AleXa, Golden Child, and Brave Girls Light Up New York SummerStage’s KOREA GAYOJE
On a hot, sunny July 10 evening in New York City, a huge line of fans circled the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage in Central Park's Rumsey Playfield. With American Song Contest winner AleXa, popular boy group Golden Child, and viral girl group Brave Girls, no amount of heat could deter fans, many waiting as early as 5am for a prime spot at this free concert.
As New York’s largest running free outdoor performance series, SummerStage has long been a champion of all types of music across the New York boroughs. KOREA GAYOJE returned after a pandemic break following their successful runs in 2017 and 2018, but this time solely focused on K-Pop. Sponsored by Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, KOREA GAYOJE returned just in time to celebrate 140 years of friendship between the United States and South Korea. With the slogan "KORUS (Chorus, Culture consolidates alliance)," the KCCNY described it as a “meaningful history of cultural exchange between the two countries.” After an intro by June Rhee of the City Parks Foundation and Mickey Yoonjung Hyun from KCCNY, it was time for the show to begin.
Bringing out the energy from the onset, with her blend of high energy and complete candor, was American Song Contest winner AleXa. Alexandra Christine Schneiderman, generally known as AleXa, began as a K-Pop fan much like those in the audience in front of her. First jumping into the K-Pop spotlight as a dance winner on Rising Legends, an online audition program by Soompi partnered with JYP then next season with Cube Entertainment, she shone on the dance stage but wasn’t picked as a trainee. Trying again as a competitor in Produce 48, AleXa returned into the public sphere, but it wasn’t yet her time to shine. They make them resilient in Oklahoma, and Korean-American AleXa proved that she could do it herself. In 2019, AleXa debuted under her own ZB Label, the first act under Zanybros, a South Korean video production company specializing in music video and commercial film production for most of the popular groups in K-Pop, with her debut single “Bomb,” which made it to the top 10 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart. Combined with this year’s win on the American Song Contest, AleXa proved that she had what it takes to make it within her all along.
Coming on stage with local dance group Harmonyc Movement, AleXa showed New York why she was a winner. It was her first time performing in front of a crowd of this size since crowned, and her excitement was contagious. In a white and iridescent tank crop-top and pink cargos with her signature turquoise hair, AleXa moved effortlessly on stage, waving for cheers and smiles in the midst of her choreo, demonstrating her comfort on stage.
Though her performances were on point, it was in her ments where AleXa’s personality sparkled. Starting out with a shout out, “New York, What’s up!” and segwaying to laughter as she proclaimed candidly, “My top is falling down…and you’re seeing this for free?” she then called out for cheers while downing water. AleXa introduced herself, the just completed debut song “Bomb,” and the next song, “Do or Die.” After “Do or Die '' she read a sign that said, “AleXa step on me,” and then faked a step to laughter. Exclaiming how her inner ear cord was stuck on her necklace, she talked to the crowd saying, “What is going on?” while untangling, then tying her shoe asking, “New York City, how are you feeling tonight?” Reading another sign saying, “Hi, marry me?” and responding, “Hi - Okay,” AleXa explained that “Bomb” and “Do or Die” were part of a trilogy, with the final song of the three to come next, “Revolution.”
After a quick shout out to the groups to come, AleXa jumped into the next song of the night, “Tattoo.” With a catchy chorus, everyone was singing “Tattoo.” Joking that she’s afraid she’s going to lose a nail, “these are press ons, not acrylics,” before adjusting her top, she jumped into “Villain.'' After, she got the crowd in a wave before jumping into “Xtra.”
With a round of thank yous, including her parents in the crowd, AleXa culminated her performance with the winning hit “Wonderland.” The choreography here called for a red cord intertwined among the dancers that made for a striking visual on the stage. Among cheers and with the energy still on high, AleXa exited in time for the next performers to take the stage.
Golden Child is the popular boy group under Woollim Entertainment, most well known as the entertainment company connected with INFINITE. Also known as GNCD or Golcha, the Golden Child members include Daeyeol, Y, Jangjun, Tag, Seungmin, Jaehyun, Jibeom, Donghyun, Joochan, and Bomin. With Daeyeol enlisted and Tag absent due to recovery from a health issue, the group was on tour as eight, and fortunately for New York fans, Donghyun recovered from COVID just in time. As the second to last show on their Meet & Live USA tour, SummerStage was their only New York stop, and they were there to make it count.
Golden Child took the stage and opened with “Burn It,” The title song to their fifth mini-album [YES.]. Dressed sharply in white with studs and fringe, they came on stage and immediately jumped into choreography. In sync, they moved like veterans on the stage as they migrated seamlessly between formations. “Fanfare” followed as they gave their all on the hot stage. Holding mics, the guys had no problem getting the crowd energized.
Taking a moment to introduce themselves, Joochan let the crowd know that the hot energy fueled the initial stages of “Burn It'' and “Fanfare.” Jaehyun reminisced, stating that it was their second time coming to New York, recollecting their last visit to Central Park. Y took the mic, and between him and Joochan, further energized the floor. They read signs before pitting one side of the theater against the other, bringing up the heat a degree higher.
