It’s been a long overdue for Europe to have its own K-pop Festival, and KPOP.FLEX arrived to change that. Taking place on May 14 and 15 at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, the event sold over 65,000 tickets across 84 countries. Featuring a stellar line-up, with names ranging from EXO’s to super rookies ive, the festival aims to become a recurrent point of connection for fans in the continent.
Aside from performances, it also features Korea Festival, a fan fest arranged by the Korean Tourism Organization with food stalls and special presentations of Korean music and cultural assets.
After witnessing Day 1 of the festival, which featured performances from IVE, ENHYPEN, AB6IX, (G) I-DLE, MAMAMOO, NCT Dream and Kai, here are the moments that delighted us the now.
Day 1
Love Diving with IVE
With less than a year of activity, the girl group ive had quickly risen to be ones to watch. It makes sense, then, that they were chosen to open both days of the festival. On Day 1, which also marked IVE’s first-ever overseas performance, they captivated the audience with their catchy and luxurious “chaebol crush ”concept. First, the audience plunged into their latest single ‘Love Dive’, followed by B-side ‘Royal’ and debut hit ‘Eleven’. Important to note that Yujin’s mic was on this day.
ENHYPEN’s Knife-Sharp Performance
Another group that just experienced the first taste of an overseas performance was ENHYPEN. The boyband, who debuted in late 2020, prepared a powerful OT7 version of Mix & Max’s ‘Bleeding Darkness’ for the intro, showcasing their impossibly coordinated moves. The performance was followed by last year’s ‘Drunk-Dazed’ and ‘Fever’, which then led to a special section where Sunoo and Jungwon put forward their best aegyo.
Heeseung later sang a snippet of Justin Bieber’s ‘Off My Face’, and the whole group melted the audience with their viral TikTok hit ‘Polaroid Love.’ They also tried to teach the public some moves for ‘Tamed-Dashed’, which, together with their latest single ‘Blessed-Cursed’, closed their set for the night.
Let It Go, Let It Go, Let It Go
If you thought the Frozen craze was gone, think again. KPOP.FLEX brought back the 2013 Disney movie’s omnipresent soundtrack ‘Let It Go’ for a rendition featuring MAMAMOO’s Solar and AB6IX’s Daehwi. Dressed in white, their crystalline voices echoed through the stadium while we wondered “Is this really happening?”
VCRs Featuring the Whole K-pop Industry, Basically
Beyond the acts performing today, KPOP.FLEX also prepared a VCR that featured messages from acts like Stray Kids, TXT’s Yeonjun, Kwon Eun-bi and more. Even model and actress Jung Ho-yeon, best known for her role on Netflix’s Squid Game, recorded a special message to greet the audience at the beginning of the event. It was a special touch that maybe hints on what’s to come for the next editions? We can dream.
AB6IX’s Search for the Stadium
The AB6IX graced the stage with elegance and all-white outfits, performing hits such as ‘Close’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Cherry’ and the entrancing ‘Do You Remember?’. But before all that, they recorded a sweet mini-vlog of their flight to Frankfurt. Among the scenes, the moment where Woong and Donghyun search for the Deutsche Bank Park stadium from up above was both funny and endearing. Idols, they’re just like us.
Neither Man, Nor Woman, Just (G) I-DLE
Proving that they are some of the top performers in the game, the girl group (G) I-LE set KPOP.FLEX aflame with their rock-infused ‘Tomboy’, followed by debut single ‘LATATA’, 2020’s ‘Oh My Go’, and finishing with ‘I Never Die’ knockout ‘My Bag.’ Not only do they have an attitude and charisma to spare, but also versatility – they tapped onto their soft side to perform a cover of Justin Bieber’s ‘Love Yourself’ earlier on too.
MAMAMOO Four-Ever
Veteran queens MAMAMOO blessed the night with their heavenly vocals – as expected – but also with a display of their lasting friendship. While the group hasn’t disbanded, leader Solar has previously mentioned that a comeback with all members is “not going to be immediate,” so any and all reunions by the quartet are extra precious. On the setlist, they opted for recent hits ‘Aya’, ‘gogobebe’, ‘HIP’ and ‘Mumumumuch’.
NCT Dream Bring the Heat and the Glitch
Believe it or not, “Jaemin, the definition of sensual” was an actual caption during the NCT Dream’s section. Just like ENHYPEN, the boy group had special prompts to abide to, like showing their best “sensual”, “tough” and “cute” concepts – even though it all ended up being different versions of “cute”, complete with Jisung pulling a ring out of his pocket and proposing to more or less 44,000 people.
Even though members Mark and Haechan couldn’t be present that night, the remaining five dreams didn’t disappoint. In fact, they made the best out of the situation, covering their teammates’ parts with ease in a blazing setlist that moved from ‘Hot Sauce’, to ‘Ridin’ ‘, to’ Hello Future ‘, and then to their latest single’ Glitch Mode ‘.
Kai is Just Built Differently
It’s not like you can’t see how spellbinding Kai is through the screen, but seeing him move live is just different. There is the flow of a performer who’s been doing this for over a decade, the warm personality of Kim Jong-in (his given name), the care and craft of an individual who gives his everything onstage. Closing the festival with majesty, the EXO member also said he chose the setlist himself: latest single ‘Peaches’, his favorite song ‘Vanilla’, the slow jam ‘To Be Honest’ and his solo debut ‘Mmmh’.
More to Come in 2023
At the end of the festival, it was also announced that KPOP.FLEX will return to Frankfurt next year on June 17th and 18th. While this year’s edition hasn’t even ended yet, the public’s loud cheers prove that Europe is more than ready for the next one.
Stay tuned for the highlights of Day 2, featuring performances from MONSTA X, AB6IX, IVE, Dreamcatcher, MAMAMOO, (G) I-DLE and Kai.