Monsta X (Starship Entertainment)

K-pop boy band Monsta X on Sunday completed two days of concerts in Seoul, the first stop of its “We Are Here” world tour that stretches across 12 further countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Netherlands, Australia, Spain, France, UK, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Brazil and the US.

“Through this tour, we want to spread Monsta X’s music. We will work hard until our music takes over the world,” Jooheon said at a press conference held before a concert at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul.

“We want to give more energetic, fun and moving performances than previous ones,” said leader Shownu. “Thanks to our global Monbebe (group’s official fandom), we are going on a world tour. We will pour every ounce of spirit into capturing many fans in our eyes.”

“We are excited to see all the K-pop fans around the world. We will return them with great performances,” said Wonho.


Embarking on a third world tour in three consecutive years, Monsta X expressed greater confidence than before, with the intention to enjoy the stage as much as possible.

“Through past tours, I think our stage capability has been upgraded,” said Minhyuk.

“We want to show the world this is K-pop and this is Monsta X,” added I.M.


The concerts, which drew more than 10,000 fans for the two days, featured all of the popular Monsta X tracks since its debut in 2015, as well as many more. The night kicked off with powerful staging of three songs -- “Shoot Out,” “Hero” and “Trespass” -- to an audience engulfing the stadium with screams, chants and the new light sticks glowing different colors to match the performance.

“This is our last performance in Seoul. We prepared a lot for Monbebes, so stay tuned,” said Wonho.

Meeting high expectations, the seven bandmates filled every inch of the stage, giving fans a well-packed show that included subunit performances, comedy videos and changes of outfits from gold embroidered black suits to cute preppy looks. The concert amply showcased the colorful charms of Monsta X, known for its slick and sexy moves, as well as intense rapping.

In around three hours, Monsta X sang 26 songs, including “Party Time,” “Play it Cool,” “Miss You,” “Mohae,” “Jealousy,” “Myself,” “Dramarama,” “Spotlight” and “Alligator,” highlighting Monsta X’s synchronized and powerful choreography and strong stage performance. The band also made sure to pose as sweethearts for fans, singing “Honestly,” “I Do Love You” and “How About U?”


The band also showed a series of subunit performances, with Minhyuk, Kihyun and Hyungwon kicking off with “Myself.” Jooheon and I.M rapped self-written track “Sambakja,” which mixed hip-hop and traditional Korean music. Shownu and Wonho gave an impactful performance of “Mirror.”

“I want to give out a performance that is moving and with a message, more than just a glamorous performance,” Shownu said about his unit stint.

At the press conference, I.M also hinted at releasing a solo mixtape soon. “I cannot tell you the exact date, but it will be unveiled as soon as possible after the concert,” he said. He is also collaborating with an overseas artist for the song, but said he could not give out the name for the moment.

“In this mixtape, I wanted to put my unique music color, apart from Monsta X’s music. Overall it has a very dreamlike vibe, with slow tempo songs. It’s very sexy, so stay tuned.”


Following the Seoul concert, Monsta X next heads to Bangkok on June 1, followed by Sydney on June 5, Melbourne on June 8, Kuala Lumpur on June 22, Madrid on June 29, Amsterdam on July 3, Paris on July 6, London on July 9, Berlin on July 13, Sao Paulo on July 19, Mexico City on July 21, Dallas on July 25, Houston on July 27, Atlanta on July 30, New York on Aug. 3, Chicago on Aug. 6 and Los Angeles on Aug. 10.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)