KCON LA 2025 was full of established artists such as NCT 127, aespa, Nmixx, Monsta X, i-dle, Jackson Wang, Key of SHINee, Zerobaseone, Ive and others. However, for some of the 37 acts that appeared at KCON, it was their very first KCON. I can attest that these rookie groups worked extremely hard and in some cases, performed more than some senior artists. They did so enthusiastically.

82Major is a six-member boy group who debuted in October 2023, with members Seongil, Yechan, Seongmo, Seongbin, Seokjoon and Dogyun, whose ages range from 18 to 21. What was most remarkable about them is that when I was talking to attendees, their names kept coming up. I met huge fans Kim Jeffers (49), Brook Sheely (22) and Audrey Jeffers (21) who traveled from Ohio. They had seen them in concert three times previously. Rayvin Jordan, 21, traveled from New York City and listed several groups, including 82Major — along with more seasoned groups — as the reason for coming to KCON. Ann Marie Uy, 48, also mentioned them.

This prompted me to go on a quest to meet them. They were extremely gracious despite their busy schedules. They appeared on stage a total of 10 times over three days. In general, the rookie groups appear more often, but 82Major and Newbeat were the only ones to reach such a high number. Because Yechan is a Korean Canadian, and the younger brother of P1Harmony’s Keeho, he spoke first.

When asked how they kept their energy up, he responded, “We just got off our USA/North American tour. And so throughout that, I feel like our stamina has gotten a lot better. Yeah. So no matter how many schedules we do, we don't really feel as tired as before.” Seongmo added, “I don't know if it's a North American thing, but there were many ‘woo woo.” They were barking at us; that was very unique.” When I asked them why they thought Americans loved them, another member explained, “we love American music and we try to use them as a reference, and it’s become a springboard to further grow.” They performed “Takeover” and “Choke” during the preshow of the MCountdown Stage, and the X-Stage performance I watched featured “Takeover,” “The Real” (Ateez), “Struck” and “Choke.” Audrey Jeffers explained to me that she especially liked them because they are charismatic and post their own songs on SoundCloud.

Hitgs is a 5-member girl group that debuted in December 2024. Their ages range from 15 to 19, and the members are VV, Seojin, Seohee, Hyerin and Iyoo. They appeared three times at KCON. I noted that their singles “Charizzma,” “Gross” and “Sour Patch” were written by producer Ryan Jhun and they shared that they loved his songs. When I asked them to describe their music, Seojin explained, “We try to emphasize what we like in a story and in our own unique style.” They told me that they were excited to be in the US for the first time and shared that, “In the US, everything is different. Even the air feels different. The vibe is different.” On their X-Stage performance, they performed the two singles listed above, and a medley of “Dynamite,” “Whiplash” and “As If It’s Your Last.” Finally, when I pressed them on whether their inspiration was NewJeans or Illit, they insisted that they were inspired by Twice. I know that idols are trained to be agreeable, but I love it when they disagree with me. Kudos to them.

I enjoyed my short conversation with Kik5o. While she debuted in 2020, this is her first KCON. I saw her perform with Alexa on Music Bank in April 2025 and asked her how that collaboration came about and she explained, “I love her voice. I really respect her. So I got acquainted with her through our mutual friends.” She told me that KCON was the biggest stage of her career and “I am a solo artist, and I had no backup dancers … but ever since that performance, I felt more confident because there was very good energy from the audience.” She told me that she was a big fan of Michael Jackson, and that because she sings, raps and writes music, she believes her “music is genre-bending.” She also asked me about what others ask me about K-pop. Her maturity and thoughtfulness about the industry were notable. She performed “Nightmare,” “Vital Check” and “Pretty Revenge.” The last song was a message to all the people who told her she could never be a singer, so “tonight I’m showing them my ‘pretty revenge.’” This was my favorite.

A few days after KCON, an allkpop article revealed that rookie groups performing on the X-Stage were not compensated for their work at KCON. In fact, they had to pay for their own travel and lodging. This is a real shame because they worked so hard to make themselves accessible to their fans, including this American sociology professor.

Grace Kao

Grace Kao is an IBM professor of sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.


khnews@heraldcorp.com