Summer may be drawing to a close but it doesn’t mean that festival season is over, especially over in the UK. K-POP LUX is bringing two jam-packed nights of K-POP icons this September!
K-POP LUX x SBS Super Concert will be taking place at The O2, London, on September 22nd-23rd, celebrating 140 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and the UK. The event follows K-POP LUX’s first show in Madrid, Spain back in July.
Fans can look forward to a star-studded line-up of ITZY, THE BOYZ, ZEROBASEONE, WEi, xikers, and a mystery girl group to be revealed on Friday September 22nd. Then Saturday will be featuring Tomorrow X Together in their first-ever UK performance, with a second performance from both ITZY and xikers with ONEUS, YENA, and Billlie also on the lineup.
‘Magic’ – Tomorrow X Together
K-POP LUX marks Tomorrow X Together‘s first European performance since their debut back in 2019, and trust us when we say we are so hyped for them to be performing on British soil!
Speaking to MOA in a video by K-POP LUX, Beomgyu shared: “Since it’s Tomorrow X Together’s first performance in Europe, we are very excited and looking forward to it!” “Wishing our first meeting with the European fans to be special we’ve been preparing for this very hard!” Huening Kai added. We know you’ll make it truly memorable, boys!
We’ve chosen ‘Magic’ for our K-POP LUX playlist thanks to its ties to the UK. Not only is ‘Magic’ TXT’s first all-English single, but it actually features British pop prince Olly Murs as one of the writers. This happy-go-lucky dance track is full of summery vibes that definitely feel like they would suit British radio.
‘Ting Ting Ting’ – ITZY with Oliver Heldens
ITZY is also set to make their first European performance at K-POP LUX and seems to be just as hyped as we are! Speaking in a video to MIDZY about their upcoming performance, the girls shared their love for various British media. “But out of everything, there’s one thing we are most looking forward to, right?” Yeji shares. “Screams and cheers from the European fans! Your sing-alongs!” Lia answers. “You guys dancing along to our songs and enjoying the show!” Trust us, girls, we will be!
We chose ‘Ting Ting Ting’ for this playlist because it just gives major fairground music. You know the type, the ones you normally find at a beach town, lowkey seem a little questionable in how reliable they are for safety, but you make incredible memories and they play banger hits? ‘Ting Ting Ting’ is one of those bangers. This album track features the work of Manchester singer-songwriter Jin Jin, who has credits on songs from big British acts such as Little Mix, Olly Murs, and Rita Ora, to name just a few.
‘Salty’ – THE BOYZ
THE BOYZ are back again in the UK for K-POP Lux and seem to have some very fond memories of their past visits, as they discuss memories such as seeing monuments and running into fans before greeting them.
Speaking in the video for Deobi for K-POP Lux, Q shared that: “The most memorable thing is the cheers and screams of the European fans that’s coming through the stadium!” New goes on to add: “I still remember vividly, we were so grateful that many fans liked our performance last time.” Trust us boys, we know we’ll love your performance this time, too!
‘Water’ is one of the many songs produced by the iconic LDN Noise who have put their British stamp on a plethora of K-POP songs over the years. This track is more laid back than others on this playlist with the tittering drumbeats in the background feeling like a subtle nod to the drill genre.
‘Now’ – ONEUS
ONEUS is making their return to the UK in less than a year and are super stoked. Speaking in a video for K-POP LUX, Xion says: “we really wanted to meet you all again, and that wish has come true!” “I’m very happy to be able to keep our promise that we’ll come back to London with such great opportunity!” Keonhee adds. “For the fans that have been waiting for us for a long time, ONEUS has prepared for a special time!” We just know they’re truly going to deliver an incredible performance.
We know the UK are proud producers of huge club and dance bangers, and ‘Now’ really seems to fit the vibes. We can totally see this being phenomenal live at a festival where core memories would be made.
‘Back To Zerobase’ – ZEROBASEONE
Fresh from debuting this summer, ZEROBASEONE is getting ready for their first European performance at K-POP LUX! The Boys Planet contestants have only just stepped into the spotlight and are already heading out for international performances.
