Wonyoung, Rain and Bang Chan Set as MCs for KCON LA Concert Series (EXCLUSIVE)
Wonyoung from IVE will MC the Friday night first concert at this year’s K-pop convention KCON LA in Los Angeles on Aug. 18. Veteran performer Rain will host the Saturday performances, while Bang Chan from Stray Kids will introduce a third and final night of performances.
Following the day-time activities on the floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center, the concerts will include 20 Korean music acts spread over three nights.
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The Friday concert will feature Cravity, IVE, NMIXX, Shownu x Hhungwon (Monsta X), Taemin, Taeyong and WayV. On Saturday, it will be the turn of Ateez, INI, Kep1er, Rain, xikers and Zerobaseone. Sunday will include sets from Everglow, (G)I-DLE, Itzy, JO1, Lapillus, Stray Kids, and The Boyz.
Fan-favorite special stages in the past have included a ‘Dream Stage,’ where artists performed on the same stage as their fans; collaborations between artists and groups; and exclusive ‘cover stages’. Each concert this year will include special stages. Friday’s will feature NCT U (Taeyong X Ten) and NMIXX. Saturday’s will feature Kep1er, XG and xikers, while Sunday’s gig includes JO1 and The Boyz, where The Boyz premiere a performance from their sub-unit.
The show on Saturday by Ateez will involve the boy band’s earlier songs performed for the first time in recent months. On Sunday, Stray Kids will do the same.
After a COVID-induced hiatus, KCON LA returned least year as an in-person event that attracted some 90,000 visitors. Organizers said that the event also attracted some 7.1 million online participants – a blending of online and offline fandom that is typical of the K-Pop industry.
K-Pop is no longer strictly Korean. “You can use social media, create dance covers [in the U.S.] see them go viral and people back in Korea watch them,” explained Kevin Woo, a San Francisco-native singer and actor who was trained and achieved success within the Korean talent system, who spoke at a panel debate last year.
KCON LA is backed by multi-disciplinary Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM. The company is also behind Oscar-winning film “Parasite” and upcoming movie “K-Pop: Lost in America.”
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