Last night, KCON USA presented by Toyota, the world’s largest Korean culture convention and music festival, announced the addition of VIXX to its star-studded two-day concert lineup. And yes, I’m still squealing my head off! Seriously, I feel like I’ve won the fangirl lottery or something! I mean how can one fangirl be lucky enough to get so many of her favorite artists all performing at one place!?! It just doesn’t seem real! Quick! Someone pinch me!
Because having VIXX join this year’s LA line-up isn’t exciting enough, KCON has also revealed plans to add something they call ‘Artist Alley.’ Essentially it’s a new way for fans to engage with artists during the already massive Los Angeles convention. ‘Artist Alley’ will consist of a booth on the convention floor where fans will be able to get up close and personal with K-pop artists for activities such as autograph sessions. (I believe now would be the appropriate time to squee… *squee!*) This new fan engagement opportunity will be open to all convention attendees and the lineup of participating artists will be announced soon. *crosses fingers and hopes for VIXX… ASTRO… SF9… NCT 127…* Okay, really, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for all of the artists to make an appearance. *eeek!*
It seems impossible for anyone reading this right now to not know who VIXX is (mostly because my love for these guys is something I’ve been declaring to the world for years…) but just in case…
VIXX, the latest addition to KCON 2017 LA lineup, is a six-member boy group under Jellyfish Entertainment. The members are N, Leo, Ken, Ravi, Hongbin, and Hyuk. Before their official debut, the members were featured on the Mnet survival reality show MyDOL. The six members and the group name “VIXX” were both chosen by viewer votes on the show. The group is known for their unique music concepts and group performances that tell a story through each title track. VIXX debuted with their first single “Super Hero” on M COUNTDOWN on May 24, 2012. They achieved their first music show win on KBS 2TV Music Bank with “Voodoo Doll” on December 6th the year following their debut. On May 15th this year, VIXX released their fourth mini album “Shangri-La” part of the three-event VIXX V FESTIVAL to celebrate the group’s fifth anniversary.
To tell you what it’s like to see VIXX in person would probably take an eternity. (Mostly because I would never stop gushing over them.) Let me just say that these boys are a treat to see in person and if you ever have the good fortune to actually meet them… Well, just know that you’re probably not going to survive the experience. At least I didn’t. Which is why my ghost as been running this website for the past 2.5 years…
But back to KCON… Combo tickets to this year’s concerts – which also features ASTRO, GIRL’S DAY, NCT 127, and SF9 (with more to be announced) – will be available for fans starting on July 7 at 10am PST via www.KCONUSA.com. KCON USA will announce ticket pricing and detailed benefits per tier sometime today (June 16), through its website and social media.
Since its launch in 2012, KCON has grown exponentially to become the undisputed epicenter for all things Hallyu. The expansive event, which spans three days, takes place within the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the surrounding entertainment district on August 18-20. In addition to star-studded concerts, fans in attendance will experience more panels (woot! woot!) and workshops than ever before, with offerings on everything from K-beauty and K-food to e-sports and K-drama.
For those of you on the East Coast, the New York metro area edition of KCON 2017 USA will be returning to the Prudential Center next weekend (June 23 and 24) and with a line-up just as exciting as this LA one is shaping up to be, you definitely don’t want to miss out! Plus, I’ll be there doing my whole panel thing so if you have the time, you should definitely stop by and say hi. Saturday, 3:30pm – The Next K-Drama Star – Don’t miss it! (Okay, enough with the shameless plugging…)
Of course, for all the latest KCON news and tickets, you should check out www.kconusa.com and follow @KCONUSA on Twitter. That’s where additional artist line-up and other information are announced plus, you can join the conversation with #KCON17LA. Or you can always come back here and see what new announcements I’m squealing myself silly over. Because apparently, this is the year of endless squealing. Or is that every year???