[RECAP] KISS OF LIFE Makes Dreams Come True at The Novo in Los Angeles

Cr. Ericka P.

Rising K-Pop girl group KISS OF LIFE brought their first-ever world tour, KISS ROAD, to downtown Los Angeles at The Novo on December 3. After a successful start in Seoul on October 26 & 27, KISS OF LIFE headed over to the United States for their 18-city American tour. The Los Angeles December 3 show was added to their tour due to high demand, for a total of three Southern California shows (two in Los Angeles, one in Anaheim).

KISS OF LIFE, also referred to as KIOF, debuted on July 5, 2023, with their self-titled mini-album KISS OF LIFE and quickly won fans over with their mature charms and performance skills. The multinational, four-member group consists of Julie (Honolulu, HI), Natty (Thailand), Belle (Seattle, WA), and Haneul (South Korea).

KISS ROAD is an invitation to KISSYs, the official fan club name, to join the members on a road trip. After playing KISS OF LIFE’s debut song “Shhh,” the sounds of a car warming up its engine played to signal the start of the journey. The girls individually strutted on stage in shimmery black outfits with bedazzled details for their latest title track “Get Loud.” As the crowd barked in excitement, the girls turned their backs briefly before quickly whipping around, sporting sunglasses for the fan-favorite song “Igloo.” The stage lights dimmed as the girls acted like hitchhikers in the countryside to transition into “Bad News (ENG Ver.).

KISSYs were ecstatic as the lights turned on and the girls gathered to greet the audience and introduce themselves. Belle shared that she was nervous at first but because she heard KISSYs’ cheers, her adrenaline started pumping. The girls agreed that performing in Los Angeles was one of their biggest dreams coming true and aimed to melt away everyone’s worries with their performances.

Cr. Ericka P.

KISS OF LIFE pumped KISSYs up by asking “Are you ready to hit the road with us?” and then pretended to start a car with a sputtering engine. The next stage was an unreleased track titled “Wine House” that samples Amy Winehouse’s hit single “Rehab.” Although it was a new song, KISSYs still sang along to the familiar melody and vibed along. The girls skillfully incorporated mic stand choreography into the second half of “Wine House” and for the sensual, groovy “Chemistry.”

Taking time to chat with their fans, the girls asked KISSYs “What is LA famous for?” The audience shouted answers like In-N-Out Burger and the Dodgers but made the girls giddy with joy as they chanted “KISS OF LIFE” as an answer. Julie then posed a question to KISSYs — “Just like how cars need fuel to keep going, what does KISS OF LIFE need to keep going?” The answer was KISSYs cheers so Julie asked fans to cheer extra loud to encourage them. 

Cr. Ericka P.

As a preview of the next song, KISS OF LIFE asked if there were any fans named “Alex” in the room. Hilariously, the girls were understandably doubtful as half the crowd said yes. The girls then performed “Too Many Alex” before cutting the music at the outro to test how well KISSYs knew the lyrics. Fans proudly showed off their arms covered with the lyrics written in ink and nailed the lengthy chant of “Alex, Daniel, John, Paul, Brian, Michael, Robert, Joe, Mark, Tyler.”

A voiceover skit of the girls bantering about getting changed quickly to see KISSYs again played—highlights included Haneul’s reference to the popular meme “WE MO CHECK” and them singing a snippet of viral song “APT” by Rosé.

Returning to the stage in bright red leather and satin outfits, the girls performed the Latin ballroom-inspired “Te Quiero” with its signature feathery fan choreography. It was now time for the infamous “KISSY Chair” segment where a lucky fan gets picked to sit on a chair and receive a special, up close and personal performance of the sultry “Nobody Knows.” The girls deliberated which fan cheered the loudest and the honor went to a front row KISSY who donned a beautiful lace red corset to match the girls’ stage outfits. After a hot, steamy performance of “Nobody Knows” tailored to the “KISSY Chair” winner, the members asked the lucky KISSY what her favorite song was, which actually turned out to be “Nobody Knows.” KISS OF LIFE also noticed that the fan was dancing during their performance and invited her to dance the chorus with them. The KISSY knew all the moves and blended harmoniously with the members that the girls claimed her as their fifth member.

