MIK Festival 2022 - When K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop Came to London
The MIK Festival closed July 2022 in the best way possible, bringing a weekend of K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop music to London. This festival concluded the UK’s summer of Korean music in a way UK and European K-Music fans could only dream of. July opened with a weekend of high quality K-Pop performances through HallyuPopFest in London on July 9 and 10, and then just three weeks later closed with the spectacular K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop performances at MIK - Made In Korea on July 30 and 31–Europe’s biggest and first ever outdoor Korean music festival.
Split across two days, day one saw a great line-up of soloists and idol groups take to the stage for MIK’s K-Pop day while day two consisted of a powerful and outright legendary line-up for its K-Hip-Hop day. The acts who performed across this unforgettable weekend were Holland, Cherry Bullet, Golden Child, Chungha, VIVIZ, PENTAGON, Suho, Red Velvet, pH-1, Dok2, Jessi, Epik High, LEE HI, GRAY, LOCO, and Jay Park. For many of these artists, their appearance at MIK was their first time performing or even visiting the UK, making the festival much more special for them and their fans.
Day One: K-Pop Day
Opening the MIK festival was K-Pop soloist Holland. Initially, Holland had been announced as MIK’s special guest, but with rookie girl group Billlie dropping out of the line-up due to members testing positive for COVID-19, Holland was able to take center stage as the festival's opening act. Holland confidently took to the stage where he was met with huge, heartfelt cheers and support from his Harlings, many of whom were waving Pride flags in the crowd. As Korea’s first openly gay K-Pop idol, Holland proudly exclaimed, “Yeah I’m f****** gay” in between his setlist that included “I’m So Afraid,” “I’m Not Afraid,” and “Neverland,” and took a lucky fan’s Pride flag on stage with him after making time to interact with those standing in the front row of the golden circle crowd. Once his set ended, Holland made his way through the crowd, taking time to talk to and meet those standing further away at the barrier of general admission, radiating a very gentle and kind energy throughout.
Next up was K-Pop girl group Cherry Bullet who, like Holland, had never performed in the UK prior to MIK. Cherry Bullet had a cute concept shining through each of their high-energy performances, opening with their debut single “Q&A” followed by “Really Really,” “Love So Sweet,” “Love In Space,” and a few other tracks. The crowd adored them and their energy was a great start to this long yet exciting day of music.
Following Cherry Bullet, boy group Golden Child were the next act to perform. Not only were the members excited because it was also their first time ever performing and visiting England, but the next day (July 31) happened to be two of the Golden Child members’ birthdays. With this, Golden Child and the MIK crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to members Y and Juchan, with Juchan saying their performance in the UK was like a birthday present to him.
During their energetic set, Golden Child revealed that they had made their setlist themselves, opening with a medley consisting of “WANNABE,” “Without You,” and “ONE(Lucid Dream)” before going on to perform “Burn It,” “Ra Pam Pam,” “Pump It Up,” “I Love You Crazy!,” and “Bottom Of The Ocean,” before ending with their debut single “DamDaDi.” During their speeches between each performance, the Golcha members shared their experience of London, telling the crowd their visits to different famous landmarks such as Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the crosswalk made famous by The Beatles, and Platform 9 ¾ from the Harry Potter film series, among many others. They also sang a snippet of “Yellow” from British band Coldplay and teased a new song from their latest EP, AURA, released on August 8.
The next act to perform was solo artist Chungha, her first ever visit to the UK. Accompanied by female backing dancers, Chungha’s stage presence was fierce and her vocals were unreal, delivering such powerful performances and showcasing her incredible vocal ability with each song. In total, Chungha performed eight tracks, which included “Snapping,” “Sparkling,” and an exclusive performance of “Don’t Believe in Love,'' an unreleased song from the upcoming second part of her latest album, Bare&Rare, Pt.1.
Taking the festival back to a cute concept, VIVIZ were the next act to take to the stage with their first ever performance on UK soil. Consisting of former GFRIEND members SinB, Umji, and Eunha, this trio brought a cute, summery vibe to the festival with fun, catchy songs that included “Lemonade,” “Love Love Love,” and “BOP BOP!” Their music and cuteness filled the crowd with a lot of love and excitement, and it was great to see so many people dancing along and cheering for them in the crowd.
Next up was PENTAGON, who brought an incredible vibe and an amazing set of songs with them. With each performance, the members were able to showcase their vocals and synchronized dance abilities, performing the likes of “The Game,” “Call My Name,” a rock version of “Beautiful Goodbye” just for London, and everyone’s favorite “SHINE,” complete with the addictive “shoot” dance movement we all love from the music video. Like the other acts, this was PENTAGON’s first time performing in the UK and, of course, they couldn’t resist re-enacting the iconic “Ay-oh” crowd interaction made famous by British band Queen. As a casual listener before, their performance at MIK has definitely made me want to follow their music more closely and hope for a UK PENTAGON tour in the future.