The infectious “Pump it Up” was next. With sweet expressions and interactions within the choreography, the song was pure candy to all the Goldenness (Golden Child’s fandom). The upbeat song had the floor jumping and screaming, and without a break they moved directly into “Crush.” Moving from group choreography sequences to smaller sequences, all members were able to stand out through the number.
With “Bottom Of The Ocean,” the guys were chill and focused on fan service through the set. All smiles as they took time to focus on fans, the fortunate ones close to the front got all the attention they’d been craving. Joochan teased a group before spraying a bottle of water to match the chorus to the song. The soak was probably welcome in the heat.
In the next ment, GOLCHA asked the crowd what songs they still wanted to hear. Though many songs were called, the winners were “WANNABE” and “One” sung acapella. Jangjun led the group, with Joochan and Y adding to the vocals of “WANNABE.” Janjun owned the, “Tap tap dap dap dap,” part in the song. WIth “ONE(Lucid Dream)”, the vocals of Joochan, Jayhyun, and Y stood out the most. The adlib showed off their vocal range and skills. After consulting the crowd again, there was a consensus to add “DamDaDi” to this acapella song group. The popular song was their debut song, and frankly, the bit of it sung acapella was not enough.
Y went on to explain that this SummerStage was the third annual KOREA GAYOJE there and the 140 anniversary of Korean-American diplomatic relations. In its honor, they went on to play their last song. For those who were craving the full “DamDaDi,” that wish came true. Pumped and ready, all the Goldenness were singing at full capacity. This was Golden Child’s last song of the night, and they finished on a high.
There’s a reason that Brave Girls went viral. Though they debuted in 2011 under Brave Entertainment, it wouldn’t be until their 2017 hit “Rollin’” when you heard about Brave Girls everywhere in K-Pop circles. The Billboard K-Pop 100 chart-topping girls lit up the stage with their crazy vocals and high energy. The quartet consisting of Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji, and Yuna were dressed in different adorable pink and pastel-toned short dresses and white cowboy boots. With clear vocals and expressive visuals by all, I was hard pressed to select a bias.
Their set started with “Chi Mat Ba Ram,” which begins with the lyrics, “We're gonna be summer queens…We are Brave Girls,” and was the perfect way to start their set. With smiles and cute dance moves, the “summer queens” brought up the level from their first moment on stage. After the song, they introduced themselves. For their NY fans, Brave Girls mentioned they had prepared a lot of songs for the show and they asked the crowd to take care of them to cheers and screams. Clearly the ladies were a highlight of the night.
In preparation for the next song, Eunji showed a dance move she wanted everyone to dance along to; a flick of the hand and little kick at the lyric “툭 (ttook)” was the move, and after a couple practice sessions, we were ready to go. WIth simple dance moves set around lyrics, “툭하면 (Easily)” was a sweet song to transition to. In this song, Minyoung’s vocal range killed it.
Moving from flirty to sexy with every note, “High Heels” was pure fun. Hair flung as they moved their hips, they were definitely sassy, tough, and pretty. Taking a moment with their ment, Yujeong told everyone that they had truly missed the sound of cheers and support for them. Introducing the perfect summer song “Pool Party,” Minyoung then proclaimed that the song needed a sing-along. In order to make that happen, she taught everyone the chorus, and after a couple rounds of, “Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na, oneulmaneun pool party,” everyone was raring to go.
Opening with the “Na-na-na” sequence, the song was definitely a catchy way to keep the energy high. With moves that mimicked swimming, the floor was swimming along with them. The song originally features E-CHAN of DKB, whose rap lines could still be heard on the backtrack. Moving directly into “We Ride,” there was no stopping the ladies.
Changing the pace for “Love is Gone,” mic stands were brought out. A vocal focus demonstrated that every member was a vocalist. Minyoung’s vocals are a force of their own and the power they held, combined with Yojeong’s rap skills had me enthralled. They broke out from behind the stands for the beginning of “FEVER.” The disco in the song got everyone moving.
Almost at the end of their set and the show, the ladies gave their final words. Yuna started off the greetings stating that she was so happy to perform in front of so many people in New York, hoping to meet again in the future. Yujeong asked everyone to keep supporting them, and Eunji expressed their determination to work harder. Minyoung ended the ment stating her thanks to everyone there. Introducing the next song from Queendom 2, Yuna went on to explain that “RED SUN” is a song, “that wishes that everyone gets what they want and where they want to be.” Performing that song, and then bringing back the choreo for “Whistle,” the ladies were ending the night with a high note. That goal wasn’t hard to achieve with “Rollin’” closing out the night.
As with Golden Child, Brave Girls were also on their tour. With stops still happening through the west coast at the end of the month, there’s still time to catch Brave Girls stateside. Though the night may have been over, the energy of the night lingered. The goal to connect and to expose this community to contemporary Korean culture via K-Pop was achieved with a wide range of viewers in attendance. The celebration of 140 years of Korean-American alliance demonstrated that the ties now are stronger than ever.
Thank you to the City Parks Foundation and Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) for inviting us to this event.
