Hip-pop boy band Block B and trending rookie girl group GFriend are the first acts announced for this year’s KCON Los Angeles.
Block B, the hip-hop-influenced seven-member idol group, will return to KCON LA for the second year in a row. The self-produced boy band will drop their fifth EP Blooming Period later this month, including their recently released hit single A Few Years Later. Block B’s renowned rapper-producer Zico also topped the charts in January with digital singles “I Am You, You Are Me” and “It Was Love” featuring f(x)’s Luna.
With sweet melodies and inspired choreographies, GFriend is one of the rising stars of the next generation of K-pop girl groups. GFriend, who was named one of Billboard’s new K-pop artists to watch in 2015, captivated South Korean audiences over the past two years with the release of a trio of saccharine singles including the sextet’s latest single, the sentimental dance song “Rough” and last year’s viral “Me Gustas Tu.” KCON Los Angeles will be the group’s first stateside performance but their North American debut will be at Toronto K-Pop Con in May.
The two groups will perform at the multi-night concert series that have become the focal point of KCON events held around the world. The news was revealed during tonight’s #KCONLiveChat, a weekly stream that feature additional announcements in upcoming weeks.
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The Korean pop culture convention returns to California to celebrate its fifth anniversary and will be held July 29-August 1 at the Staples Center and Los Angeles Convention Center. KCON LA is the world’s largest overseas Korean culture event and will be held over a month after KCON NY, which will be held in Newark, New Jersey on June 24 and 25. Rising stars Seventeen and Mamamoo were the first K-pop acts announced for KCON NY.
Tickets for KCON NY go on sale on May 13 and KCON LA tickets go on sale beginning June 3.
Keep an eye (or two!) on Billboard’s K-Town for additional KCON news.
New York (June 24-25)
Mamamoo
Seventeen
Los Angeles (July 29-Aug 1)
GFriend
Block B