For fans, every single comeback stage or performance stage that their idols do is a special piece of that group’s history, but some performances are so special that they go beyond the fandom. For some, their performances made the group go viral and put them firmly in the heart of K-Pop and for others, they caught the eye of the whole world. These performance stages definitely deserve a spot in K-Pop history.
1. BTS’s “DNA” performance at the American Music Awards
There’s no denying that BTS has made K-Pop even more global and nothing proved their influence quite like their performance at the 2017 American Music Awards. Not only were they the first K-Pop group to be invited to the event but they also brought the house down with their performance.
After that, the group would have another breakthrough and perform “FAKE LOVE” at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards and take home the Top Social Artist award for the second year in a row.
And although they couldn’t make it to this year’s AMAs, the boys just set another record after they became the first K-Pop group to win at the awards!
2. Red Velvet’s stage in North Korea
Red Velvet caught the whole world’s attention when it was announced that they would be sent to North Korea to perform as a show of goodwill between the two countries.
And although North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wasn’t originally going to be attending the performance, he actually did!
Then a few weeks later, North Korea and South Korea met in the historical summit where they agreed to officially end the Korean War meaning the show of good faith really did pay off!
3. TWICE’s 2017 KBS Music Festival Stage
TWICE have had their fair share of amazing performances but their stage at the 2017 Music Festival is one of their most legendary. The girls performed their hit “Signal” while also covering Ariana Grande‘s “Greedy”.
And within moments TWICE as a whole were trending at no. 4 on Naver, Jihyo was sitting at no. 2, and Momo and Chaeyoung were in the top 10! On top of that, “Greedy” also trended on the site. After completely dominating the trending category on the site, it just proved TWICE were already powerhouses and that their future was only going up!
4. VIXX’s “Shangri-La” performance at the 2017 MBC Music Festival
While their performance of “Voodoo Doll” on Music Bank will always hold a special place in fans’ hearts because it ultimately led to their first win, there was one more performance that had a huge impact for the group. In 2017, VIXX performed their stunning “Shangri-La” at the MBC Music Festival.
The performance ended up going viral and even led to them being chosen to represent Korea and Korean culture for the Olympic Committee.
The IOC President's dinner was happy to host #HongBin and #ChaHakYeon from #Kpop group #VIXX at @pyeongchang2018 🇰🇷😍@CHA_NNNNN @RedBeans93 @RealVIXX pic.twitter.com/jWUYyYmuPu
— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) February 8, 2018
On top of that, N and Hongbin were invited to the Blue House for a private dinner with the President and his wife and the group was even featured on the front page of the Blue House’s official website!
5. The 2008 Dream Concert with Girls’ Generation
Every SONE and every single K-Pop fan knows exactly what went down at the 2008 Dream Concert. When Girls’ Generation took the stage to give their performance, only their fans’ lightsticks were lit up marking the appearance of a black ocean.
Although no one is quite sure what caused the black ocean in the first place, the event went on for almost 10 minutes while the girls were performing. And while this could have been a serious hit to their careers, the girls came back stronger than ever and proved that a black ocean doesn’t mean you should give up!
6. Wanna One’s debut stage
When Wanna One made their offical debut last year, they amazed everyone by going down in K-Pop history for having the largest debut showcase! Held at the Gocheok SkyDome with a 20,000 audience, the moment must have been nervewracking for them but they totally killed it and have gone on to be a huge success.
7. EXID’s “Up & Down” turn around in 2014
No group has had quite the turnaround like EXID had. While the group was considered a flop by many and was just on the verge of disbanding for good, one stage in Paju and the infamous Hani fancam turned things around for the girls and practically made them an overnight success. Now, look at where they are!
