World-famous K-Pop girl group aespa - consisting of members Karina, Giselle, Winter, and NingNing - made their anticipated debut at Coachella on March 23 this year.

The History of K-Pop Acts at Coachella

Coachella is arguably one of the most popular and influential music festivals in the world. The festival, founded in 1999 and located in California, has opened its doors for audiences to see star-studded lineups filled to the brim with their favourite artists. However, Coachella has not showcased a ton of Asian and K-Pop artists until just recently. This is mainly due to the rising popularity of K-Pop in the West (also known as the "Hallyu Wave"). YG Entertainment group BLACKPINK made history as the first K-Pop group to ever perform for the coveted festival as part of the 2019 lineup.

Fellow labelmate BIGBANG was supposed to perform for the 2020 festival but that came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately cancelled the festivals for both 2020 and 2021. The loss of the music festival deeply impacted music lovers during those two years. Many individuals had a newfound desire to see their favourite artists in person no matter what the cost was. This is why there was so much hype surrounding the lineup for Coachella 2022. Everything had to live up to the high expectations spectators put on and the festival needed to stick the landing or it would end up disappointing a whole community.

Fortunately, the lineup featured a diverse array of artists from different genres and musical backgrounds. Notably, 88rising were given a slot during the second day for both weekends. For context, 88rising is an American mass media company that represents and uplifts Asian artists. The performance, headlined as "Head in the Clouds Forever" would include both K-Pop and Asian-American artists under the label including Bibi, CL, GOT7's Jackson Wang, Yoon MiRae, Milli, Niki, Hikaru Utada, Warren Hue, and Rich Brian. For the first weekend of the festival on April 16, all the artists listed gave phenomenal performances. Each artist were given a few minutes to show off their captivating stage presence and their musical talents.

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The real shocker, however, came when CL brought on all the members of 2NE1 to perform a couple of the group's signature hits. This was been the group's first time in years they reunited to perform together. This moment in time was a heartfelt moment for both fans who have been 2NE1 fans during the peak of their popularity and those who just joined the fandom.

K-Pop fans were already living for the reunion of a staple second-generation K-Pop group but when the news hit on April 19 that SM Entertainment's aespa was slated to perform during the second weekend of Coachella, that was the added cherry on top to an already perfect month. The inclusion of aespa in the lineup marks the third K-Pop girl group overall to perform at Coachella and the first ever to perform on the main stage.

.@aespa_official will make their Coachella debut this Saturday 4/23, joining another momentous lineup for @88rising’s ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔡 ℑ𝔫 𝔗𝔥𝔢 ℭ𝔩𝔬𝔲𝔡𝔰 𝔉𝔬𝔯𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯.

For their livestream performance and schedule updates, head to https://t.co/369m1pEHng pic.twitter.com/IBjYvBnuvf

— Coachella (@coachella) April 20, 2022

aespa Arrives in California in Style

If one thing is true about Coachella, it is that the outfits everyone dons are equally as important as the performances. Over the last ten years, Coachella fashion has risen as a cultural phenomenon, with inspiration and aesthetic photos capturing these looks galore. Bohemian and loose-fitting clothing have become style staples of the music festival to fit with the Summer vibe. When the girls of aespa arrived in California to rehearse for the show, they made sure to look stunning while exploring the city.

 

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A post shared by aespa 에스파 (@aespa_official)

The girls captured tons of photos and videos, sharing their love for the beautiful weather and sights of the American city. The girls were also sporting some fashionable looks, looking simultaneously chic and comfortable prior to their performance.

aespa's Instagram

aespa's Instagram

aespa's Instagram

aespa's Instagram

This isn't the group's first time in America and we certainly hope this is not the last. They truly seem to enjoy travelling and engaging in American attractions.

 

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A post shared by aespa 에스파 (@aespa_official)

An Unforgettable Main Stage Performance

The audience members were finally introduced to aespa and their whole world on the second weekend of Coachella. Bringing them into their lore and Kwangya, aespa's performance setlist was perfectly curated to represent the experimental and cool sound aespa have cultivated.

