Earlier this year, I wrote about meeting several Swedish K-pop songwriters during my visit to Stockholm. What I was unable to witness during my trip was the reception of K-pop among fans in Sweden.
Stockholm is not a regular tour stop for K-pop groups, but Aug. 22 proved to be an exception. As part of the Korean Culture Festival Stockholm, hosted by Koreanskt Kulturcenter (Korean Cultural Centre in Stockholm), K-pop group Ifeye performed a 10-song set at Kungstradgarden, a venue with a simultaneous capacity of 7,000. The estimated number of visitors throughout the day was about 30,000, according to the organizers. The afternoon included Korean cultural activities such as folk games, taekwondo, and K-pop dance, as well as booths with K-product vendors. I was not at the event, but I watched a YouTube recording. I also spoke to one of the organizers.
The festival ran from noon to 6 p.m. and, from the YouTube video, the audience area was packed — primarily with teenagers and young adults. Some held handmade signs, including photo boards that celebrated individual members of the group.
Given that Ifeye had a 45-minute set, they appeared to be the main focus of the day. Members Won Hwayeon, Taerin, Rahee, Kasia, Meu and Sasha all seemed very comfortable speaking English to the crowd. I strongly believe K-pop fans who live where fewer groups visit are starving for concerts and are incredibly enthusiastic.
Dahae Choi, creative director of Hitfire Production, who served as the artist casting and coordination manager for the event, told me, “The audience response was even more enthusiastic than I expected. What stood out to me was how K-pop fan culture itself has travelled along with the music. People are no longer just watching a performance but are actively participating in it as if they were at the concert venue in Seoul.”
Dahae is a veteran of Korea's K-pop industry, but has lived in Sweden for more than a decade. It is a personal crusade for her to bring K-pop and K-culture more generally to her new home of Sweden. Those who believe in promoting Hallyu owe members of the Korean diaspora like Dahae a debt of gratitude. Only by living in a country can you begin to understand how to tap into their curiosity about Korea and the Korean Wave.
While some audience members were Ifeye fans, many would have been less familiar with this young group. Dahae further explained, “It was especially fun to see local parents and first-time observers standing next to fans who knew every lyric in Korean. Some made their own signs and fan items and were fully emotionally invested. That contrast really showed how engaging and contagious the energy of K-pop can be.”
To both old and new fans alike, from my viewing of the video, Ifeye did not disappoint. They performed mostly their own songs, including my personal favorite, “Nerdy” (which I previously heard at last year’s KCON in LA). The audience was also invigorated by two cover songs — “As If It’s Your Last” (originally by Blackpink) and “Dope” (originally by BTS). The balance between doing one’s original songs versus covers is difficult for newer groups to navigate, but I think this was the right balance. Also, who can quibble with their excellent choices?
Dahae Choi also organized activities for the members. They filmed content from a rooftop with one of the most picturesque views of Stockholm. They also visited Spotify headquarters. They participated in songwriting sessions with Julie Yu and Erik Lidbom at Hitfire Productions. In fact, the first song of their set, “Lover Boy,” was co-written by Julie Yu, so it must have been fun for them to work together in person. A subset of the group also participated in another separate songwriting session with writers from Very Good Music Production.
Overall, it’s a great strategy for newer K-pop groups to visit less traditional locations. The very popular group XLOV has visited Helsinki, Finland, and Athens, Greece. Trendz has visited Warsaw, Poland, Prague, Czech Republic, and Sofia, Bulgaria. Young Posse went to Krakow, Poland. In fact, ifeye also went to Gothenburg, Sweden, for its Korean Culture Festival. There, they performed in pouring rain.
Many more audience members in these cities would have never seen a K-pop concert compared to similar shows in Seoul, Tokyo, New York, or San Francisco. Watching the choreography and friendly artist-audience interactions in a G-rated setting is quite magical. Then again, I’m biased since I love concerts and I love K-pop.
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Grace Kao
Grace Kao is an IBM professor of sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.
khnews@heraldcorp.com
