BTS’ J-Hope makes history by headlining Lollapalooza 2022
MANILA, Philippines – J-Hope of K-pop boy group BTS made history as the first South Korean artist to headline major American music festival Lollapalooza on Sunday, July 31.
J-Hope performed on the last night of Lollapalooza 2022 at the Bud Light Seltzer Stage from 8:50 pm to 10:00 pm, singing a total of 21 songs, including hits from his recently released solo album Jack In The Box. Some of the songs he performed include “Arson,” “Daydream,” “Future,” “Hope World,” and the tropical remix of BTS’ hit song “Dynamite.” The artist created completely new choreography for the song, which made the ARMY crowd go wild.
At the end of his set, J-Hope brought out Latin pop star Becky G to serve a live performance of “Chicken Noodle Soup.”
Following his head-banging and crowd-roaring performances, “Hobipalooza” quickly trend on Twitter. J-Hope also shared a message to the attendees: “Today is a meaningful moment for me. This is just part of the process of an album that started with greed and ambition reaching a grand finale. Through this album, all my scheduled activities benefited me, and I gained certainty once again while partaking in Lollapalooza and seeing everyone. Thank you to everyone who came. It’s an honor. This is a bit embarrassing, but I would like to say that I am proud of myself for overcoming this moment,” the headliner artist expressed in Korean, as translated by Soompi.
Fellow BTS member Jimin was present at the festival to support J-Hope. “I really watched as a fan today,” Jimin said in a VLive livestream with J-Hope after the latter wrapped up his performance. “Jimin’s help played a big role. While preparing for Lollapalooza, I was in a dark world, but [Jimin] became my light,” said J-Hope in turn.
In an interview with Rolling Stone before his performance, J-Hope also disclosed how the experience was “lonely” because he missed his band members. “[It’s] very challenging, but also very fun. So actually, I think it’s very positive to take on new challenges, [which] are actually going to help me as a person. So I’m actually enjoying the whole process. Every moment is very fun and very new and it makes me feel like I’ve gone back to the old days,” he shared.
According to him, it was a huge challenge as a solo artist and it made him recognize the importance of momentum. “I actually had to prepare really hard since it’s a very meaningful moment and an important part of my artistry. After this performance, maybe I’m going to feel a lot of things. I’m sure it’s going to help me as an artist to take the next step,” he said.
Lollapalooza is an annual four-day music festival held in Grant Park, Chicago from July 28 to 31. J-Hope’s performance at the festival was his live debut. Other headliners included Metallica, Dua Lipa, J. Cole, Green Day, Machine Gun Kelly, Lil Baby, and Kygo.
J-Hope made his solo debut in 2018 with the seven-track mixtape Hope World. Since then, he released single “Chicken Noodle Soup” featuring American rapper Becky G. – with reports from Elle Guison/Rappler.com
Elle Guison is a Rappler intern.