K-pop in good hands with ONEUS

Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwanwoong and Xion make up the K-pop phenomenon ONEUS, who were in Houston on Sunday, Jan. 29, to perform on the “Reach for Us World Tour” at the beautiful 713 Music Hall near downtown.

Before we dive into the madness, here is a brief history on K-pop, or Korean Pop, which goes back decades, and, according to the Los Angeles Film School, the genre started with The Kim Sisters in the 1950s. “K-pop or Korean Pop is the internationally popular, aesthetic-driven, style-bending, trendsetting, music genre of the 21st century that originated in South Korea,” or so says LAFS.

I’m going to be perfectly honest… This was my first K-pop experience. Of course, I am familiar with BTS, who introduced many to K-pop when they performed at the American Music Awards in 2017. Lots of Grammy nods and millions of records sold and I’m certain the collab with Coldplay “My Universe” probably helped the rocket to stardom.

Despite terrible wet weather, hundreds of fans stood in line hours before doors opened at the 713 Music Hall and I got to witness firsthand why they were so excited for this show. 

With no opening act, which is quite ballsy in the concert world, ONEUS took the stage and the seated capacity crowd showed immediate insanity. It was impressively self-contained, though. Lots of screams, shouts and joyful tears, which immediately took me back to my own personal boy band fandom – N’SYNC, New Edition, Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block.

With a massive LED screen along with dancers that possessed Jabbawockeez-style moves, ONEUS was nothing short of impressive. Their setlist featured original songs such as “Bring it On,” “Come Back Home,” “Full Moon,” “Youth,” “Stupid Love” and our personal fav, “Black Mirror.” What may have even been more fun was the group’s clever covers of JT’s “Sexy Back,” “I Aint’ Worried” by OneRepublic and BlackPink’s “Pink Venom.”

If ONEUS continues this special connection with their “TO MOON” devotees, the band, and K-pop, will be around for longer than you think.

Chad Cooper is the Entertainment Editor. Contact cooper@theexaminer.com