K-Pop World festival: And the winners for UK are…

16 May 202216 May 2022 struc2107

On May 15, the finals of UK Round for the K-Pop World Festival took place. Organised by the Korean Cultural Centre (KCCUK), this event gathers the best singers and dancers in the country.

Of the 41 registered contestants, only 10 finalists were able to go on stage this Sunday to show their talents. Those were solo singers Framebela, Rohan, Risa and Taylor; dance groups AZIZA, KONCEPT, LVL19, SEGNO, UJJN and solo dancer Stefani Chertsova.

The candidates gave outstanding performances in front of a high-quality jury (composed of ATC Music Agent Cils Williams, K-Music star OMEGA SAPIEN from Balming Tiger and DJ DIDI Han). OMEGA SAPIEN even declared in between two performances:

“ Coming here my expectations were a bit low, but I could see the hard work and professionalism put into the choreography from the first performance. I was bluffed.”

First performance by **SEGNO**. **SEGNO**, a group composed of members of different nationalities, chose “**Step Back**” by **GOT** to represent its diversity.

Backstage, as well as in the auditorium, the atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed. The finalists all know each other and support each other.

“We all come from different backgrounds, we all have different jobs or studies and in this whole mix, it’s K-pop that brings us together and makes us have a good time together“, says one of the members of ZODIAC, winners of 2018 and special guests for this 2022 edition.

Oraceon 2nd special guest performing (G)-idle “Tomboy”

For some contestants, the K-Pop World Festival is their first-ever contest, such as some members of UJUN. Others have already been able to perform alongside their favourite artists like the crew KONCEPT, who performed on stage at MCND‘s concert in April 2022.

Even if stress is palpable, all the participants say they are more excited than stressed. “We’re really looking forward to it, we just want to have a good time on stage,” says one of the members of LVL19.

ITZY, NCT, TAEMIN, ASTRO, IVE, GOT etc…, the 6 dance groups put the atmosphere in the Rich Mix room with their choreographies gauged to millimeters.

Fan of **SHINee**, **Stefani** impressed the audience with her perfect cover of “**Criminal**” by **TAEMIN**.

The stages of the solo singers do not pale in comparison with the dynamics of the dancers. The four ballads sung in Korean by the participants all give goosebumps to the audience.

ROHAN singing “Every day, Every Moment” by PAUL KIM

After deliberations, the winners of the 2022 edition of the K-Pop World festival in the United Kingdom who will go on to the next stage of the competition are: