A KRAZY K-POP Super Concert Shines in New York

Photos by UBS Arena/Dennis DaSilva

In the land of K-Pop festivals, a new player entered the scene last Saturday, August 26 at New York’s UBS Arena. The Krazy K-POP Super Concert hit the New York K-Pop scene to be the next large player in the world of multi-act K-Pop shows. A way to draw a larger audience and to showcase a range of artists versus just one, the line-up consisted of some of the hottest acts today.  With headliners consisting of MONSTA X’s SHOWNU X HYUNGWON, fans were ready for the show to be “Krazy” hot. But gathering almost as much attention was IVE, one of the hottest girl groups out now. With AB6IX, Kwon Eunbi and CRAVITY, the lineup was solid and those at Krazy were set to give their acts the platform they deserved.

The night's host was content creator JRE (Just Random Every Day), who introduced the winners of the “Krazy Dance Contest,” hosted by KRAZY X and I LOVE DANCE, Trust and Maizon. The winners performance was followed by an I LOVE DANCE “Evolution of K-Pop” dance tribute. Following was the night’s opener, Jinsol, founder of OHT, a jewelry and clothes brand popular in K-Pop. He performed a set of his songs, including “Take It Slow.” His soulful voice paired with his electric violin melted the crowd.

CRAVITY started strong with their energetic songs "My Turn" and "Baddie." During their on-stage break, they discussed how happy they felt being back in New York after two months from their MASTERPIECE tour. They also spoke about how memorable New York steak was and their upcoming album to be released on September 11. They finished the rest of their set by performing their songs, “FLY,” “Boogie Woogie,” and “Groovy.”

AB6IX, the group made up of Daehwi (former WANNA ONE member), Donghyun, Woojin, and Woong, followed with their songs “LOSER” and “SAVIOR.” The audience was thoroughly impressed  by their rap skills and the electrifying power of their performance. The group taught the audience the fan call movement for their song “THE ANSWER.” While being interviewed in the middle of their set, they shared their incredible experience in New York last year. Although New York City might not be on their upcoming The Future tour, they’ll be close enough at their Jersey City stop on November 5. The group finished their set with their songs, “BLAZE” and their popular debut song, "BREATHE.”

Soloist Kwon Eunbi charmed the stage with the elegant performance of her songs “Underwater,” “Door,” and “Glitch.” During her mid-set interview, she talked about being glad to be back in New York, since KCON New York, and her work as a radio DJ. For foods she wanted to try, she mentioned oysters and spoke about how she enjoyed shopping in SoHo. The brilliant soloist went so far as to teach MC JRE the catchy chorus of her latest song, “The Flash.” She ended her set by performing “Beautiful Night” and “The Flash.”

IVE has been releasing hit after hit since their debut. With music so infectious, it’s no wonder they’ve become one of the most popular girl groups of late. Coming onto the stage and starting with “Kitsch,,” the ladies were on point from the start. Dressed sharply in stylized school uniforms, the ladies were ready to go. Though everyone had their moments, it was Yujin’s voice that caught our ears from the start. In “After LIKE,'' Wonyoung’s vocals and sweet smiles made the arena swoon, while Gaeul and Rei’s rap energized the room. Next was JRE’s Q&A time. He asked about their thoughts on New York, where Wonyoung took a moment to greet everyone, thanking them for coming. Yujin also answered, “I really wanted to meet New York DIVE [IVE’s fandom]... and I really wanted to try New York steak.” Talking about their upcoming world tour and their wishes for a New York stop, it was soon time for “ELEVEN.” Beginning from a stepped pyramid formation, the choreography in this song was fun as they transitioned between creative formations. With “LOVE DIVE,” the energy notched a bit higher before ending with “I AM.” The song is like an earworm that haunts in the best way. With Liz and Leeseo’s vocals hitting the high notes, the song’s catchy and fun performance brought anyone still sitting to their feet.

As Shownu and Hyungwon sauntered on stage, we saw a duo that brought a relaxed swagger unlike the prior groups. While some of us had seen them not long ago at KCON, the stage here was more intimate and the two seemed much more at ease. Hitting the stage with “Love Me A Little,” from their recent EP THE UNSEEN, the duo moved with a fluidity that reflected not only their ability to move, but their experience and comfort on stage. Dressed simply in black, Shownu proved that a simple well fitting black shirt can do wonders. Hyungwon looked sharp in his black suit and the screams from the floor on their arrival said everything. Moving straight into MONSTA X’s “WHO DO U LOVE?,” Hyungwon's clear vocals stood out. Not to say that the subtle hip moves—frankly nobody does them quite the same as Shownu—were lost on anyone. Finally they took an intro break to chat as well as to give a shoutout to Monbebe (their fandom). Before their next song, Shownu commented on their opener, asking instead, “Please love me more,” which melted hearts across the arena, before continuing with “Play Me” and “Slow Dance.” With “Slow Dance,” the guys took time to interact with the crowd while dancing playfully along the floor. The last JRE Q&A of the night ended in a hilarious fashion. Asking the boys, “Since you two are known for your impressive physical abilities, do you have a cool way to end your performance?” Both laughing, the two flexed into a front and back bodybuilder pose, leading Shownu to ask Hyungwon, “Are we bodybuilders?” to the laughter of everyone. Ending their set, and the show, with MONSTA X’s “Wildfire,” the screen behind them turned into an inferno as they closed the show cleanly with their smooth vocals and moves.

As it was the first foray of KRAZY to New York, we hope that there will be more KRAZY concerts in the future. With the multitude of acts coming stateside, it was fun and exciting to see these five groupings of artists perform and we hope to see them back soon.