Indie duo 10cm to follow K-pop’s lead with first U.S. concert

Over the past few years, more and more K-pop idol acts have been eager to add more concert locations outside of Asia, spurring a flurry of world tours that have included a number of performances in Europe, South America and the United States.

In the past, big name K-pop idol groups such as Big Bang, 2NE1, Girls’ Generation, Infinite, CNBlue and others ventured to the States performing shows across the country. This month, popular local acoustic pop duo band 10cm is also looking to join the Korean music industry’s global push as a non-K-pop genre act and to make its presence known in the U.S. The members announced their first U.S. concert at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Jan. 31.

Last year, the band began holding small concerts in Japan and Taiwan, and are looking to continue their international trek with the upcoming L.A. performance, titled “Buruda Concert Ver. 1: Hello 10cm,” marking the indie duo’s first attempt at performing in front of a Western audience.

Band members Kwon Jung-yeol and Yoon Cheol-jong are well known for their distinctive acoustic folk vibe with their signature djembe ― a skin-covered drum ― sound coupled with the sweet, lagging vocals of Kwon. After starting on the streets of Seoul in the art-trendy Hongdae area, the two released their debut EP “The First EP” in 2010 that included their hit single “Americano,” and have since taken their street music and become of the most popular music acts in Korea.

However, 10cm is not the only act looking to stretch its wings to the States. K-pop boy bands U-KISS and Boyfriend have also announced that they would embark on their first U.S. tours this year.

After making their return last year with the group’s third studio album “Collage” and EP “Moments,” the six members of U-KISS are preparing for their first U.S. tour. U-KISS will be performing its first U.S. concert Thursday at the Best Buy Theatre in New York before heading off to California for a performance at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco on Saturday and a finale show at the Club Nokia Theatre in L.A. on Tuesday. 

The relatively new idol band Boyfriend is a surprising addition to the scene of K-pop U.S. concert tour this year with two showcases scheduled for March as part of the group’s “Boyfriend First U.S. Showcase.” After debuting in 2011, the boys have been slowly working their way up the ranks as one of the rising acts in K-pop. Boyfriend will hold its first show in Chicago at the Riviera Theatre on March 11, followed by a second concert performance in Dallas at the Verizon Theatre on March 13.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)