KCON West @ The Hammer Museum 8/9/18
A little snippet of KCON to remind me why I love K-pop and that I need a better lens for my camera.
KCON 2018 kicks off on August 10th, but the Hammer Museum gave K-pop fans a quick sample of the festivities with KCON West. Though it featured a sample of KCON’s upcoming performances, KCON West felt like a full-fledged concert.
“I didn’t expect it to be this LIT,” remarked Ailee.
First to the stage came Roy Kim, armed with his voice and his guitar. He sounded beautiful and tame, not taking too many risks but not making any mistakes either. Based on the audience’s reactions, Kim appears to be a favorite among the ladies.
Following Kim and his guitar came Echae Kang, a Berklee trained violinist turned pop star. To be honest, I expected more of a classical tone to come from Kang, not quite the spectacular fusion of genres I heard from her. She even delivered a wild card cover of Camila Cabello’s “Havana”, something I never expected to hear rendered on violin (except maybe by the Vitamin String Quartet).
The talents of Kim and Kang prepared the stage for pop idol Ailee, who delivered the fanfare and choreography we know and love about K-pop. A lot of K-pop singers end up overshadowed by their backing tracks, but Ailee sounded fantastic and clear as a bell. To the delight of the audience, she also sang through a few of her favorite K-Drama songs including a riff on the Dream High 2 theme (“I know you’ll be a superstar”) and a snow-heralding performance of “I Will Go To You Like The First Snow” from Goblin.
Altogether, the three acts demonstrated the wide reach and impact of K-pop, a genre that is distinctly Korean yet draws upon outside influences for marvelous effects. Kang succinctly described her own music by saying “There is no wall between genres,” and K-pop simply revels in the open space. I cannot say there’s anything else like it.