Some of the biggest names in Korean music will take the stage at this year’s Lollapalooza. Taking place from August 3 to August 6 in Chicago’s Grant Park, Lollapalooza is one of America’s most iconic and longest-running music festivals. After becoming the first K-Pop group to ever perform at the event in 2022, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) will be the first K-Pop group to headline the flagship event. Joining them is NewJeans, whose hit songs like “Attention” and “OMG” have taken the world by storm. Their performance at Lollapalooza marks NewJeans’ U.S. festival debut and makes them the first-ever female K-Pop group to perform at the event. In addition to TXT and NewJeans, Lollapalooza’s star-studded lineup includes Korean alternative hip-hop and R&B artists DPR IAN and DPR LIVE, along with indie rock band The Rose. ARMNHMR, the Korean-American and Filipino-American EDM duo is also set to perform.
Over 170 artists from various global genres will perform at Lollapalooza, which draws nearly 400,000 people every year. Along with TXT, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, ODESZA, Lana Del Rey, Karol G, and The 1975 are headlining the festival.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s appearance at the festival comes just after concluding the U.S. leg of their second world tour, ACT: SWEET MIRAGE. If the tour’s elaborate stages are anything to go by, TXT fans, known as MOA, can expect to see a similarly well-produced stage set at Lollapalooza. MOA can also anticipate hearing songs from The Name Chapter: Temptation, their most recent EP, throughout their set.
NewJeans, who debuted in 2022, has become one of the fastest-rising K-Pop acts between hit songs and global brand ambassadorships. In addition to “Attention” and “OMG,” songs like “Hype Boy,” “Cookie,” and “Ditto,” have seen viral success outside of the K-Pop circle. Canadian EDM artist Dabin dropped a remix of “Ditto” at the inaugural Head in the Clouds New York Music & Arts Festival in May. DJ Tukutz of iconic K-hip-hop group Epik High did a fun dance cover of “OMG” which was also incorporated into their recent tour. With a comeback reportedly scheduled for late June and July, Bunnies (aka NewJeans fans) can expect to hear new music in addition to their viral songs during their Lollapalooza set.
DPR IAN and DPR LIVE have been regulars on the global festival circuit this year, with recent performances at the infamous Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, HipHopPlaya Festival in South Korea, and the first-ever Head in the Clouds New York Music & Arts Festival. The duo will have a busy weekend between their appearances at Lollapalooza and Head in the Clouds Los Angeles as both festivals will be happening on the same weekend. If the similarities between their Coachella and Head in the Clouds New York sets are anything to go by, DPR fans will have the opportunity to see IAN and LIVE perform both solo and collaborative hits like “Laputa,” “Boom,” and “Calico.”
Beloved alt-rockers The Rose, known for their heart-wrenching music but also their hilarious viral TikToks are also on Lollapalooza’s lineup. The band is no stranger to Lollapalooza, performing at the festival’s Latin American editions in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Brazil back in March. To keep the party going even after their set is over, The Rose will also be headlining one of Lollapalooza’s official aftershows at The Vic Theatre on August 4.
Asian American EDM duo, ARMNHMR, frequently experiment with and combine genres such as dubstep, trap, and future bass within their music. But they have also drawn inspiration from K-Pop, as seen in their remixes of popular K-Pop songs like “Dynamite” and “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)” by BTS, “DDU-DU DDU-DU” by Blackpink, and “OMG” by NewJeans, their fellow Lollapalooza performers. Earlier this year, ARMNHMR dropped a remix of TWICE’s song “Set Me Free,” which the girl group is using in the intro VCR for their ongoing North American tour.
Fans can purchase tickets at varying tiers and packages at Lollapalooza’s website here. Prospective attendees are encouraged to act fast, as some passes have already begun to sell out.