With MIK’s K-Pop day slowly coming to an end, the penultimate act of the night was EXO leader Suho, the third member of EXO to bring a solo performance to the UK after both Chen and KAI performed at HallyuPopFest at the start of the month (which Suho mentioned). Compared to the energetic and cute pop acts before him, Suho brought a completely different vibe to MIK, giving the crowd more of an indie-rock vibe, complete with the accompaniment of a live band that was just incredible and left you wanting to hear more. He sang a variety of songs from his own tracks including “Let’s Love,” “Morning Star,” and “Grey Suit,” as well as a cover of “Met You By Chance” by Songgolmae, a popular Korean rock band from the 1980s, and a cover of The Beatles’ “Let It Be.”
There’s really no denying how great of a performer Suho is, with his performance at MIK strongly emphasizing this. Not only did he give off such amazing performances, but he also took the time to shine the spotlight on each member of his band, like the true leader he is. During his set, Suho revealed that it had been 10 years since his last show in the UK. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another 10 years for him to come back, solo or with the rest of the EXO members alongside him.
The last act of the night, bringing MIK’s K-Pop day to an end, was none other than highly popular girl group Red Velvet. Despite being one member down with the absence of Joy, the Red Velvet girls delivered a powerful and highly anticipated set to a crowd of eager fans, ready to sing and dance the night away to their addictive tunes. Singing the likes of “Feel My Rhythm,” “Psycho,” “Bad Boy (English version),” “Peek-A-Boo,” and so much more, this was Red Velvet’s first time ever performing in London and they did not disappoint. The girls showed exactly why they are so popular among K-Pop listeners, with each of their performances bringing high levels of energy and excitement to the stage and the crowd in front of them.
Day Two: K-Hip-Hop Day
After the excitement of MIK’s K-Pop day, day two’s K-Hip-Hop day was certainly a long-awaited event for so many of the festival's attendants. The crowd definitely appeared to be full of a lot more people than the previous day, and with a great lineup including the likes of Jessi, Epik High, GRAY, and Jay Park, this was certainly a day not to be missed in the UK.
The first act to take to the K-Hip-Hop stage was H1GHR MUSIC rapper pH-1, performing for the first time in London since the pandemic. Performing hits such as “Cupid,” “366&7,” “Olaf,” and “Achoo,” pH-1 had the crowd both relaxed and hyped up, ready for another long yet exciting day of music. Not only did he deliver a great set to the crowd, but pH-1 also gifted five signed CDs to some lucky festival attendees, showing how great of an artist he is on stage and when interacting with his fans.
Following pH-1, the second act to come on stage was rapper Dok2 who had quite a confident, slightly controversial approach to his act—claiming to be a better rapper than everyone else performing before or after him. Joined on stage by a hype man, Dok2 performed a selection of songs, such as “Beverly 1lls” and a performance of one of his new tracks, and gifting the crowd with what appeared to be pairs of socks.
The third act, and one of the most anticipated acts of the day for The Kraze, was rapper, singer, and variety show star Jessi. As amazing as her performances of songs such as “Gucci,” “Drip,” “Cold Blooded,” “What Type of X,” and “ZOOM” were, it was Jessi’s interaction with the crowd that was the most memorable of her set. Jessi showed constant care and affection toward the festival audience, handing out water bottles (that were meant for the artists) to those who had been standing in the heat for hours and telling them to tell her if and when they needed water. She also took the time to interact with the crowd, taking selfies with those standing in the front row, hugging them, and having various conversations, even giving shoutouts to one of her longtime supporters, Raffy, who she found in the crowd. Jessi’s constant interaction with the audience made her set go over longer than it was supposed to (not that anyone was complaining), making Epik High late for their set. She even called out Dok2 for his claim of being the best rapper at the event, defending her fellow artists.
During her set, Jessi revealed that she originally didn’t want to release “NUNU NANA” because she felt it was too loud and that “ZOOM” only took her two days to write. She also revealed that she will be having a European tour (with dates now announced) and plans for a London pop-up of her soon-to-be-released makeup line. From her MIK performance and interactions alone, Jessi proved to be such a sweet and confident person, no different from how she comes across on The Sixth Sense and other shows she appears in.
