Suho, B.I, Bambam, Hyolyn and extra: Indian Okay-pop followers gear up for a number of live shows

This weekend, Kounain Fathima (Kushi) and her mates are all set to go to Bengaluru, for her first ever Okay-pop live performance expertise on the Okay-Wave Pageant. “I’m actually excited to see my favorite musicians carry out,” says the 20-year-old Chennai resident. 

For followers of all issues Hallyu with a particular inclination in the direction of music from South Korea, 2024 has been an unprecedented yr. Whereas South Korean Indie-rock band The Rose, and Korean-American singer Eric Nam opened this yr with performances at Lollapalooza in Mumbai, there are a number of different thrilling performances lined up. This weekend, on the Okay-Wave competition in Mumbai and Bengaluru on October 18 and 20 respectively, Okay-pop group EXO’s Suho, and singer Hyolyn are scheduled to carry out; an announcement that delighted many in September. The Okay-City competition on December 14 in Mumbai in the meantime, has 4 massive names – EXO members Chen and Xiumin, B.I (Kim Hanbin), and GOT7’s Bambam. The Cherry Blossom competition in Shillong this yr will host SuperM’s Lucas.

For very long time Okay-pop followers in India, this upcoming lineup of acts comprising many A-list artistes is nothing wanting a dream. Nikita Engheepi, co-founder, Pink Field Leisure, who’s engaged on artiste coordination for the Okay-Wave competition recollects how once they started working on this house practically a decade in the past, issues had been rather a lot completely different. “Our objective once we began was to verify there was much more chatter about Okay-pop, spotlight extra artistes, get extra individuals and occasion organisers , and to indicate them that India has a marketplace for Okay-pop. Seeing how 2024 is popping out to be, our imaginative and prescient appears to have come to fruition,” she says. 

The earliest to delve into the Okay-pop live performance tradition in India, Nikta was instrumental in bringing singer Dabit to India as early as 2015, and introduced down Okay-pop teams M.O.N.T and Okay.A.R.D to the Hornbill Pageant in Nagaland in 2018 and 2019. 

“When you find yourself making an attempt to create a market, you possibly can’t instantly convey the most important musicians. Issues are getting simpler now, with businesses and artistes recognising that there’s a market right here. As an example, we’re working with SM Leisure now to convey Suho, and it’s evident that massive firms are India now, given how Okay-pop is turning into a serious drive right here,” she says. 

The house is unquestionably an thrilling one, says Anmol Kukreja, founder and CEO of Skillbox, which is organising the Okay-Wave competition throughout two cities. “The Okay-Wave competition’s focus is not only on the music, however genuine experiences based mostly on Korea – with meals, desserts, mocktail stations, workshops and extra,” he says.

Whereas the competition noticed a footfall of round 2,000 attendees final yr in Bengaluru, Anmol says they count on double the variety of attendees this yr. 

Altering traits

In 2023, when Jackson Wang, a member of the Okay-pop group GOT7 got here together with his ‘Magic Man’ live performance to carry out at Lollapalooza India, he was met with hordes of followers on the Mumbai airport. Hours earlier than his efficiency, followers queued up close to the barricades for the most effective view, and exchanged photocards and posters. “It’s one factor to say India has immense streaming energy on music platforms, however will you present up at live shows in massive numbers too? We didn’t have a lot proof for this till Jackson Wang got here to India, for us to pay attention to the post-pandemic Okay-pop growth,” says Riddhi Chakraborty, founder and CEO of Bridge Asia, a artistic media company that presently, primarily works with Okay-pop stars to develop their presence in India. 

Attending Okay-pop live shows, Riddhi says, has at all times felt like a group exercise. “There’s a lot that’s distinctive to the Okay-pop fandom, and other people have made mates by way of their shared love for these artistes. By means of the years, for Okay-pop followers right here, it has not mattered how massive or small the performers are. They’ve historically proven as much as help them since they’re grateful to see these artistes coming to India,” she explains. 

A journalist who has extensively coated Okay-pop, Riddhi says that whereas artistes have come to India up to now, there haven’t been as many A-listers. The stacked lineup of for the upcoming months, she says, has not come as a shock to her.  “There was a gentle progress within the dimension of the viewers. Whereas the viewers up to now was rather a lot youthful, there’s now an older viewers able to spend cash on live performance experiences, and fogeys of youthful followers as nicely who’re much more conscious of Okay-pop,” she says. 

Whereas Indian followers have historically flown to close by international locations to see their favorite Okay-popacts carry out, this upcoming lineup of artistes would possibly imply the reverse, going ahead. For Okay-City 2.0, the Korean cultural and music competition in Mumbai throughout December, tickets have been booked by followers from Bangladesh, Thailand, Dubai, and even the US. “For our first version in February this yr, we had attendees from Japan. We anticipated an general footfall of round 1,000 individuals and noticed practically 2,500 individuals attend,” says Shital Sikarwar, founder and CEO, TANI occasions. 

Having initially labored on bootcamps, workshops and mentorship camps on this house, Shital says they organised the primary version of the competition whereas being a bit sceptical whether or not the Okay-community would present up. “We had been blown away by the response, and for the upcoming version, we predict a three-time enhance in attendees,” she says. Other than the large names for the music, Shital says they’ve expertise zones that embrace picture cubicles, and Korean meals as a part of the competition. 

Given the upcoming promising lineup of Korean acts , issues can solely get greater subsequent yr, and Shital too echoes this. “Huge artistes, and a number of cities are being deliberate. We’re excited for what’s arising,” she says.