K-Pop Boy Bands Highlight & SF9 Join KCON NY Lineup

Korean boy bands Highlight and SF9 are heading to the East Coast.

The two acts join CNBLUE, Twice and GFriend at this year’s KCON 2017 NY. The third annual KCON NY will bring a variety of Korean pop culture offerings to Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center on June 23-24. 

Highlight may sound like a brand-new group but is actually the new rendition of Beast, one of Korea’s most prominent boy bands. One member down and under their own agency, Highlight debuted their new brand on March 20 with the EP Can You Feel It?, led by the upbeat single “Plz Don’t Be Sad.” Known for their impressive musical compositions, offering up both high-powered dance performances and sentimental ballads, Highlight will make their U.S. debut under the new name at the Prudential Center.

SF9 is another new name heading to KCON NY for the first time.  The group was formed by FNC Entertainment last October as the first dance-oriented idol boy band under the label, which also houses CNBLUE and FTISLAND. They’ve kept busy by consistently releasing new music and saw their Burning Sensation EP peak at No. 6 on the World Albums chart in February. SF9 is focused on a powerful dance sound and recently released a brand-new EP, Breaking Sensation, on Tuesday.

KCON 2017 NY will be followed by KCON 2017 LA at the Los Angeles Convention Center on August 18-20. Additional acts for both the East and West Coast legs of this year's KCON USA will be released in weeks to come.

The event, produced CJ E&M and Mnet, will bring a variety of Korean cultural programming along with headlining concerts. Past events have featured discussion panels, product demos, e-sport competitions, television and film screenings, and a variety of other specialized programming that highlight Korean entertainment, food, e-sports, beauty and other cultural industries.

Combination ticket packages for KCON 2017 NY go on sale May 12 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, while single-night tickets go on sale May 15.

---