Their song 'aenergy' was the perfect introduction to the group as it introduced every member and set the overall tone for the rest of the night. For the next three songs, they performed their three main title tracks 'Black Mamba', 'Next Level' and 'Savage'. These are some of the most popular songs in the last few years of K-Pop so fans were extremely excited to hear them play on the main stage. But those not fully versed in the genre were still able to enjoy the music and feel the high energy of their songs. A staple of every SM group is the bombastic choreography of their title tracks and aespa did not disappoint here. Behind a troupe of backup dancers, aespa killed the choreography, especially during the chorus. Their live vocals were on full display for this performance - something fans of the group wanted since the group's previous performances had pre-recorded vocals that overshadowed the group's talent. Stage presence is the make and break of any performance, with idols either being praised or criticized for their ability to captivate an audience. The girl group has received some critiques about their stage presence from online patrons but this performance saw aespa reach the next level (pun intended) with their stage presence. Every member - Giselle and NingNing being two of the main highlights - was engaged with the crowd and performed with the right amount of facial expressions and energy. Differentiating this showcase from just any music show performance was essentially and aespa managed to accomplish making Coachella their own.

To end their short but stellar setlist, the group debuted their brand new track “Life’s Too Short” — their first English-language release. The group hadn't released an original track since their first mini-album 'Savage' dropped in October last year so this was a nice surprise. The song is an upbeat song, with lyrics about self-love and ignoring negative comments. The group had been on the receiving end of hate comments for their past mistakes on stage and supposed "lack of stage presence." This song is fighting back against the haters online and celebrating community and accepting yourself.

Aespa rocked the stage at this year's Coachella with amazing vocals, choreography, stage presence, and a perfect setlist filled with songs old and new. The girl group nailed every aspect and this will undeniably be one of their most unforgettable performances yet.

 

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Fan Reactions

After the group's performance, fans in the audience and watching the Livestream took to social media to share their thoughts on aespa's appearance at Coachella, mostly complimenting the stage presence and live vocals. So much so that the group began to trend on Twitter. Here are a few of the highlights:

miss maam can feel the aenergy#aespaLiveAtCoachella #aespa #aespaCoachella pic.twitter.com/gsJLXkTwT9

— ً (@ivorykwntr) April 24, 2022

i am watching aespa's coachella performance and it's insane how stable winter's vocals are live

— Udita (@kzdIinw) April 24, 2022

making sure y’all heard her

FEEL THE COACHELLA AENERGY #AespaLiveatCoachella #aespa #aespaCoachella @aespa_official pic.twitter.com/XTmdl8dsqV

— winter loops (@wntrloops) April 24, 2022

The group also met some famous celebrities who were fans of their music. Tori Kelly and Pink Sweats both took time to meet with the girls and snap a quick photo together.

 

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A post shared by aespa 에스파 (@aespa_official)

The Future of K-Pop at Coachella

K-Pop stars performing at huge music events like Coachella is a huge opportunity to introduce global sounds into Western culture and shine a spotlight on these artists. BLACKPINK and 88rising are solidifying that artists in the Asian diaspora deserve attention and recognition for their talent and hard work. Days after the show, aespa took to Twitter to express gratitude to Coachella for inviting them and the fans for all their support and love.

안녕하세요 #에스파 입니다!♥️
코첼라 무대를 통해 너무 값진 경험을 했고 함성소리를 처음 들었는데 앞으로의 활동에 있어서도 이 경험이 더 저희가 성장할 수 있는 계기가 될 것 같아요
앞으로도 쭉 지켜봐 주시고 보러와 준 관객분들과 우리 마이들 너무 고맙고 사랑해요♥️🔥😘✨

📸 Ivan Meneses pic.twitter.com/fpvfTuTRQ1

— aespa (@aespa_official) April 26, 2022

Looking at the praise the performances from K-Pop artists received this year from fans and general audience members, there is a strong likelihood that more K-Pop artists will be invited to perform at the music festival in the years to come.

Which K-Pop artists do you think should be invited to Coachella next year? Let Kpopmap know down in the comments section below!