With the east coast leg of KCON USA 2017 kicking off in New Jersey this Friday, K-pop’s 2017 summer invasion is about to begin. This year has already seen many Korean acts come stateside, but by the end of August, there will be more than another dozen musicians to add to the roster, making the summer of 2017 one of the best that K-pop has ever seen in North America.
Don’t be fooled by the new name: Highlight is one of K-pop’s most prominent boy bands. Formerly known as BEAST (stylized as B2ST), this now-quintet will be performing under their new name for the first time in the States this Friday (June 23) at Newark’s Prudential Center. As Beast, Highlight was one of K-pop’s most popular acts, and had numerous hit songs, including 2014’s standout “Good Luck.” They re-debuted as Highlight in March with “Plz Don’t Be Sad” and “It’s Still Beautiful,” and followed up with the laid-back, acoustic-synth hybrid “Calling You” in May.
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G-Dragon
There are few K-pop stars as renowned as BIGBANG’s frontman. An icon in his own right, both as a musician and a fashionista, G-Dragon recently made headlines for releasing his latest EP, Kwon Ji Yong, via links distributed on USBs, rather than a more traditional physical album. GD will bring his Act III, M.O.T.T.E world tour to seven cities in the States, before heading to Toronto for one Canadian stop.
Girl’s Day
It’s been a while, but the dance-pop quartet Girl’s Day will be heading to the Los Angeles area for a performance at KCON 2017 LA in August. The girl group gained immense popularity through choreography-driven hits “Something and “Expectation” before dropping their empowering “Female President,” which was released shortly after the now-imprisoned Park Geun Hye became the first female South Korean president. Girl’s Day returned with the brassy “I’ll Be Yours” in March, which they are sure to perform at KCON.
Monsta X
Formed through a singing competition show in 2015, Monsta X is a familiar presence in the U.S.; they’ve appeared at not one but two KCON LAs in the past. They’ll be holding their first solo shows in the U.S. in July. Although they originally planned for only six shows, tickets sold out rapidly and prompted Monsta X to add a second, and final, show in Los Angeles. The Beautiful in the US tour comes hot on the heels of the group’s recently released single, the emotive, percussive “Shine Forever.”
It’s hard to avoid TWICE, the K-pop girl group of the moment that has released addictive hit after hit since they dropped their first single, “Like Ooh Ahh,” in 2015. After appearing at KCON LA last year, the nine-member group will appear at KCON NY this weekend. Since their last stateside performance, the girl group has released three EPs and seen major success with the addictive singles “TT,” “Knock Knock,” and “Signal.”
Seventeen
Another rising boy band, Seventeen will be holding their first US solo concerts in August. Known for their size — there are 13 members divided into vocal, rap, and performance units — and for having a major hand in the creation of their music and performances, this act has steadily grown to become one of K-pop’s most popular young acts. They previously showcased a youthful, funky side, but with their recent releases, particularly their recent EP Al1, the boy band took a turn towards The Chainsmokers-style electropop.
Eric Nam
There are many Asian-Americans making their name in the K-pop industry, and few as prominent as Eric Nam. The singer-television personality has released several collabs in English, including “Cave Me In” with Gallant and Epik High‘s Tablo, and he recently teamed up with ARTY on “Idea of You.” The soloist saw immense interest after announcing a few east cost shows planned for this August, and ended up changing to a larger New York City venue and even added a second show in his hometown, Atlanta.
Zion. T
Smooth-crooning R&B artist Zion.T is one of the few non-idol acts from Korea heading to the US this summer. He performed at KCON LA in the past, but this will be the artist’s first appearance at the east coast event. He’ll be performing just months after the release of his widely-acclaimed OO album, led by single “The Song” and the tongue-in-cheek magazine callout “Complex,” featuring G-Dragon.
NCT 127
The theme of K-pop performances in the US this summer? New. NCT 127 is one of several groups under SM Entertainment’s newest experiment, global domination via transient K-pop acts united under the NCT umbrella. The band appeared KCON Mexico in March, and will perform for the very first time in the US at KCON NY this weekend, hot off the heels of releasing their third EP, Cherry Bomb.
G-Friend
This six-member girl group blew up a few years ago internationally after proving their professionalism during a stage mishap, but were already gaining praise in South Korea for their youthful vibrancy with songs like debut track “Glass Bead” and “Rough.” Since appearing at KCON last year, the group’s released one EP, The Awakening, with the lead, retrosynth single “Fingertip.”
VIXX
This boy band is one of K-pop’s most dramatic acts. Known for their unique performance concepts, VIXX has incorporated theatrical elements into much of their choreography over the years. Their most recent single, “Shangri-La,” blended eastern and western elements as an example of K-pop’s connective place in pop culture.
CNBLUE
The only idol band currently making its way to the U.S. this summer, CNBLUE has been around for a few years as a poprock act but recently shifted their sound into full on electronic rock. The quartet, who released their latest album 7?N in March, will perform in Newark on June 24.