{"id":62449,"date":"2025-08-06T11:05:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T11:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/62449\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T11:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T11:05:11","slug":"monsta-xs-return-at-kcon-after-10-years-proves-endurance-is-a-superpower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/62449\/","title":{"rendered":"Monsta X\u2019s return at KCON after 10 years proves endurance is a superpower"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was 2015 when Minhyuk of K-pop powerhouse group Monsta X first appeared <\/a>at the KCON mainstage in L.A. Back then, baby-faced and bleached blond, he exhibited plenty of cheeky confidence.<\/p>\n

Clad in black and white, he sported shorts emblazoned with the phrase \u201cknock, knock,\u201d a nod to the group\u2019s hard-hitting debut single \u201cTrespass.\u201d It was the first time the rookie, only 21, was meeting his American fans onstage at what was then known as Staples Center, now Crypto.com<\/a> arena.<\/p>\n

Only three months after their debut, the then-seven-member outfit (singer Wonho amicably departed in 2019) already had fans holding up signs for them in the crowd.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, Minhyuk, now 31 and only slightly less baby-faced, sits in a conference room at the Mondrian Hotel, where the group has a day lined up of press activities surrounding their return to KCON LA 2025<\/a>, only now as headliners on Night 2 of the three-day-long festival last weekend of all things trendy in Korean pop culture.<\/p>\n

Clad in a neutral-toned pinstripe collared shirt, he, along with his four bandmates, could be young executives at a business casual lunch. Only their toned physiques and rapper Joohoney\u2019s punchy yellow hair give any signal of their pop star status.<\/p>\n

Although its the start of a long day, you can tell they are enjoying being with each other, back in the swing of things . Typically quiet, dancer-singer Shownu quipped \u201cInvest in Bitcoin!\u201d to a question on what he would tell his debut self, and the members sometimes chatted among themselves a bit before who deciding who would answer.<\/p>\n

While their return to KCON marked the first U.S. appearance of the group reunited after an extended break, their Connect X concert in Seoul a few weeks ago was their first time performing as a group in two years. \u201cI was nervous,\u201d Minhyuk says of those first moments back. \u201cBut when I was on the stage, I felt so alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tall and dark-haired with a quiet authority, singer Hyungwon adds, \u201cSeeing the love of our parents\u2019 eyes in that moment \u2026 and the look in the [fan\u2019s eyes], it\u2019s the same feeling as from before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Monsta <\/p>\n

Monsta X backstage at KCON.<\/p>\n

(Monsta X)<\/p>\n

Last month, they also made their first appearance at Waterbomb, South Korea\u2019s signature summer music festival, where artists and audience alike get soaked and where Shownu went viral as he tore off his white T-shirt to reveal an impressively muscular torso.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody, all the members, care about their health and body right now, he says. We always try to keep fit and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Memes and fan-cams aside, their focus on health rings poignant as the sixth member I.M, was unable to join the group this time due to a back injury. As the band\u2019s most fluent English speaker, the rapper, lyricist and producer\u2019s acerbic wit helped ground the group\u2019s sound, and his team deeply feels his absence.<\/p>\n

Monsta X represents a vanguard of artists whose strong group dynamics strain beyond the milestone that used to be a breaking point for past K-pop groups: South Korea\u2019s mandatory military service.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s return to KCON is especially significant not only because it heralds a new era for them, but they return to the festival that helped cement their star status in the United States and abroad.<\/p>\n

Main vocalist Kihyun, whose powerful notes help cut through the group\u2019s aggressive signature sound, said that first KCON in 2015 was one of their best memories as they were shocked by the audiences response.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to feel that same feeling we had from our first performance tomorrow,\u201d says Hyungwon about their return to KCON. Joohoney, the group\u2019s main rapper, jumps in. \u201cBack then, we did a meet-and-greet, and we had a stage performance together with Got7. We saw their signs in the crowd, but then we also saw signs for us, so we were very happy,\u201d adding that in a full-circle moment, Jackson Wang, the breakout soloist from Got7, will be performing the same night with them.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Further underscoring their continued relevancy, Maggie Kang \u2014 director of the popular film \u201cK-pop Demon Hunters \u2014 cited Monsta X<\/a> as one of the inspirations for the film\u2019s fictional group, Saja Boys. \u201cWe could kind of tell and could see that the music style and vibe in the movie is similar to Monsta X, but we didn\u2019t know exactly. We are very thankful,\u201d said Joohoney.<\/p>\n

