Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Ne-Yo and more: Korea's upcoming concerts are a music lover's dream

Music & Performance

Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Ne-Yo and more: Korea's upcoming concerts are a music lover's dream

Published: 31 Aug. 2024, 07:00

YOON SO-YEON
yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr

Dua Lipa performs during the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, England, on June 28. [AP/YONHAP]

Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Gray, Ne-Yo, Dua Lipa and more — The hottest pop stars are set to bring the heat with their concerts scheduled for the cooler season on the peninsula.

Opening up the autumn season in September will be Sasha Alex Sloan’s concert on Sept. 1 at the Myunghwa Live Hall music venue in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul.

Sasha Alex Sloan Seoul concert poster [LIVE NATION KOREA]

Sloan, a U.S. singer-songwriter born in 1995, whose real name is Alexandra Artourovna Yatchenko, is an internet-made star best known for her deep and solemn music. She last performed in Seoul in March last year at the Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul as part of her “I Blame The World” tour.

The upcoming concert comes as part of the “Me Again” tour that began in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 16. The Seoul concert will be followed by the U.S. and European leg of the tour in October.

Gray’s concert “Found Heaven On Tour in Seoul” will take place on Sept. 6 and 7 at the KBS Arena in western Seoul. This will be the first time in a year and a half that he has performed in Seoul, with his previous Seoul concert being held in February last year.

Conan Gray Seoul concert poster [LIVE NATION KOREA]

Gray started out posting vlogs and covers of popular songs on his YouTube channel as a teenager and made an official debut as a singer in 2017 with the single “Idle Town.” Born in California, Gray spent two years as an infant in Japan, and moved around the United States a total of 12 times before settling in Texas.

Signed to Republic Records in 2018, Gray’s hit singles “Maniac” (2018) and “Heather” (2018) skyrocketed him to fame, while his debut solo album “Kid Krow” (2020) reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 upon release.

Rodrigo will hold her first Korean concerts on Sept. 20 and 21 at the Jamsil Arena in southern Seoul as part of her “Guts” world tour.

Rodrigo kicked off her “Guts” world tour in February at Madison Square Garden in New York and has since been performing in cities across North America and Europe. One of the biggest stars of 2024, Rodrigo released her first single “drivers license” in 2021 and shot to stardom shortly after. She won Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022.

U.S. singer Olivia Rodrigo performs in the Royal Arena in OErestad, Denmark on May 30, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]

The singer added an additional date in Seoul after all the tickets for the first concert sold out on the first day of sales.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Nile Rodgers and disco band Chic will perform on Sept. 24 at the Olympic Hall in southern Seoul.

This will be the singer’s first concert in Korea ever since his debut in 1972. As one of the most esteemed musicians in the pop scene, he collaborated with K-pop girl group Le Sserafim on its dance track “Unforgiven” and performed alongside the quintet during the Coachella music festival earlier this year.

Rodgers also took part in BTS member J-Hope’s song “lock / unlock” from the rapper’s special album “Hope on the Street Vol.1” released in March this year as the soundtrack compilation of his documentary series, “Hope on the Street.”

LANY Seoul concert poster [LIVE NATION KOREA]

Pop duo LANY will perform in Korea for a whopping seventh time, this time at the Kintex convention center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 29.

The concert comes as part of “a beautiful blur: the world tour/Asia.” The duo first performed in Korea in 2017 at the Valley Rock Festival and most recently at its concert held in August last year.

LANY debuted in 2014 with the EP "Acronyms" and has since been loved around the world for its touching melodies and lyrics shown through its hit songs, including "ILYSB" (2017), "Malibu Nights" (2018) and "XXL" (2023).

Ne-Yo Seoul concert poster [DREAM MAKER ENTERTAINMENT]

As the autumn weather settles in, U.S. singer “Ne-Yo”will be making a stop in Seoul for his “Champagne & Roses” tour on Oct. 16 at the Hwajeong Gymnasium in Korea University, central Seoul.

This will be the “So Sick” (2006) singer’s first Korean performance in nine years, ever since his previous concert was held in 2015.

Famed for some of the most well-known R&B hits in history, including “Because of You” (2007) and “Miss Independent” (2008), Ne-Yo began his “Champagne & Roses” tour last September to promote his eighth studio album “Self Explanatory” released last year.

Tickets for Ne-Yo’s concert will go on sale at 8 p.m. on Aug. 27 on the Yes24 website.

Matt Maltese Seoul concert poster [PRIVATE CURVE]

Samm Henshaw Seoul concert poster [PRIVATE CURVE]

Also scheduled to perform in Korea are British singer-songwriters Matt Maltese on Nov. 8 and Samm Henshaw on Nov. 10, both at the Musinsa Garage in western Seoul.

Grammy-winning British singer Dua Lipa will perform in Korea on Dec. 4 for the first time in seven years.

The “Physical” (2020) star is set to perform at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro District, western Seoul. This is her first Korean performance since performing in 2017 at Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. The Seoul concert comes as part of her "Radical Optimism" world tour that will start in Berlin on June 5. The tour will continue throughout Europe, including Croatia, France and the United Kingdom.

Dua Lipa released her third full-length album, “Radical Optimism,” on May 3. The album topped Britain's Official Albums Chart and ranked No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the first week of its release. She won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021 with her album “Future Nostalgia” (2020).

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]