One of the greatest things about SXSW is the wide range of diverse acts that come in from all over the world. And one of the most consistently fun nights I have had in SXSW over the past years has always been the Korean pop night. In the past years I have seen several hit K-pop groups including:

F(x)
Red Velvet
Hyuna
Mamamooo

This year, K-pop returns. Things have changed – K-pop is now one of the biggest genres of music in the world (if you can call it a genre) and bands like BTS and Blackpink are among the most popular bands on Earth. Even on a personal basis, I have been listening to more and more K-pop bands. It’s fun, catchy music. I think they have figured out the formula for creating hooks – the thing I really enjoy is that there is no hesitation for bands in K-pop to mix genres – often songs in K-pop feature pop, electro, rap and rock all in one song. There’s no baggage there that seems to exist in North American music (imagine if Taylor Swift suddenly drops a hardcore rap – there would be some pushback)

The song GingaMingaYo is a great example of the blend of genres. The song dips and dives between pop and electro, all punctuated by choreographed dancing and ultimately becomes a year worm you can’t escape. The group behind this song is called Billlie. Debuting in 2021, the South Korean band consists of seven members and has had some success in the past few years with the single mentioned as well as other songs such as “Ring My Bell.” Given that they have not released new music since mid 2022, their reappearance in Austin might signal new material.

Either way – watch the video below. This will be a fun time

Billlie plays Elysium on March 13.