How P1Harmony's Toronto concert marked a full circle moment for leader Keeho
“Because this venue meant so much to me, it was kind of the reason why I wanted to start performing and singing."
Soon after P1Harmony announced in April that it would be touring in Canada, leader Keeho jumped on a livestream to express his excitement.
After all, the venue the group would be performing in also happens to be the place he saw his very first concert in. Then known as The Sound Academy, 11-year-old Keeho was in the crowd watching Ariana Grande during her debut tour The Listening Sessions.
A decade later, that venue has now been revamped and renamed to REBEL. And that young boy from Markham, Ontario has since grown up and moved across the world to Korea to debut in the K-pop group P1Harmony.
It was a surreal moment for Keeho as he looked into the crowd filled with family, friends and fans.
“It’s really like a full 360,” he said.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to cry. Literally, my elementary school friends are here and they’ve never seen me cry! So I’m not crying tonight!”
But moments later, the tears arrived.
The July 12th concert at REBEL marked a special moment for Keeho, who has dreamed of becoming a performer since he was a little boy. Together with his P1Harmony members Jiung, Intak, Theo, Jeongseob and Soul, the group is now among the fastest rising K-pop acts right now.
Once Keeho turned away from the crowd to wipe his tears, even his own members were stunned to see their leader get emotional. They quickly consoled Keeho by giving him a hug. Soon, they joined the crowd in chanting, “IT’S OKAY! IT’S OKAY!”
Keeho, who had already performed with P1Harmony at events including KCON:LA and across the U.S., said it was particularly “nerve-racking” to be in Toronto because he wanted the show to be perfect.
“Because this venue meant so much to me, it was kind of the reason why I wanted to start performing and singing,” Keeho said.
“And being able to stand on the stage, it’s like whoa! What the hell is going on?”
Before P1Harmony’s show, many Toronto fans joked that REBEL is less than ideal a venue for a show. It’s difficult to get to on transit, and it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. As a music fan, I also actively avoid the venue due to past experiences.
But it’s hard to complain seeing Keeho get his full circle moment. It made the trek to REBEL worth it alone.
I’ve been following P1Harmony since the group played a show at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum last September.
It was an unconventional venue for a K-pop concert. The stage was low and kind of small, but the group made the most of what they had. After all, it’s not every day I get to see idols dance and sing next to a giant dinosaur skeleton!
I was immediately struck by the group’s talent, charisma and personalities. The show was enough for me to dive into their social media content and discography. Then in December, I had the chance to rave about P1Harmony’s “Do It Like This” as part of Teen Vogue’s top K-pop songs of 2022.
Less than a year later, it’s nice to see the rapid growth of P1Harmony. In my head, I’ve dubbed them the “Gen Z kids of K-pop” because they are just so funny and unfiltered during their livestreams and content.
(P1Harmony performing at the ROM in September 2022)
That fresh energy has clearly resonated with international audiences. In June, the group signed a contract with Creative Arts Agency (CAA) to broaden its global appeal. P1Harmony also kicked off the summer with a fun collaboration with the British trio New Hope Club on a single called “Super Chic.” The group has also been able to stand out by taking advantage of their unique personalities through TikTok challenges and livestreams with songs like “Back Down” and “Jump.”
In a music industry that has often strived for perfection and cohesion, there’s just something refreshing about seeing a group of Gen Z idols utilizing memes and trends to connect with their young audience.
I think Keeho’s North American upbringing has a lot to do with it, and it’s clear a lot of these influences he’s brought to his group has helped propel them to finding a loyal fanbase.
In Toronto, almost everyone I talked to said Keeho was their P1Harmony bias. How could you not support the hometown boy, after all?
Canadian K-pop fans are rarely afforded with a win when it comes to concert tours. So to see someone from their hometown thriving is just something to be proud of!
As for me, the reason why Keeho has become one of my favourite idols right now is just how unabashedly proud he is of his roots and how he continues to promote the talent that Canada produces.
