KCON LA 2025

This is my recap of KCON LA 2025, and I never even attended.

KCON, by its very nature, can feel overwhelming. With 125,000 in-person attendees, over 350 booths, 107 participating companies, and 37 musical acts, it is less a convention and more a cultural universe. For three full days, it stretched across the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, from morning fan engagements to arena-shaking performances at night.

Maybe you couldn’t make it this year. Maybe your wallet is still recovering from seeing your favorite K-pop act on tour. Or maybe, like me, you live at the intersection of financial constraint, limited mobility, chronic illness, and a schedule that rarely slows down.

Still, I was there.

For the first time ever, KCON’s evening concerts at the M Countdown Stage were livestreamed globally on Amazon Music via Prime Video and Twitch. It felt emblematic of this year, one filled with streamed festivals. From watching BLACKPINK at “Couchella” to seeing TWICE and KATSEYE light up Lollapalooza, I have grown more grateful for how technology continues to meet fans where they are.

Accessibility is more than subtitles or ramps. It is about presence, about being welcomed into a space you once assumed was out of reach. The livestream offered that. It reminded me that the power of the Hallyu wave has always been in how it tears down barriers asunder whether it’s language, geography or stigma, and builds something communal in their place.

That spirit of inclusion made the city of Los Angeles’ official recognition of August 1 as “KCON Day” feel even more poignant. It was a civic milestone, yes, but also a reminder of how Korean pop culture continues to resonate far beyond its point of origin. What began as a fan and artist festival in 2012 has become a global heartbeat.

And this year, I felt it from home.

What follows is a reflection of my favorite moments of the 2025 KCON LA evening concerts in no particular order:

Night 1

The first standout was rookie girl group Baby Don’t Cry, the inaugural girl group launched under PSY’s label. I’ll be honest. Their debut single, “F Girl,” gave me pause on first listen. The title alone skirted the edge of discomfort, and I found myself questioning whether the lyrics were the right fit for such a youthful group. There was a certain manufactured bravado to it that felt slightly off-kilter.

But if there’s one thing K-pop does best, it’s reminding you that perception can shift with performance. Live, “F Girl” hit differently. What once felt cringeworthy morphed into something cheeky, electric, and undeniably fun. The group’s energy was infectious, and their commitment sold it. It was a burst of kinetic pop charisma that turned Crypto.com Arena into a neon-lit playground. Whatever skepticism I held at the start evaporated under the weight of synchronized choreo, confident delivery, and a hook that refused to leave my head.

Later in the night came a moment that felt both intimate and electric. NCT’s Mark Lee took the stage on the eve of his birthday, and the timing couldn’t have been more serendipitous. As the crowd serenaded him with a chorus of “Happy Birthday,” the affection in the arena was palpable. But the real gift came not to Mark, but from him. Joined by fellow NCT member Haechan, Mark delivered a razor-sharp performance of his solo track “+82 Pressin.” There are performances that make you cheer, and then there are the ones that make you pause and think, I wish I could move like that. His precision was almost surgical, each gesture hitting with intention yet fluidity.

With the massive success of K-pop Demon Hunters on Netflix, it only felt right that someone brought the film’s pulse-pounding flagship anthem, “Golden,” to the KCON stage. IZNA members Bang Jee Min, Koko, and Choi Jung Eun answered that call as though Huntrix themselves had descended into the arena, mirroring the film’s dramatic opening sequence. Set against a stelliferous light show that bathed the crowd in gold and violet, the trio launched into “Golden” with precision and power. We were all going up, up, up from there. They definitely sealed the honmoon.

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Night 2

One mesmerizing stage of night two came courtesy of (G)I-DLE’s Song Yuqi and ZEROBASEONE’s Zhang Hao, who teamed up for a sultry homage to K-pop’s more provocative past. Their cover of “Now,” the 2012 hit by Troublemaker, the boundary-pushing duo of Jang Hyun-seung and Hyuna. In today’s idol ecosystem, male-female collaboration stages are rare, especially ones that lean into mature themes with such intention. But Yuqi and Zhang Hao didn’t shy away, they fully inhabited the drama and the vintage glamor of the original. Yuqi was soigne and spellbinding, channeling the essence of early-2000s pop sirens with a whisper of Britney Spears in her timbre and attitude. Zhang Hao, poised and unflinching, matched her with an understated intensity that felt both modern and timeless. Their chemistry unfolded with unequivocal pavonine allure.

My most anticipated performance of the evening came from veterans making their long-overdue KCON debut: aespa. The quartet burnished the stage with a fearless polish only years of high-stakes outings can forge. They opened with “Whiplash,” a hypnotic, bass-throbbing track that hit like a controlled detonation. It was all tension and release, coiled energy unraveling with every hairpin choreographic snap. From there, they ascended into the celestial chaos of “Supernova,” a track that feels like being pulled into a gravitational field of synths and strobe. Then came “Dirty Work,” sultry and smoldering, a slow burn with attitude. Aespa’s power and presence are undeniable.

Night 3

As part of their KCON debut, MEOVV delivered a cover of Brown Eyed Girls’ iconic “Abracadabra.” Taking on a song so ingrained in K-pop history is a bold move, but MEOVV met the challenge with aplomb that felt effortless. They reimagined it, layering it with a sleek new kind of chatoyancy, gleaming with fresh attitude and modern finesse. The performance crackled with tension and style. Their choreography was sharp and feline, their vocals laced with intention. And then there was Gawon, spitting the “one, two” bar with such crisp precision it practically ricocheted off the walls. A small detail, but unforgettable. MEOVV had already caught my eye. With this, they’ve earned my full attention.

Hwasa may have delivered my favorite set of the entire night. A seasoned veteran at this point, she reminded everyone—myself included—of just how expansive and hit-laden her discography really is. I had somehow forgotten how many bangers she has, both solo and with MAMAMOO.

She commanded the stage with unmistakable authority, transitioning seamlessly from solo anthems like “Maria” into MAMAMOO classics like “Egotistic,” “Décalcomanie,” and “Starry Night.” There was no hesitation, no second-guessing. These were her songs, her stories, her moments to reclaim. For anyone in the industry watching, this was definitive proof of her ability to be a giant global star. Hwasa has the grit and the vocal prowess to dominate Western charts, just as she already does in Korea.

The final highlight for me came courtesy of HxW. SEVENTEEN’s Hoshi and Woozi, with their delightfully unserious track “Stupid Idiot.” As part of the Dream Stage, where fans are invited to perform alongside their idols, it became one of the most joy-filled moments of the entire weekend. There’s something beautiful about watching K-pop fans, often so polished and practiced, lean into full chaos. The choreography was cheeky, the lyrics knowingly absurd, but no one held back, and that was the magic.

It was the perfect capstone, playful and full of heart. Beneath K-pop’s relentless pursuit of perfection lies something far more enduring: joy. Whether you're in the arena, sharing a stage with your idols, or watching from home, KCON delivers that joy every time.