The latter half of 2024 and early 2025 will be full of performances of popular overseas artists.
For one, American R&B singer Ne-Yo is coming to Korea.
Concert organizer Dream Maker Entertainment announced that "Ne-Yo Champagne & Roses 2024 in Seoul" will be held on Oct. 16 at the Hwajeong Gymnasium at Korea University in Seoul.
Ne-Yo gained recognition even before his debut by composing songs for Mary J. Blige and Beyonce. He rose to stardom with his first full-length album, "In My Own Words," released in 2006. Track "So Sick" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks.
Ne-Yo has visited Korea several times since his first visit in 2008, and this concert marks his return to Korea after nine years since his last performance in 2015.
Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote will be holding their first concert in Korea on Nov. 5 at Yes24 Live Hall, located in the western part of Seoul.
The four-member band from Melbourne, Australia, is known for its unique "future soul" sound, which blends R&B and soul with various genres such as jazz, funk, hip-hop and electronic music.
The band has gained global popularity, taking stages in major music festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2023 and Japan's Fuji Rock Festival in 2022.
Their music has been sampled by well-known artists such as Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Anderson Paak and Beyonce, making them familiar to many listeners worldwide.
Japanese singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze will hold his second concert in Korea after a year and a half.
Kaze will conclude his second Asian tour, "Best of Fujii Kaze 2020-2024 Asia Tour," with a concert at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, on Dec. 14.
The artist first performed in Korea in June last year at the Donghae Arts Center, Kwangwoon University, with a capacity of 2,000. This time, he will perform at the much larger Gocheok Sky Dome, which can accommodate around 20,000 people. Kaze will be the first J-pop artist to hold a solo concert at this venue.
After successfully completing his first Asian tour last year, Kaze is performing at arena venues this time, beginning in Singapore on Oct. 26 followed by shows in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Taipei, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Manila before arriving in Korea.
Returning to Korea after seven years is the US pop-rock band OneRepublic.
OneRepublic will reunite with Korean fans on Jan. 18 at Inspire Arena in Incheon. This tour follows the release of the band's new album, "Artificial Paradise," in July and is part of the band's world tour.
OneRepublic held its first solo concert in Korea in April 2018. The band's lead vocalist and star producer Ryan Tedder made headlines for actively engaging with fans, entering the audience area during the concert.
Tedder is famous for producing albums like Adele's "21" and "25" and Taylor Swift's "1989," winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year three times.
He has also worked with diverse K-pop artists, including Lisa of Blackpink, Jimin of BTS, Twice and TXT.
Japanese super idol group Naniwa Danshi will visit Korea for the first time next year, holding concerts Jan. 11-12 at Inspire Arena in Incheon.
Naniwa Danshi is a popular Japanese boy group that debuted in November 2021. The group consists of seven members: Daigo Nishihata, Ryusei Onishi, Shunsuke Michieda, Kyohei Takahashi, Kento Nagao, Joichiro Fujiwara and Kazuya Ohashi. Among them, Shunsuke Michieda has previously visited Korea for the film, "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight."
Naniwa Danshi kicked off its Japanese arena tour in June with the release of the group's third full-length album, "+Alpha," and is expected to meet approximately 434,000 fans through 42 performances in nine cities across Japan by Oct. 6.
Norwegian DJ and music producer Kygo is set to meet Korean music fans next year.
The concert, part of his world tour following the release of his new album, "Kygo," in June, will be held on Feb. 28 at Inspire Arena. This marks his return to Korea for the first time since 2018.
The event organizer, Live Nation Korea, is considering offering special packages, including champagne and other alcoholic beverages, and will provide shuttle buses to ensure the audience's safety and comfortable return home.
Kygo first gained recognition with his remix of Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire" and topped music charts in several countries with his debut single, "Firestone," in 2014. In Korea, he collaborated with BTS' Jin for Jin's solo single, "The Astronaut."
In 2015, Kygo became the first electronic musician to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert and delivered a mesmerizing performance at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