The interesting thing about the K-pop industry is that there are just so many Canadians working in the business. Kevin and Jacob from The Boyz, Henry Lau, Tablo from Epik High, Wendy from Red Velvet and Mark Lee from NCT are just some of them. It’s wild that the Canadian media industry hasn’t capitalized on these amazing talents enough.
But at least there’s Keeho, who constantly namedrops his hometown in interviews, even showing his members famous landmarks in the city.
While the K-pop world can be overwhelming, cut-throat and overcompetitive, I truly believe that the idols who are able to thrive is remembering who they are inside, and what got them there in the first place.
That seems to be the case for Keeho.
After all, here’s how he introduced himself to his hometown crowd:
“Toronto’s pride and love. I’m P1Harmony’s Keeho!”
KCON USA addresses ‘exclusionary’ job posting after it makes the rounds on social media
KCON, an annual festival that brings K-pop fans, industry insiders and artists together, released a statement this week after a job posting made the rounds on social media.
The statement comes after a screenshot from a gig-finding platform known as Backstage went viral. The particular job listing was for KCON’s upcoming LA event, and went on to specify that it is looking for female applicants of “Asian and White/European descent.”
It was later updated to include male applicants and all ethnicities. Then it was eventually removed from Backstage all together.
Following backlash, KCON released a statement online.
“We strongly denounce any actions of racial profiling or any form of discrimination whatsoever, and indeed this runs counter to the very core spirit of KCON where inclusivity and diversity is celebrated,” it said, adding that it would be taking action to prevent such instances related to the festival.
However, many fans have since taken their thoughts on Twitter, saying they remain unconvinced by KCON’s response.
Jimin vs Ken: Ryan Gosling praises the BTS singer for his KEN-RGY
The Barbie promos continue to go full steam ahead, despite ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood.
But it appears the stars of the pink-studded film have done a lot of promotional content ahead of time. They even kept BTS ARMY in mind!
As promotional trailers for Barbie were first released, fans were quick to mention how Gosling’s character Ken wears the exact same outfit Jimin wears in the Permission To Dance music video.
Now in a new clip, Gosling addresses the coincidence.
“I have to give it to you. You wore it first. You definitely wore it best,” he says.
“There’s an outspoken Ken-code that if you bite another Ken’s style, you have to give them your most prized possession. So, I hope you’ll accept Ken’s guitar.”
Thankfully, Ken doesn’t really play the guitar anyways!
JENNIE opens up about burnout, Coachella and sharing her culture with the world on Dua Lipa’s podcast
In her first podcast appearance ever, Blackpink’s Jennie dished about burnout, Coachella and sharing her culture on Dua Lipa’s At Your Service program.
Jennie discussed her early days going to school and learning English in New Zealand, and the challenges of going through the rigorous idol trainee system before debuting in Blackpink.
But what was eye-opening to me was how Jennie opened up about burnout and not wanting to be a rapper in her early days as a performer.
“After our debut, we did like six songs where I would just rap, like, seriously rap,” she said.
“And along the way, I kind of got confused. Because the more I did singing and music, I came to realize that there’s a big side of me inside that I love to sing and just play with my vocals. But I actually never had the chance to really explore that as a trainee, because I got told that I should be a rapper, you know? So there was a phase where I would hate to rap. Like, I was like, ‘This isn’t me, like, this isn’t the journey that I envisioned in my head. Like, I don’t think I’m a rapper.’ So there was definitely a burnout season.”
Eventually, Jennie shared that she overcame that period in her life and began to appreciate that side of her, while also getting to sing in songs as well.
It’s rare to hear Jennie be so open. Highly recommend this episode if you haven’t heard it yet!
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So much love for P1Harmony! What a group of sincere, charismatic and talented guys! I saw this tour earlier this year in DC and while they've adjusted their setlist to accommodate their latest comeback, I would love to know what your favorite stages were?
I need to check out Jennie's podcast episode. It's rare to hear idols speaking publicly with so much vulnerability.