‘We bet on J-Hope after Doja Cat said no': Lollapalooza organiser admits not realising how big BTS was; Katseye rules the fest three years later
In a recent interview, Houston Powell from C3 Presents (the team that runs Lollapalooza) explained how J-Hope ended up on the lineup without prior planning. Back in May 2022, Doja Cat cancelled her headlining set due to vocal cord surgery. That left a major gap in the slot, and organisers struggled to book a new artist on such short notice. 'I was talking with Jared Braverman from Live Nation and Steven Kim in Korea, and they suggested J-Hope,' Powell recalled, adding, 'I knew a little about BTS but not much about K-pop overall.' He continued, 'I was honoured he said yes. I just didn't realise how big that moment would become. That performance was the start of something bigger.'
Also read: BTS founder Bang Si Hyuk breaks silence on fraud allegations, apologises, says he 'will return to Korea' amid HYBE's IPO probe
That night, J-Hope became the first Korean artist to ever headline a major U.S. music festival. Over 105,000 fans showed up in person, and according to reports, millions more streamed it online via Weverse and Hulu. Articles were published calling it a culture shock in Korea, a moment when a U.S. festival most Koreans barely knew about suddenly became part of K-pop history. Before that, Lollapalooza was seen as 'K-pop proof,' a place where Korean acts didn't stand a chance. But after J-Hope, it opened the floodgates for Hallyu artists. Three years later, Lollapalooza draws one of the heaviest crowds for these shows. He's still the only Korean soloist to headline any Lollapalooza stage, anywhere in the world.
Also read: Not Jungkook or V, this BTS star alone powered HYBE's 85% North American revenue boost in Q1 2025
NME gave the Chicago show 5 out of 5 stars, calling it a moment of 'true greatness.' TV said it was one of the best sets in Lolla's history, calling it a 'rite of passage.' J-Hope was then asked to headline the Chicago show a second time in a row, but scheduling caused issues. So instead, he was asked to headline Lolla Berlin, scripting history again. Over 60,000 K-pop fans showed up for the show, and Rolling Stone Germany called it 'magical.'
This year, BTS' juniors KATSEYE and BOYNEXTDOOR closed out the four-day festival with impressive sets and ticket sales. The girl group, Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia, and Yoonchae, has now become one of the fastest-rising acts in the States, with their album breaking into the Billboard Hot 100. KATSEYE reportedly pulled in 85,000 attendees between 2 and 4 p.m., making it the largest early daytime crowd at the fest.
J-Hope, aka Jung Hoseok, on the other hand, became the first Korean soloist to sell out a U.S. stadium and landed a spot on Billboard's Midyear Top Tours list. According to HYBE's recent report, his solo tour powered a massive 85.7% revenue jump in North America in the first quarter of 2025. A July 28 report stated that HYBE earned 133.25 billion KRW (about $102 million) during this period, one of the company's biggest quarterly spikes in recent years.
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