[ARTICLE] Korean Boy Band Monsta X on History-Making Jingle Ball Shows
The “Shoot Out” singers open up to The Hollywood Reporter about being the first K-pop act to headline the holiday concert series and their plans to conquer America’s music industry.
Monsta X is making their mark in America.
As K-pop’s popularity continues to grow stateside, the seven-piece boy band is doing their part to keep the momentum going. Following the success of Korean supergroups BTS and BLACKPINK — both have broken records this year in the U.S., launching K-pop into the nation’s collective consciousness — Monsta X is also set to make history as the first K-pop act to ever perform on the main stage as part of iHeart Radio’s annual Jingle Ball tour.
“Seriously, we really didn’t expect this phenomenon. Lots of K-pop singers have found success in the U.S. recently, and we are inside of that movement,” rapper I.M, Monsta X’s resident English speaker, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It feels really great.”
The septet was formed three years ago on the South Korean music survival show No.Mercy, in which 13 K-pop trainees were pitted against each other to compete for the chance to debut as a new boy band. Eventually, rappers I.M and Jooheon and singers Shownu, Wonho, Minhyuk, Kihyun and Hyungwon made the final cut, and thus Monsta X was born.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter Read the full article here.
