I’m sure you know about BTS, the largest K-Pop boy group out there right now, or at least you’ve heard about them. And we all—mostly—know that they recently announced a tour, just not when or where the tour will take place. But are you aware of other K-Pop artists hitting the stage in North America this year? If not, let me enlighten you a bit.
Seventeen
Seventeen is currently on their “Ode to You” North American tour. Beginning on January 10 and running until January 23, the group hits cities from coast to coast, including a stop in Mexico City.
A Little Background on SVT
The group, signed under Pledis Entertainment, debuted in 2015. Last year, they released their sixth EP, You Make My Dawn and their third, full studio album, An Ode. An Ode earned them their first daesang (grand prize) for Album of the Year, and was deemed by Billboard as the best K-Pop album in 2019.
Despite their name, Seventeen consists of 13 members: S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino. They are split into three sub-units, each with a specific focus: hip-hop, vocal and performance. In addition, Seventeen involve themselves in their music production, choreography and songwriting, deeming them to be a “self-producing” idol group.
Itzy
Itzy hits the stage this month with their “Premiere Showcase Tour” in five cities around the U.S. The group debuted just last year but have taken the world by storm, becoming the fastest girl group to achieve a music show win after debuting. They also won several Best New Female Artist awards at award shows overseas.
A Little Background on ITZY
The initial announcement of the group marked JYP Entertainment’s first girl group since TWICE in 2015. In August, they released their first EP, It’z ICY, following their first single album, It’z Different. The quintet—Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna—debuted at No. 34 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart last August with their song, “ICY“.
Amber Liu
Beginning this month, soloist Amber Liu will perform in 24 cities around North America, beginning in Fresno and circling back to California, ending in San Diego. Joining her on tour are Meg & Dia, Justice Carradine (January February 4) and Justin Park (February 5-22).
A Little Background on Amber Liu
In 2018, Liu signed with Steel Wool Entertainment in Los Angeles. Last September, she made news after announcing her departure from her longtime Korean label, SM Entertainment. Prior to releasing her first solo work in 2015, she was part of the girl group, f(X); they never officially disbanded after announcing a hiatus in 2016.
In addition to her tour, she released her second EP, X, earlier this month.
SuperM
SuperM began the U.S. leg of their “We Are The Future” tour back in November and will pick the second half of the tour up on January 30 in San Diego.
A Little Background on SuperM
SM Entertainment announced the formation of the group in 2019 after rumors went around about the entertainment company wanting to create a K-Pop super boy band. It includes members of existing boy groups under SM: Taemin (Shinee), Taeyong (NCT), Mark (NCT), Ten (NCT/WayV), Lucas (NCT/WayV), Baekhyun (EXO) and Kai (EXO). SM founder Lee Sooman calls SuperM the “Avengers of K-Pop.”
In October, SuperM released their self-titled EP, which includes its lead single, “Jopping.”
Stray Kids
Stray Kids kick off their “District 9: Unlock” World Tour in the states later this month, traveling to eight cities from New York to Los Angeles.
A Little Background on SKZ
Stray Kids debuted under JYP Entertainment in March 2018. The group initially formed through a reality show also called Stray Kids. Nine members debuted: Bang Chan, Woojin, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. Woojin left the group due to undisclosed reasons in October 2019 and the group continued on as an octet.
They recently released the latest in their Clé album series, Clé: Levanter, as well as a special song, “Mixtape: Gone Days.”
Eric Nam
Soloist Eric Nam began the “Before We Begin” World Tour earlier this month in Asia and he is bringing it to North America for 26 dates beginning February 1st. Joining him on tour are Phoebe Ryan (February 1-16) and Frenship (February 18-March 14).
A Little Background on Eric Nam
Eric Nam hails from Atlanta, Georgia. He got his start in music after his cover of girl group 2ne1’s “Lonely” went viral. In 2012, he signed with B2M Entertainment—as well as Stone Entertainment in 2015—as a solo artist and has since released four EPs and has been featured on a number of music and variety shows. He is best known for hosting After School Club from 2013-2016. He left the show to focus more on his music.
VAV
VAV embark on their Grand America tour beginning on February 14—with a few stops in Colombia and Uruguay in-between—and wrapping up in April.
A Little Background on VAV
VAV—short for Very Awesome Voice—debuted under A Team Entertainment in 2015. The group first debuted with members St.Van, Baron, Ace, Jacob, Xiao, Zehan and Gyeoul. The latter three each left VAV due to different reasons. In 2017, members Lou, Ayno and Xiu joined the group.
The existing septet released their 5th EP, Poison, in October 2019.
ATEEZ
ATEEZ will bring “The Fellowship: Map the Treasure” World Tour to five cities in the U.S. this April.
A Little Background on ATEEZ
ATEEZ debuted in October 2018 under KQ Entertainment; prior to debut, they worked under the name KQ Fellaz. The group’s members include Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. Over the last almost-year and a half, they released four EPs and one studio album in their Treasure series. Their latest release, Epilogue: Action to Answer, serves as the final part to the series.
The group sold out every arena for the U.S. leg of their tour, and recently announced that extra seats have been added to their shows.
AB6IX
Earlier this month, AB6IX announced the U.S. dates for their first-ever world tour, . The U.S. leg begins on April 15 in Newark and finishes on April 30 in Los Angeles.
A Little Background on AB6IX
AB6IX debuted last year under the label, Brand New Music. The group has five members: Youngmin, Woong, Donghyun, Woojin and Daehwi. Their group name (pronounced A-B-SIX) is an abbreviation of ABSOLUTE SIX, meaning that the five members and their fandom become one when they are all together.
In October, they released their first studio album, 6ixense, following the release of their EP, B Complete, in May.
1TEAM
1TEAM recently announced their “Hello! Just One!” U.S. tour, which will hit five cities this March. More information about ticket sales will be announced on the website, MyMusicTaste.
A Little Background on 1TEAM
The group debuted in 2019 under the label, Live Works Company. They have five members: BC, Rubin, Jinwoo, Jehyun and Junghoon. Throughout 2019, they released three EPs, Hello!, Just and One, which coincidentally makes up the name of their new tour.
Monsta X
This week, Monsta X announced their 2020 World Tour, kicking off in the United States this summer. The tour will run for 17 dates, beginning in Minneapolis and ending in Los Angeles.
A Little Background on Monsta X
Monsta X debuted under Starship Entertainment in 2015. The original 7 members consisted of Shownu, Wonho, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon,
Joohoney, and I. M. Wonho left the group in October due to recent controversies surrounding him.
The group has made a huge mark stateside, releasing collaborations with artists such as French Montana and will.i.am. Last May, they signed with Epic Records in the U.S. They also became the first K-Pop group to perform at the Life Is Beautiful and iHeartRadio Music Festivals, both of which took place during the same weekend. Their new album, All About Luv, comes out on Valentine’s Day, February 14. The album will be the group’s first all-English album.
If you’re a fan of K-Pop or maybe feel like venturing out to listen to some new music, tickets are still available for all of these tours (Monsta X tickets go on sale January 17). And knowing the world of K-Pop, there will be more tours to come.
