Two of South Korea’s most captivating idol groups are joining the lineup for this year’s KCON USA festivities.
BTS, the boy band that enthralled fans with their thematic songs and distinct concepts, will headline KCON New York in June a month before Twice, the rising female group from JYP Entertainment, joins other top K-pop acts in Los Angeles in at the end of July at KCON LA.
GFriend & Block B Confirmed as First Acts Heading to KCON 2016 Los Angeles
KCON NY, which is in its second year, will feature BTS as headliners alongside other Korean acts, including Seventeen, Mamamoo and Ailee. BTS has seen steady growth in popularity since their aggressive debut in 2013. Their hip-hop and R&B-inspired sounds made them fan favorites at KCON LA in 2014 and their soul-searching The Most Beautiful Moment In Life album trilogy helped BTS stake the top place on the Billboard’s World Albums chart last year. Earlier this week, BTS released the first single from the final part of the trio, The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever, which will be released on May 2.
Twice, a newcomer on the K-pop scene, debuted last year with “Like OOH-AHH,” a youthful pop song that took Korea by storm. With over 50 million views since October, Twice’s music video for the song has since become the most-watched debut video released by any K-pop group on YouTube ever. The nine-member girl group is dropping their first song of 2016, “Cheer Up,” next week. They will make their KCON debut in Los Angeles, joining Block B and GFRIEND at the three-day event held during the last weekend of July.
KCON Returning to New York & Los Angeles With Expanded Dates: Exclusive
Trending on Billboard
Twice and BTS were announced as part of the United State’s KCON lineup during this week’s KCON Live Chat. The same day, KCON revealed its first ever event in Europe. KCON Paris will be held on June 2 at the Paris Accor Hotels arena and will feature SHINee, f(x), FTISLAND, Block B, BTS, and IOI while Super Junior’s Leeteuk will host the concert event. Since beginning in California in 2012, KCON has also been held in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and South Korea.
KCON LA remains the largest of the worldwide KCON festivals and is celebrating its fifth anniversary.
This year’s KCON NY will be held in New Jersey at the Newark Prudential Center on June 24-25, expanding to two days after its inauguration in 2015. Meanwhile, KCON LA will take place July 29-31 and returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center. Ticket sales for KCON NY open on May 13 and KCON LA tickets go on sale on June 3.
Billboard’s K-Town will continue to keep you updated on all things KCON (and K-pop!) as additional acts are added to the line-up of KCON LA and KCON NY.