Finally making their appearance after the slight overrun of Jessi’s set, legendary K-Hip-Hop trio Epik High were the next act to perform at MIK. Singing a great mix of their older songs such as “Fly” and “High Technology” along with their more recent hit “Rosario,” Epik High brought a high-energized set that had the crowd buzzing and hyped up from start to end. They also added comical elements to their set such as their member introductions, using MARVEL’s The Avengers theme to introduce DJ Tukutz, the Universal Pictures theme to introduce Mithra, and the 20th Century Fox theme for Tablo’s introduction. Tablo also teased that they had brought a K-Pop special guest to their set, only for it to turn out to be DJ Tukutz who had prepared a special K-Pop dance performance for us. Epik High also designed and signed a t-shirt, live on stage, throwing it into the crowd for one lucky attendee to take home. Their performance was a fun, lively time for both longtime Epik High fans and those new to their music.
LEE HI was the next act to perform, changing up the festival mood with her soulful voice and slow, ballad-esque discography that brought the crowd to a more chill and peaceful place compared to the previous acts. Being her first time in London, LEE HI performed the likes of “Savior,” “H.S.K.T.,” and “ONLY,” showcasing her amazing vocal ability, while also performing some tracks on the more upbeat side such as “Red Lipstick,” “Tip Toe,” and “Bye.” LEE HI’s set was a nice change up to the festival, and one that gently got us prepared for the final set of acts performing after her.
Iconic AOMG producer and artist GRAY and his labelmate and longtime collaborator LOCO were the next two acts to take to the MIK stage. Performing first, GRAY brought a much-loved, high-energy set to the festival with a mix of hits including “Change,” “STAY THE NIGHT,” “I Don’t Love You,” and “Just Do It.” GRAY was clearly a fan favorite, with the crowd dancing, jumping, and screaming along to his music. In one comical moment, GRAY picked up a red bra that had been thrown onto the stage, holding it up to his chest saying it was too small for him. This bra then got stuck to his sweater, much to his and everyone’s amusement.
After GRAY, it was LOCO’s time to shine, bringing another fun and highly energized performance to the stage, performing the likes of “Party Band,” “OPPA,” “Too Much,” and “Don’t,” with him telling the crowd to be his Hwasa during the performance of the latter. While his rap deliverance was powerful and hard-hitting, LOCO’s stage presence in between the tracks contradicted this image as he was so adorable and cheeky with his crowd interactions. LOCO tried his best to communicate with us in English, but adorably kept apologizing for not being good at it, and made jokes throughout his speeches, one referring to a friend’s name sounding similar to the chorus of “Too Much.” Later in LOCO’s set, LEE HI and GRAY returned to the stage for a collaborative performance of their track “Party For The Night” followed by a GRAY and LOCO collab of “No Manners,” bringing LOCO’s set to an end.
The final act of the night, and probably the most anticipated act of the entire weekend, was rapper, singer, and label CEO (among many other titles) Jay Park, who brought massive party vibes to Southwark Park. Jay Park performed on stage for a duration of one hour, performing a selection of hits from both his R&B and hip-hop discography. These tracks included “DNA,” “All I Wanna Do,” “GANADARA,” and of course, the iconic “MOMMAE,” to which he gave a very special shirtless performance of the song. He also announced that he has a new R&B album on the way, performing the song “Need to Know” off of it.
Hours after opening MIK’s K-Hip-Hop day, pH-1 returned to the stage, joining Jay Park in an insane performance of their track “The Purge” that really raised the already high levels of energy in the park. Soon after, GRAY and LOCO also came back out to join Jay Park in a performance of “Who You (Remix).” All of these collaborative performances were insane and an immensely pleasant surprise to end the festival with. As well as being joined by his fellow artists throughout his set, Jay Park was also joined by dance groups Holybang (the dance crew champions of Mnet’s Street Woman Fighter) and MVP (the dance agency he recently founded) who, at one point, were able to take center stage to showcase their incredible dance skills.
With his mix of R&B and hip-hop music, Jay Park’s set was an amazing end, not only to MIK’s K-Hip-Hop day but to the entire MIK weekend, turning the festival into what felt like a Jay Park concert and a literal party in the park that no one wanted to end.
MIK Overview
MIK was truly an amazing weekend that brought such a strong lineup of K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop artists to the UK. The reactions from the crowd toward these artists proved how much of a demand there is for Korean music acts to perform in the UK more often. Thanks to MIK, UK and European K-Music fans got to be part of an unmissable event that we hope will be back next year, opening eyes and ears to the incredible talents Korea has to offer across K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop.
Keep up-to-date with MIK here and stay tuned to see which city the festival will be heading to next.
Edited by Aleena Faisal