Shaney Hwang, marketing coordinator for CJ ENM America, the Korean conglomerate that puts on KCON, remembers attending the festival as a high school student in New York, tracking the group\u2019s rise, later catching them on tour. \u201cPersonally, as someone who has always been watching K-pop, I do feel that Monsta X, compared to other groups [who debuted] around their time, made themselves very present to the U.S. fans whether it was from live performances such as at KCON LA in 2015 and \u201816 or even through music collaborations with Western artists such as French Montana and Gallant much earlier than other groups did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought they had great music,\u201d she adds. \u201cAnd now, it\u2019s really special because it\u2019s their 10th anniversary and we feel very honored for this to be such a full-circle moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a moment that led Monsta X fans to make KCON this year a priority. Over dinner in Koreatown the night before their performance, Ani Ash, from Texas, and her friend Choua Yang, a 45-year-old tech trainer from Green Bay, Wis., talked about their devotion to the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really a K-pop person,\u201d confesses Ash, 28. \u201cBut what drew me to them was their style. How they can switch different genres so easily and still keep their characteristics.\u201d Both friends met online and run fan bases for the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been a Monbebe since 2021,\u201d says Yang, referring to the group\u2019s fandom moniker, which combines their name and the French word b\u00e9b\u00e9. \u201cMy daughters introduced me to K-pop, and one of them was trying to get me to like Monsta X. I think it was their vast discography and the diversity in their music that caught my attention. They\u2019re mature men, especially compared to the newbies who are 20 years old. I just really like them, and I started hosting the fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ash and Yang\u2019s devotion speaks to the staying power of Monsta X, which is still adding new fans while nurturing older ones willing to grow alongside them and spend money and devote time to see them. And until they return to touring full-time (Minhyuk says perhaps in 2026), KCON was the one of the few places devotees could see the group reunited.<\/p>\n

That devotion, a strong feature of K-pop<\/a>, runs deep. Ash, for example, was inspired by Minhyuk \u2014 who paints in his spare time \u2014 to reignite her passion for art, leaving the medical field to become a Houston public school art teacher.<\/p>\n

The crowd roared as Hyungwon and Shownu opened Saturday night\u2019s performance of their sensual song \u201cLove Me a Little\u201d with more lyrical choreography than what the team itself is best known for.<\/p>\n

\"Monsta <\/p>\n

Monsta X at KCON 2025.<\/p>\n

(Konuk Ryu)<\/p>\n

There was even more palpable excitement as a platform rose from the 360-degree stage to reveal the five performing members back triumphantly, all clad in sharp black suits with glittering accents.<\/p>\n

After performing \u201cBeautiful Liar,\u201d <\/a> the darkly EDM single off of their 2023 EP \u201cReason\u201d and \u201cWho Do You Love,\u201d Joohoney shouted, \u201cEveryone we\u2019re back in L.A.!\u201d before slipping into \u201cPlay it Cool\u201d \u2014 their club hit featuring Steve Aoki \u2014 and ending with the Dream Stage version of the classic \u201cThe Gambler\u201d where contest-winning Monbebes performed with them. \u201cMake some noise for I.M!\u201d Joohoney shouted at one point.<\/p>\n

The group will be busy upon returning to Seoul as preparations are underway for a new album called \u201cX,\u201d releasing Sept. 1.<\/p>\n

While all members participated in songwriting, it will also feature production from Compton-bred producer Dem Jointz, who has composed for Rihanna, Kanye West and Janet Jackson, as well as other prominent K-pop groups of recent years like EXO and aespa.<\/p>\n

Careful not to release spoilers, they pondered the question of what kind of movie genre the upcoming project would fit into. \u201cUm, horror?\u201d One of them blurts out before others begin to chime in, laughing. \u201cRomantic comedy?\u201d Hyungwon jokes before they finally agree that sci-fi is probably the best fit.<\/p>\n

Reached by email from Seoul, where he is recuperating, I.M also talked about the upcoming album. \u201cIt\u2019s special to us because it shows a side of Monsta X we haven\u2019t tried before. From the sound to the concept, we poured our hearts and ideas into every step of the way. We gave it our all and filled it with thanks to the fans who waited for us. I hope they can feel that when they listen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was 2015 when Minhyuk of K-pop powerhouse group Monsta X first appeared at the KCON mainstage in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62450,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[46203,46200,12566,46204,88,40691,15757,344,25703,37460,46202,46198,216,46199,12078,46201,2394],"class_list":["post-62449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-american-fan","tag-ani-ash","tag-artist","tag-devotion","tag-entertainment","tag-first-time","tag-group","tag-k-pop","tag-kcon","tag-member","tag-minhyuk","tag-monsta-x","tag-music","tag-rapper-joohoney","tag-return","tag-singer-hyungwon","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}