Monsta X's return at KCON after 10 years proves endurance is a superpower

Los Angeles Times

3 days ago

It was 2015 when Minhyuk of K-pop powerhouse group Monsta X first appeared at the KCON mainstage in L.A. Back then, baby-faced and bleached blond, he exhibited plenty of cheeky confidence.
Clad in black and white, he sported shorts emblazoned with the phrase 'knock, knock,' a nod to the group's hard-hitting debut single 'Trespass.' It was the first time the rookie, only 21, was meeting his American fans onstage at what was then known as Staples Center, now Crypto.com arena.
Only three months after their debut, the then-seven-member outfit (singer Wonho amicably departed in 2019) already had fans holding up signs for them in the crowd.
Ten years later, Minhyuk, now 31 and only slightly less baby-faced, sits in a conference room at the Mondrian Hotel, where the group has a day lined up of press activities surrounding their return to KCON LA 2025, only now as headliners on Night 2 of the three-day-long festival last weekend of all things trendy in Korean pop culture.
Clad in a neutral-toned pinstripe collared shirt, he, along with his four bandmates, could be young executives at a business casual lunch. Only their toned physiques and rapper Joohoney's punchy yellow hair give any signal of their pop star status.
Although its the start of a long day, you can tell they are enjoying being with each other, back in the swing of things . Typically quiet, dancer-singer Shownu quipped 'Invest in Bitcoin!' to a question on what he would tell his debut self, and the members sometimes chatted among themselves a bit before who deciding who would answer.
While their return to KCON marked the first U.S. appearance of the group reunited after an extended break, their Connect X concert in Seoul a few weeks ago was their first time performing as a group in two years. 'I was nervous,' Minhyuk says of those first moments back. 'But when I was on the stage, I felt so alive.'
Tall and dark-haired with a quiet authority, singer Hyungwon adds, 'Seeing the love of our parents' eyes in that moment … and the look in the [fan's eyes], it's the same feeling as from before.'
Last month, they also made their first appearance at Waterbomb, South Korea's signature summer music festival, where artists and audience alike get soaked and where Shownu went viral as he tore off his white T-shirt to reveal an impressively muscular torso.
'Everybody, all the members, care about their health and body right now, he says. We always try to keep fit and healthy.'
Memes and fan-cams aside, their focus on health rings poignant as the sixth member I.M, was unable to join the group this time due to a back injury. As the band's most fluent English speaker, the rapper, lyricist and producer's acerbic wit helped ground the group's sound, and his team deeply feels his absence.
Monsta X represents a vanguard of artists whose strong group dynamics strain beyond the milestone that used to be a breaking point for past K-pop groups: South Korea's mandatory military service.
The group's return to KCON is especially significant not only because it heralds a new era for them, but they return to the festival that helped cement their star status in the United States and abroad.
Main vocalist Kihyun, whose powerful notes help cut through the group's aggressive signature sound, said that first KCON in 2015 was one of their best memories as they were shocked by the audiences response.
'I want to feel that same feeling we had from our first performance tomorrow,' says Hyungwon about their return to KCON. Joohoney, the group's main rapper, jumps in. 'Back then, we did a meet-and-greet, and we had a stage performance together with Got7. We saw their signs in the crowd, but then we also saw signs for us, so we were very happy,' adding that in a full-circle moment, Jackson Wang, the breakout soloist from Got7, will be performing the same night with them.
Further underscoring their continued relevancy, Maggie Kang — director of the popular film 'K-pop Demon Hunters — cited Monsta X as one of the inspirations for the film's fictional group, Saja Boys. 'We could kind of tell and could see that the music style and vibe in the movie is similar to Monsta X, but we didn't know exactly. We are very thankful,' said Joohoney.
Shaney Hwang, marketing coordinator for CJ ENM America, the Korean conglomerate that puts on KCON, remembers attending the festival as a high school student in New York, tracking the group's rise, later catching them on tour. 'Personally, as someone who has always been watching K-pop, I do feel that Monsta X, compared to other groups [who debuted] around their time, made themselves very present to the U.S. fans whether it was from live performances such as at KCON LA in 2015 and '16 or even through music collaborations with Western artists such as French Montana and Gallant much earlier than other groups did.'
'I always thought they had great music,' she adds. 'And now, it's really special because it's their 10th anniversary and we feel very honored for this to be such a full-circle moment.'
It's a moment that led Monsta X fans to make KCON this year a priority. Over dinner in Koreatown the night before their performance, Ani Ash, from Texas, and her friend Choua Yang, a 45-year-old tech trainer from Green Bay, Wis., talked about their devotion to the group.
'I'm not really a K-pop person,' confesses Ash, 28. 'But what drew me to them was their style. How they can switch different genres so easily and still keep their characteristics.' Both friends met online and run fan bases for the group.
'I've been a Monbebe since 2021,' says Yang, referring to the group's fandom moniker, which combines their name and the French word bébé. 'My daughters introduced me to K-pop, and one of them was trying to get me to like Monsta X. I think it was their vast discography and the diversity in their music that caught my attention. They're mature men, especially compared to the newbies who are 20 years old. I just really like them, and I started hosting the fan base.'
Ash and Yang's devotion speaks to the staying power of Monsta X, which is still adding new fans while nurturing older ones willing to grow alongside them and spend money and devote time to see them.
That devotion, a strong feature of K-pop, runs deep. Ash, for example, was inspired by Minhyuk — who paints in his spare time — to reignite her passion for art, leaving the medical field to become a Houston public school art teacher.
The crowd roared as Hyungwon and Shownu opened Saturday night's performance of their sensual song 'Love Me a Little' with more lyrical choreography than what the team itself is best known for.
There was even more palpable excitement as a platform rose from the 360-degree stage to reveal the five performing members back triumphantly, all clad in sharp black suits with glittering accents.
After performing 'Beautiful Liar,' the darkly EDM single off of their 2023 EP 'Reason' and 'Who Do You Love,' Joohoney shouted, 'Everyone we're back in L.A.!' before slipping into 'Play it Cool' — their club hit featuring Steve Aoki — and ending with the Dream Stage version of the classic 'The Gambler' where contest-winning Monbebes performed with them. 'Make some noise for I.M!' Joohoney shouted at one point.
The group will be busy upon returning to Seoul as preparations are underway for a new album called 'X,' releasing Sept. 1.
While all members participated in songwriting, it will also feature production from Compton-bred producer Dem Jointz, who has composed for Rihanna, Kanye West and Janet Jackson, as well as other prominent K-pop groups of recent years like EXO and aespa.
Careful not to release spoilers, they pondered the question of what kind of movie genre the upcoming project would fit into. 'Um, horror?' One of them blurts out before others begin to chime in, laughing. 'Romantic comedy?' Hyungwon jokes before they finally agree that sci-fi is probably the best fit.
Reached by email from Seoul, where he is recuperating, I.M also talked about the upcoming album. 'It's special to us because it shows a side of Monsta X we haven't tried before. From the sound to the concept, we poured our hearts and ideas into every step of the way. We gave it our all and filled it with thanks to the fans who waited for us. I hope they can feel that when they listen.'