On Oct. 6, 2023, over 23,000 fans gathered at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles to see the K-pop group, ENHYPEN, kick off their first night of their United States “FATE” Tour.
The group previously finished their “FATE” Tour dates in Japan and South Korea last month, and will now continue to perform at the tours next six locations in the U.S.
ENHYPEN is a popular K-pop boy group that debuted in late 2020 with their hit song “Given-Taken.” The ensemble consists of seven members; Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-ki. ENHYPEN was formed through the survival show, “I-land,” where performers had to compete for a spot in a seven-member lineup.
Last year, nearly 250,000 fans attended ENHYPEN’s first world tour, “Manifesto,” which toured their most recent album, “DIMENSION: ANSWER.” However, within just a year, the group managed to release an extended play, “DARK BLOOD,” and sell out US stadiums. ENHYPEN member Jake commented on the difference between the two tours to the audience.
“Today was our first stop in our ‘FATE’ Tour in the U.S. and it was also our first time ever performing in a stadium as well,” Jake says.
“DARK BLOOD,” was an instant commercial success, with their title track ‘Bite Me’ gaining online recognition for featuring ENHYPEN member Ni-ki’s original choreography. “DARK BLOOD” landed at No. 2 with 85,000 copies sold in the U.S., and made it on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart for the fifth time.
ENHYPEN’s impact on the US charts has caused the K-pop genre to rise in popularity every year and therefore increase their audience growth dramatically.
Kelly Martinez, a student at Moorpark College and fan of ENHYPEN since their “I-Land” days, explained the media shift that has embraced music from K-pop groups like ENHYPEN into common spaces.
“Before, I felt like K-pop was a bit niche and most people didn’t talk about liking the genre,” Martinez explained. “Now, K-pop is in the media way more, so it’s way more of a popular genre of music than it used to be.”
Martinez shared the difference in listening to K-pop back then, as she had to hide enjoying the music because it was not popular. Now, the genre’s rise in the US allows her to enjoy listening to her favorite songs playing in stores and see other fans with photocards of their favorite artists on the back of their phone cases.
The “FATE” Tour concert consisted of fan chants, fan interactions, VCRs and an encore at the end of the concert. The setlist featured 24 songs, including hits from their recent fourth EP, “DARK BLOOD” and hits from their old albums like “FEVER.”
The show was vampire-themed due to the album aligning with ENHYPEN’s webtoon “DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR.” The theme was also executed throughout the outfits that were worn by the fandom, known as “ENGENE.”
Moorpark College student and ENGENE for one year Jennifer Kawamoto attended the concert and was captivated by their performance and the worldwide influence they have.
“The ‘FATE’ concert was amazing,” Kawamoto shared. “They’ve grown so much in just one year, and you can really tell how hard they worked to improve. It was an amazing experience and I’m already ready for the next tour.”
ENHYPEN has become one of the main powerhouses of fourth-generation K-pop groups. In 2022, Mnet Asian Music Awards, one of the most popular K-pop award shows, gave ENHYPEN the “Worldwide Icon of the Year” and “Best Male Group” awards.
In an interview with the online magazine Dazed, ENHYPEN member Heeseung discussed balancing the group’s instant success as the oldest member of the group.
“We climbed this ladder maybe a bit too far, so I hope that we don’t fall. We should not forget where we first began,” Heeseung stated.
On Oct. 5, 2023, ENHYPEN confirmed plans for a comeback in November after finishing their “FATE” Tour. ENGENE members who went to the concert received an album sleeve for their next album, leaving them curious about what to look forward to for their next album.
