Recently, TikTok and Instagram buzzed with videos of people drinking soju and singing along to K-Pop tracks at a popular club in Hollywood. These scenes were captured at the ‘Electrik Seoul’ event held on June 13 at Avalon Hollywood.
Nino Seunghoon Lee, 25, the producer who planned and oversaw the event, works as a creative design manager at Insomniac, a company well-known for hosting music festivals like EDC and Hard Summer in Southern California. As the only Korean at the company, he aimed to introduce Korean culture by combining K-Pop and EDM.
“K-Pop has become more than just a music genre; it’s a culture,” Lee explained. “K-Pop fans not only watch music videos but also enjoy Korean variety shows and are eager to experience the diverse foods and cultures featured in these videos.”
For the first time, the club sold soju and offered cocktails mixed with bubble tea (boba). The second floor featured karaoke and photo booths, which received an enthusiastic response from attendees. Korean dishes like galbi and tteokbokki were also prepared.
The first event was held on a Thursday night, a day when even famous DJs struggled to sell out. Contrary to expectations, the event sold out on the day of the event. The second event sold out a week in advance, and the upcoming third event sold out within a week of ticket sales opening.
The participation of diverse ethnicities and age groups was noticeable. Lee shared, “I was worried the audience would be mostly Koreans, but it was fulfilling to see people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying Korean culture.”
He recalled a memorable moment when “all the attendees, who were experiencing different activities, stopped and came together to sing NewJeans’ ‘ETA’ as if on cue. I was surprised to see them singing not just songs with English lyrics but also Korean songs like Big Bang’s ‘Haru Haru.’”
Electrik Seoul plans to engage its audience with more events and new content. Moving beyond club events, it aims to establish itself as one of the major music festivals in Southern California, spreading the joy and culture of Korea to a broader audience. Its upcoming sold-out show will take place on July 18th at Academy LA.
BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