“A lot of European fans have supported us with their love since before debut, so I’m really happy to finally meet all of them!” Gyuvin shares in an exclusive video for K-POP LUX. “Since it’s our first time performing in the UK, we are already very excited and looking forward to it!” Hanbin adds. “As much as we are excited, we are working very hard to prepare this show.” We’re so proud to be witnessing their first-ever European performance!
Intro track ‘Back To Zerobase’ from their debut mini album, Youth In The Shade is the perfect choice for our playlist. The song features credits from electronic music duo Punctual, who hail from the UK and have worked with the likes of RAYE, Years & Years, Sigala, and even international names such as Steve Aoki and Jason Derulo. The flitty drum and base heavy track is another one that fits comfortably into the dance/EDM/house circle that the UK has made known to be one of its strongest genres and will get your pulse racing and adrenaline rising.
‘XIKEY’ – xikers
xikers only debuted this year and they’re already making their second appearance at K-POP LUX! The 10-member boy group has already wowed the European audience this summer at the Madrid festival and are now set to perform on both dates at The O2, London. Though their debut was less than a year ago, xikers have been drumming up quite the following since last year when they were dubbed as KQ Fellaz 2 prior to their debut, sharing various content including their pre-debut web series, Ready To One with the release of their pre-debut song and music video ‘GEEK.’
‘XIKEY’ is the perfect song for our playlist as it has a lot of British drill influence, not to mention the involvement of Welsh-born singer and composer Maddox on the songwriting and producing elements. It’s a switch up from the more predominant dance numbers and showcases another influence that’s proven popular in the UK.
‘Wash Away’ – YENA
YENA is set to make her European debut at K-POP LUX and we are so hyped for her to come and meet European Jigumi! Following the disbandment of IZ*ONE, YENA made her solo debut back last year with her mini-album Smiley and has since been balancing her music and acting career, releasing mini-albums SMARTPHONE, Love War, and HATE XX and starring in The World of My 17: Season 2 while also making appearances on a variety of shows as herself including Webtoon Singer, HMLYCP, and hosting Girls Night Out.
We think ‘Wash Away’ is a great choice for our playlist as it feels pretty reminiscent of the 90s-early 2000s pop ballads that were climbing the UK charts, especially those by different groups. It’s a more chilled-out song compared to the other songs on this playlist and we love the balance.
‘Flipp!ng A Coin’ – Billlie
Rising girl group Billlie is also set to perform at K-POP LUX making it their first performance in London. Having cultivated a strong fanbase in South Korea, the girls are now making their names known internationally, so it’s an exciting time for Belllie’ve around the world as they branch out on overseas performances! The septet blessed us with their fourth mini-album The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three earlier this year and also earned their first-ever music show win on The Show for ‘Eunoia.’
‘Flipp!ng A Coin’ truly embodies the classic EDM sound that is so prevalent in UK’s music scene with infusions of hip hop, resulting in a high-energy banger we cannot get enough of. The song features writing credits from London-born Bobii Lewis who has also written for other K-POP groups including NCT, SuperM, EXO, and RIIZE.
‘Bye Bye Bye’ – WEi
It’s only been a few months since their last visit to London and WEi are already heading back thanks to K-POP LUX! WEi’s debut is just shy of three years and they have already been making waves both in South Korea and overseas. Hot on the heels of WEi 2nd World Tour: Passion, the sextet dropped their sixth mini-album Love Pt. 3: Eternally, meaning European RUi have the chance to see the new songs performed live internationally. We can hardly wait!
We’ve added ‘Bye Bye Bye’ to our playlist. The upbeat pop-rock track feels quite reminiscent to the edgier British boyband music from the late 2000s to early 2010s incorporating the guitar-driven melodies of instrumental-based bands with the more upbeat and polished production of K-POP. We may yet to have found a British Korean band or idol yet, but this song brings us one step closer!
K-POP LUX takes place on September 22nd – 23rd at The O2, London. Tickets are available here.
Will you be attending K-POP LUX? Who are you looking forward to on this lineup? Let us know down in the comments below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP!
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