KCON Los Angeles returns to California for its fifth year, and today’s announcement from KCON USA added two new acts to the biggest Korean pop culture event in the world. DEAN, an R&B artist, and ASTRO, a K-pop idol group, bring their distinct flair to KCON LA to join other Korean performers at the event’s focal concert series.
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After kicking off his career at 16 and writing songs for popular idol groups like EXO and VIXX, DEAN plunged into the Korean music world in 2015 with a variety of releases. Eschewing the norm, DEAN collaborated with American artists Eric Bellinger and Anderson .Paak before working with Korean counterparts, including popular Korean rappers like Block B’s Zico and Dok2.
Gaining swift momentum through the success of the collaborations, DEAN rose to popularity and became the first Asian artist to perform at the Spotify House during SXSW last March. The same month he released his first EP, TRBL. More The Weeknd and Usher than K-pop, the lyrical harmonies and echoing vocals on TRBL evoke the sense of both restfulness and gloominess simultaneously. The smooth alt-R&B sound heard on DEAN’s album and his 2015 releases mark the musician as one of the most innovative artists in South Korea today.
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If DEAN broke the K-pop template with his singularity, ASTRO are cut directly from the mold with their bright and refreshing dance-pop style. ASTRO is the most junior act to attend KCON LA this year (so far!) The six-member boy band are rookies on the K-pop scene and only released their inaugural EP Spring Up in February. Spring Up charted at No. 6 on the Billboard World Album chart and performed well on South Korea’s music charts. Their single, “Hide and Seek,” an exuberant and youthful dance track, garnered nearly 2 million views on YouTube in less than six months after its release. Along with their musical endeavors, ASTRO have identified themselves as a multi-talented group after the members starred in a Korean web series and had their own reality show.
The two acts will take the stage alongside other Korean stars performing at KCON LA throughout the three-day event, held July 29-31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center. This year’s KCON LA will also feature Girls’ Generation-TTS, CNBLUE, BTS, G-Friend, TWICE, and Block B, while KCON NY, the east coast counterpart event held in June, will see performances by BTS, Mamamoo, Ailee, Seventeen, BTOB, Dynamic Duo and Crush, Eric Nam, and DAY6.
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Tickets went on sale for KCON NY earlier this week, while tickets for KCON LA go on sale June 3. Prices range anywhere from $50 to $800. For more information visit KCONUSA.com.