Blackpink, Le Sserafim, Ateez, The Rose: how K-pop and Korean music is becoming a core element of Coachella

“It’s a very famous festival in Korea as well,” added Kim Chaewon, through an interpreter. “For a lot of artists there, it’s a dream opportunity.”

Genres always wax and wane at the fest, with classic rock and EDM giving way to rap and pop. But it looks like South Korean music is a new core element for the fest.

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The group left it all on the stage – singing, rapping and dancing with a ferocity and skill that showed the work they put in to get here. Who knows if they will get to headline one day, but now there is proof it is possible, and Ateez is leading a new class of Korean acts working toward it.

“We really love to perform for our fans, of course, but we’re also curious about how other audiences hear our music,” Hongjoong said. “Today’s a new experience that’s so important to us.”

“I personally always loved Coachella,” Woosung said. “Performing here was always a goal for us. After our first international festival run we left so inspired by the vibe. It’s a dream to be here on stage just one year later.”

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The Rose’s sound leans more toward the richly detailed, expansive rock of groups like U2 and The 1975 – singles like “Back to Me” and “You’re Beautiful” howl and soar on their own terms. In 2023, Woosung teamed up with BTS’ Suga and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto on the song “Snooze”.

The Rose’s magic-hour set on April 14 on the Outdoor stage showcased their non-K-pop Korean music to new rocker crowds from Woosung’s old hometown.

“We are proud to represent Korea in listeners’ personal journeys in music,” said the band’s bassist Lee Jaehyeong. “We have so many artists from different lands and styles that we want to watch this year as fans again.”

The range of Korean music at Coachella spans even wider – record label 88 Rising had a Mojave Tent set, “Futures”, devoted to emerging pan-Asian talent that included Korean acts.

South Korean DJ and producer Peggy Gou found her own success in underground club music, fully outside any Korean pop apparatus – she is more of a late-night Berlin type. Her own set on April 12 in the Sahara was packed out after her single “(It Goes Like) Nanana” became a smash on TikTok.

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On April 13, Le Sserafim made a strong claim to its own long future at Coachella. Dressed in custom Nicolas Ghesquière leather, the group played heated Afro-Latin tracks like “Antifragile” and brought out disco legend Nile Rodgers for their collaboration “Unforgiven” – a strong endorsement from a guy that previous Coachella legends Daft Punk and Avicii have looked up to.

“We only met him in person for the first time yesterday,” Yunjin said – she grew up partly in New York and long admired his productions.

“It was absolutely crazy to work with him. He taught us that when you collaborate, you never want to take away from that person. You always want to add. There are so many acts that came before us that we have so much gratitude for.”

The group’s music is unusually candid and bristling about the pressures for perfection young women face in K-pop – a sentiment many young fans relate to.

The group formed in 2022, but to judge by the slammed space for the set, the US will be seeing much more of Le Sserafim soon.

“After this, we really want to go the beach in Santa Monica,” Yunjin said. “And we hear LA has a pretty great K-town.”