fans on stage living out the lyrics with their favorite group.
IVE’s seniors at Starship are Monsta X, a seven member boy group currently on hiatus while several members complete their military service. But the group’s leader Shownu and vocalist Hyungwon just debuted as a subunit (titled SHOWNU X HYUNGWON), and KCON was their first appearance together in America as a unit. Shownu and Hyungwon turned out to be enthusiastic, instantly likable guests, especially as they played a dance challenge game. The boys danced to NewJeans “ASAP”, made a reference to Shownu’s iconic “chest shake” with “Shoot Out” (much to Shownu’s embarrassment), and even tried out Seventeen’s “HOT”.
The guys’ new single “Love Me A Little” was thrilling to see live, but as someone who’s never seen Monsta X before, what I loved most was their performance of “Who Do You Love” from their first English language album. Monsta X is the first K-Pop group to release an album entirely in English, and the song provoked a huge sing-along from the crowd.
Following a successful summer tour, CRAVITY were back on stage. CJ ENM Global PR
The final Starship group to perform at KCON was CRAVITY. The boys just completed a successful summer North American tour, and with the release of new singles like “Groovy” and “Party Rock”, their profile has grown steadily. Unlike IVE, who have become one of the most popular groups in K-Pop, CRAVITY’s success has been harder won. Three years after their debut, the group just won their first music show thanks to “Groovy” and are experiencing some of the best album sales of their career.
On stage at KCON, CRAVITY made a case for why their star deserves to be much brighter. They are charming and talented performers. Allen, a Los Angeles native, was especially grateful to perform for a hometown crowd.
Yet for all of the insane talent on stage, Taemin, the night’s biggest star was the one who warranted the most hype. He’s one of our generation’s greatest performers and seeing him at KCON was a real treat. Taemin has never held a solo performance in the U.S., instead only performing a solo stage at SuperM’s tour. But KCON was a chance for Taemin to prove why he’s overdue for a tour here. Though he only performed three songs, it is almost impossible to put into words what a striking artist he is in person. His brilliant skills as a dancer and his ability to create a scene with no set or props is something that is almost groundbreaking to witness.
Taemin arrives on stage. CJ ENM Global PR
Taemin opened with “Advice”, the fiery title track of his last debut album, released a week before he entered the military. It’s his most confrontational work to date, and one where he wasted no time burning the stage. Following “Advice” was “Criminal”, perhaps the greatest song in Taemin’s catalog. Seeing the choreography for this song was especially surreal for me. “Criminal” was the era when Taemin fully came into his own as an artist, and showed that he is likely one of the best pop stars in the world. But it was “MOVE, his final song, that shocked me the most. Consisting of simple choreography that relied heavily on Taemin’s ability to synergize desire and sexuality, “MOVE” became a transcendent moment.
Taemin’s set was a reminder that K-Pop can be so much more than what we imagine as a safe, highly calculated genre. It can be innovative when an artist dares to experiment with their style or choreography. Most importantly, K-Pop is extraordinarily boundary-pushing when an idol like Taemin is willing to embrace androgyny or danger. At KCON, Taemin proved that K-Pop is morphing into something wilder and weirder than ever before.
