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| yna@yna.co.kr 2022-08-01 16:30:12
SEOUL, August 1 (Yonhap) -- J-Hope, the first member of BTS to start solo activities heated up the night in Chicago, USA.
On July 31 (local time), J-Hope appeared as a headliner (major performer) at Chicago's "Lollapalooza," a famous American music festival, and performed about 20 songs. It was J-Hope's first public stage as a solo singer after BTS announced that they would temporarily pause their group activities.
"I am J-Hope from BTS," he said, after performing "more," one of the track songs of his solo debut album "Jack In The Box," as his first stage. "You can call me J."
J-Hope performed "P.O.P" (Piece of Peace) part. 1, "= (Equal Sign)," "STOP," "Blue side", "Safety zone," and "What if..." without a break.
Fans chanted J-Hope and turned on their phone flash lights making the audience look like a night sky full of stars. A foreign fan even wrote J-Hope's Korean name "Hoseok" in Hangul (Korean alphabet) on the screen of her cell phone as she waved it.
After J-Hope sang "Arson," he went off stage for some time while "Music box: reflection" was being played in the background.
J-Hope, who changed into a white outfit began to perform the Tropical version of "Dynamite" as he said, "I'll dance so please sing along."
While J-Hope was performing "Chicken Noodle Soup," singer Rebbeca Marie Gomez, better known as Becky G, appeared as a surprise guest, and was seen greeting each other with a hug after the performance.
"It's a really big honor and I feel very proud," Becky G said. "I'm really proud and I feel like this friendship is really precious."
As the concert came to an end, J-Hope expressed his gratitude in Korean for the Korean fans,
"It seems like my activity of this album, which started with greed and childish affection, is coming to an end," he said. "The packed schedules were actually a series of fears," he expressed his pressure on being the first runner to go solo from BTS.
"Nevertheless, it's a very meaningful moment," he continued. "I want to tell myself that I'm proud of myself for overcoming this moment."
After finishing his small talk, he performed "Future" as his last song and finished the performance by chanting Chicago,Lollapalooza, and ARMY (fandom name) in turn to thank them.
Jimin from BTS also visited the festival and cheered for J-Hope, the group's first solo runner.
BTS fans also shared videos of Jimin grooving his body while watching J-Hope's stage through their social media.
In the mean time, "Green Day," a living legend of neo-punk, performed on T-mobile main stage at the southern end of Grant Park.
This means that K-pop star J-Hope was in charge of the final stage of Lollapalooza 2022 along with the band Green Day, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
According to Lollapalooza, J-Hope left a record as the first Korean artist to appear as a major performer (headliner) on the main stage of a major American music festival.
The 2022 Lollapalooza headliners include J-Hope, the legendary heavy metal band "Metallica," the popular punk rock group "Green Day," Dua Lipa, Lil Baby, Machine Gun Kelly, J. Cole, Kygo, Jazmine Sullivan, and Big Sean.
J-Hope's participation in Lollapalooza drew great attention in the United States while K-pop's stock price was soaring and BTS' popularity remained.
"The ticket demand for a single artist has never been this high," said an official from Lollapalooza. J-Hope's official merchandise stores were also set up separately throughout Grant Park, Chicago.
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