After the “KISSY Chair” segment, the girls continued the show with a remixed version of “Gentleman.” The members briefly exited the stage and returned with loose-fitting t-shirts over their stage outfits — fans quickly realized the next stage was the summer hit song, “Sticky.” Natty had to hilariously shush the audience to hint that the next song was one that they love to “shake their ass” to. Belle also asked the audience, “How long before we fall in love?” and boldly declared that once KISSYs fall in love with KISS OF LIFE, there is no way out. “Sticky” is a particularly special song for the group as it was the song that secured their first music show win and really showed off their colors to the world. With all that being said, the girls and the crowd put all their energy into the performance. The crowd went especially wild when KISS OF LIFE took off their t-shirts and continued to buzz with excitement as girls continued right into the upbeat song “My 808.”

After a little water break, it was time to change up the mood as the girls slowed things down. They sat down to sing the sweet “R.E.M” and emotional “Nothing” to show off their beautiful vocals. Sadly, the show was almost over and Belle hilariously screamed “Ahh, no way!” to convey how truly sad she was. Julie shared her desire for people to brag about seeing KISS OF LIFE and exclaim how they are “really good” and “really hot.” The crowd enthusiastically agreed to the latter with lots of barking. The group said their “final” goodbyes to prepare for their “final” two songs while heavily hinting for KISSYs to call them back out.

An acapella intro featuring the iconic “When I touch ya” line set the stage for the confident, sexy song, “Midas Touch.” KISS OF LIFE then followed up with the sassy debut song “Shhh” which featured Belle’s signature high notes to top off the main part of the setlist. The girls exited the stage and the crowd chanted for an encore. Hearing KISSYs’ excitement, the girls quickly returned wearing their tour merchandise hoodies paired with cute skirts, while Natty donned cute cheetah print pajama pants, all singing “Bye My Neverland.”

For their true final goodbyes, Belle started first and immediately started crying as she acknowledged her parents in the crowd. She tearfully thanked her parents for “raising me with heart” and declared that she is doing what she was meant to do, so she will continue to work hard to make music that her family and fans can be proud of. The members comically gave Belle a giant towel instead of tissues to wipe her tears. Natty shared that being on stage was like a dream, especially after being a trainee for so long. Julie proclaimed that KISS OF LIFE is only going to keep growing and reaching bigger stages, but this first tour will always have a special place in their heart. She also gave a shout-out to her parents and brother who were also in the audience. Hanuel did her ment in Korean and was surprised when fans cheered before hearing the English translations, cutely asking “Whoa, you guys know Korean?” Julie helped translate and told the audience “Bob Sky said she wants to live in LA one day,” which delighted fans to hear Haneul’s iconic nickname uttered by the members in real life.

Cr. KISS OF LIFE

For the group photo, the staff brought out large silver balloons depicting the Los Angeles area code, 213. Instead of saying “cheese” or “kimchi,” the members said “Saranghae, KISSY” to which KISSYs responded with “Saranghae, KISS OF LIFE!”

KISS OF LIFE continued the encore with “No One But Us” as staff members came to the barricade to help pass on KISSYs’ gifts to the girls, helping create memorable moments for the fans. The girls showed off various fan items such as custom-made slogans, fuzzy animal ears, and various small plush animals. The show officially concluded with the uplifting “Back to Me” as the members regretfully waved goodbye to their Los Angeles KISSYs.

Despite it being their first world tour, KISS OF LIFE demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with by delivering an eventful night filled with energetic performances and top-tier fanservice. With each comeback, KISS OF LIFE continues to gain more traction, ensuring they will make good on their promise to return soon in bigger venues and with improved performances.

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