P1HARMONY Is On the Verge of a Breakthrough at KCON LA

Across an intimate Artist Stage set and M Countdown stage performance, the group performed with a fiery determination to prove themselves as headliner-worthy.

Last year, P1HARMONY released “EX”, their first English-language album, and scored their first top five spot on Billboard. It was a win five years in the making for a group from a mid-size K-pop company who had spent years grinding on variety shows and world tours to build up a dedicated fanbase. I saw them for the second time last year in Dallas as they promoted “EX” with an arena tour. I loved the English-language album, loved how loud and unapologetically bright it was, and felt like PIWON had the members to sell it authentically to an American audience.  

The show was a massive spectacle, but it also amplified what makes PIWON such a magnetic group. Led by KEEHO, a Toronto native who frequently goes viral for funny livestream clips, the group does not sound like an idol group. They’re looser, more improvisational, and reactive to their audience's desires. That night, KEEHO reflected on how in their first year they performed at a venue the size of a movie theater. “Now,” he said to a deafening roar, “we’re playing arenas.”​

Perhaps because P1WON feels like they are on the verge of a breakthrough, they came to KCON with a score to settle; a point to prove. This was not a phoned-in performance, even if I think they could – and should – play festivals that are not only for K-pop audiences.

​On Saturday, P1WON performed two shows. The first was an artist stage held early in the day at the festival’s convention. KCON designed these shows to give artists a longer set than the typical fifteen-minute slots they get at the M COUNTDOWN Stage during the evening concerts. If played well, they can give audiences a new appreciation for an artist they may not be as familiar with. Arguably, Artist Stages are more intimate than arena shows and let groups interact more with fans. P1WON took full advantage of this setup.

“There’s so many of you,” KEEHO said early in the set as he scanned out into a packed room, a testament to how much the group has grown in just a few years. Later, as JIUNG introduced himself, just hours after the group’s company announced he wouldn’t participate in KCON, the roar from the fans was deafening. Looking around at the room, I felt something was shifting and that, maybe, P1WON was beginning to land in North America.

While P1WON played no songs from “EX” on the M COUNTDOWN stage, the songs were heavily featured on the Artist Stage setlist, something that I felt was a smart choice. These songs seem to capture P1WON better than their cheesy, new title track, “UNIQUE”, because they're so bright and unapologetically refreshing. I love, for instance, how cinematic “Dancing Queen” sounds and how it captures the members’ genuine optimism.

But P1HARMONY really shone at the Artist Stage in their fan interactions. While many K-pop groups, whether because of language barriers or comfort levels, struggle to have authentic interactions with audiences, P1HARMONY is different. They thrive on the uncertainty and meme-virality that comes from unfiltered audience participation. In one of the funniest segments, KEEHO judged a staring contest between fans and SOUL and JONGSEOB. I laughed as he rizzed up a fan talking to SOUL by asking how old she is, and hinting that they might have a connection. Later, when he introduced a fan dressed in a banana costume to JONGSEOB, and he asked her if she was ready to go, she blurted out, “I don’t know because I feel like I might burst into tears at any moment.” KEEHO, a natural MC, led these moments brilliantly, setting up interactions that gave fans the comfort (and space) to say whatever they wanted, knowing it would probably go viral later.

Halfway through the set, the boys came out into the audience for several songs from “EX”. They shot off confetti cannons and posed for photos from fans who were a few inches from them. They looked happy, thrilled even, to be playing this set, and I could feel it in the performance. For a Saturday afternoon performance in a random convention hall, it was one of the most sincere that I saw over the weekend.

​Later that night at the Crypto.com Arena, the boys returned to the main stage for two songs. Even though their set time was short, P1WON were – in my view – neck and neck with the actual headliner, ZEROBASEONE. And they seemed ready to prove themselves as headliner-worthy with their brilliant intro for “ICE (VVS)” as members entered through the risers section before jumping on stage. It was the first time the group had performed the song in North America, and while it is a hip-hop-heavy feature (which would naturally center rappers INTAK and JONGSEOB), every member more than carried their weight.

These days, a group like P1HARMONY succeeding internationally feels increasingly rare. K-pop is so oversaturated with groups, yet the ones who seem to do the best are from the Big Four, leaving little space for a group like P1HARMONY to grow. In some ways, the cards have been stacked against them for years. Next year, the group will reach their seventh year – a time when groups often negotiate renewals or choose to disband.

Before I left for KCON, I thought about how important groups like P1WON are. We need groups like them to remind us that K-pop can still surprise us; that groups can still succeed based on their own grit and determination. I’ve followed them since their debut and have been covering them on Bias Wrecker since their second tour. I’ve seen their growth firsthand. I’ve seen how hard they’ve worked to break out of a nugu dungeon where few groups last past contract renewals.

But I noticed something different at this year’s KCON. They seemed confident. The years of hard work seemed to be paying off, and things looked as if they were gelling. The irony about P1WON is that none of the members look like they would be in the same group. I think they’ve figured out how to use this to their advantage. They’ve learned how to surprise us.

After their set ended and the real headliners took the stage, the crowd began to stream out, and the arena became noticeably emptier. As I looked around my section, I realized I was one of only a handful of people left. Maybe KCON had underestimated P1WON’s draw; maybe many fans had. But perhaps that’s the point they wanted to make this weekend: If you don’t believe their star power, they'll show you.