Why J-pop acts see South Korea as a stepping stone to global success
Advertisement
The 22,000 tickets for the two-day event sold out immediately when they opened in October, a clear indication of J-pop's growing presence in Korea's music market.
Yonezu, who began as a Vocaloid producer in 2009 and officially debuted in 2012, is known for his artistic versatility – writing, composing, arranging, mixing, performing and even creating visuals for his work.
His Korean fan base has grown steadily, drawn to his emotionally charged rock-influenced pop sound. During the two-hour concert, he performed hit songs like 'Lemon', which became the first J-pop music video to surpass 900 million views on YouTube, 'Lady' and 'Kick Back', accompanied by stunning visuals and lighting.
J-pop star Kenshi Yonezu performs at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea, part of his 2025 Junk World Tour. Photo: Instagram/popo_mzk
Despite him delivering all his remarks in Japanese, the audience responded with enthusiastic cheers and singalongs. 'I was a bit nervous about how Korean fans would react,' he said, 'but today has been one of the most unforgettable days of my life'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Netflix K-drama Beyond the Bar: Lee Jin-wook, Jung Chae-yeon lead cloying legal drama
Lead cast: Lee Jin-wook, Jung Chae-yeon Advertisement Latest Nielsen rating: 8.3 per cent The year 2025 delivers yet another legal K-drama in Beyond the Bar, a by-the-numbers tale of a capable young woman learning to coexist with a smug lawyer at her new law firm that tugs hard on the heartstrings with a collection of sentimental cases. With a brilliant legal mind, and dashing to boot, Seok-hoon does not play ball when it comes to navigating office politics. Unlike some people at the firm, he is not connected to legal royalty, but despite this, he makes no effort to ingratiate himself with colleagues.
South China Morning Post
16 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Busan Film Festival 2025: 5 rising Korean women filmmakers and the movies that shaped them
The Busan International Film Festival in South Korea celebrates its 30th anniversary in September with an expanded and revamped programme. Notable among the new sections is one called 'A Little History of Our Own, 'Take Care of Our Future!'', which focuses on five rising female filmmakers within the Korean industry: Kim Se-in, Kim Cho-hee, Yoon Ga-eun, Yoon Dan-bi and Lim Oh-jeong. Each director will screen a film of their choice that helped influence their artistic perspective, after which they will take the stage together with the director of their selected work for a live discussion that promises a unique insight into both filmmakers and their careers. While perhaps not yet household names, all five women have made a notable impact with their debuts. Their selections are also all bona fide classics, presented for modern audiences to experience on the big screen with a live audience. We take a closer look at the filmmakers and their picks below. 1. Kim Se-in Play Born in 1992, writer-director Kim Se-in made her feature debut with The Apartment with Two Women (2021).
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong YouTube and Instagram star Jeh Vas aiming to showcase city's ‘special' players
Jeh Vas, the overnight Hong Kong YouTube and social media smash hit, pledged last week to fight for football in the city to gain global recognition. A good enough player to be asked for a 2017 trial at Real Zaragoza in Spain, Vas quit his office job last year to dedicate himself to his increasingly popular football content-creation empire. 'I was saying no to brand deals, because I did not have time to film, so I decided to take a leap of faith,' he said on Thursday. Vas, 27, and his three full-time staff work from 9am to 10pm daily to deliver new content for an audience spanning more than 60,000 YouTube subscribers and 114,000 on Instagram. 'Everything we do is authentic and original; we spend hours brainstorming to generate ideas for the week,' Vas said. 'When people click subscribe, I owe them good, fresh content.' Ahead of the recent Hong Kong Football Festival, Tottenham Hotspur contacted Vas with a 'dream collaboration' opportunity.
