SM Entertainment Artists Celebrate 30 Years With SMTown Live L.A.

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Enthusiasts of K-Pop artists under the management of SM Entertainment endured an unusually warm day to catch performances by members from 13 different groups at Carson’s Dignity Health Sports Park earlier this month.

One of Korea’s renowned “big three” K-Pop agencies, SM Entertainment, has been a part of their famous SMTown Live concert series since 2003, inviting members from various acts to participate. This year, the agency celebrated its 30th anniversary. Since the last SMTown Live in California, which was held in Anaheim, it’s been 13 years.

SM Entertainment, one of Korea’s top K-Pop agencies, has been involved with their SMTown Live concert series since 2003, including members from different acts. This year marked the agency’s 30th anniversary. It’s been 13 years since a SMTown Live was held in California (specifically Anaheim).

The entire day was dedicated to fans who chose the red-carpet pass, allowing them to get up close and personal with their favorite stars starting from 1 p.m. Some artists made a stop at the fan barricade for quick selfies or friendly greetings. Many acts hinted at fresh tunes and thrilling shows. Performers included TVXQ, Super Junior, SHINee’s Key and Minho, EXO’s Suho, Chanyeol, and Kai, Red Velvet, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, aespa, Riize, Hearts2Hearts, and SMTR25. Regrettably, NCT Wish was unable to attend due to visa complications.

It appears that the girl band aespa hinted at upcoming projects during SMTown Live. Winter shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “We’re on the verge of unveiling new music really quickly, so keep an eye out for that.” The group characterized their performance as electrifying and the audience erupted in excitement as they performed popular tracks like “Whiplash” and “Next Level.

For the very first time, we’re in Los Angeles for SMTown, and it’s not often that we get to be together as one big SMTown family here,” said Riize’s Anton prior to the concert. Their debut album, titled “Odyssey“, was just released, and they showcased some of its tracks for their fans during the L.A. performance. “It’s a truly unique chance,” Anton added.

TVXQ, one of the pioneers among today’s performers, shared with The Hollywood Reporter that their concert would feature some of their classic hits. True to their word, they performed their 2008 K-Pop anthem “Mirotic,” which resonated throughout the stadium as fans sang along passionately. As member Changmin told The Hollywood Reporter, the aim was to create a stage where both senior and junior groups could display a strong sense of unity.

Similar girl groups such as Red Velvet opted to perform popular classics from their past. During the concert, the trio that took the stage left spectators amazed when they performed their 2018 hit “Bad Boy.” Red Velvet shared with The Hollywood Reporter that they included this song as a special gift for their fans. As it was Red Velvet’s first L.A. performance in quite some time, they were confident that the audience would enjoy it immensely.

At the opposite extreme was SM’s recent project, the eight-member girl group Hearts2Hearts, who had just performed at Wango Tango over the weekend. They were thrilled about their first visit to L.A., with Stella, one of the vocalists, sharing that they were eagerly anticipating the final song of the show, “Hope from Kwangya,” where all performers unite for a farewell sing-off.

After finishing their last performance, all the artists gathered on stage and then bid farewell to their fans collectively. The upcoming SMTown Live by SM Entertainment is planned for June 28 in London, with another one following in Japan in August.

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2025-05-30 02:54