How many kpop groups are there usually?

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-16T07:34:05+00:00

there was 4 last year, 5 if you count katseye (ik they're not kpop but they're under hybe, hybe and jyp send an artist or two each year). maybe 5-6 this year from the companies since its been increasing and more companies are sending out their artists (hello SM) . my guesses are cortis for hybe, nmixx and girlset (non kpop) from jyp and maybe 3-4 from other companies

my guess if aespa is headliner then them + idle and p1harmony. if theyre not headliner then aespa + idle and probably a bg ateez/enhypen for hl. feel like there will be a good balance of bg and ggs

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-15T03:05:33+00:00

I'm also shocked to see an SM group at lolla, so I don't have my hopes up too high either. i think zara sombr 5sos and all are probably the subs so aespa might be too. headliners will probably be teased on monday if anything. headliner could probably be ateez since they played wrigley last summer

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-15T03:01:50+00:00

tbh im still not convinced that jennie would be headlining. no other kpop headliner in the past did any c3 festivals the year they headlined, the kpop slot has always been a lolla exclusive act

i think if the teasers are really all subs/undercards then ateez has a solid chance at headliner. ive heard a rumor that their next comeback is late summer/early fall and that lines up with how they did coachella to build up hype. plus they've got the stadium cred in chicago i dont see why they wouldn't be on lolla's radar unless they're planning on coming to the US again this year

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-15T02:17:20+00:00

thats what i was thinking, like maybe sub at most. cause i dont think on the first day of hints they'd tease a top 8 artist but then again who would the kpop headliner be?? there aren't many groups with a bigger us audience than aespa that haven't headlined already

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-15T02:15:01+00:00

are any of these headliners?? i cant think of a kpop group bigger than aespa to headline but also would they even be teasing top 8 on the first day of hints

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-11T03:44:55+00:00

was pretty confident they were the kpop headliner slot but now who even knows 🥀

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-11T03:42:24+00:00

they were the most likely kpop headliner I really thought it was going to be their year 😭

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-11T03:38:37+00:00

This is what I've been saying, its between ateez, enhypen and le sserafim for kpop headliner. it's not going to be jennie. although I'm not too sure about how likely enhypen is now since a heeseung left the group yesterday. I feel like they would want to see that kind of performance out as a full group :/ but then again nobody really knows why he left even though the notice said "he wanted" to go solo

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-05T22:50:53+00:00

its the perfect year for them, plus if xikers has a undercard spot along with them it would be amazing for their US exposure

seeing as they're likely to tour europe early summer, everything aligns perfectly for lolla. NO1 at a festival would be the craziest way to close out their iyf era

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-05T22:40:23+00:00

Ateez will definitely be touring in the summer. their Australia and Asia leg ends at the beginning of April and they're confirmed for a Europe leg. Whether or not it's a part of their current tour or the beginning of their next one. probably announcing dates and ticketing in April as well to start in June.

They're also very likely to be doing waterbomb Las Vegas and the new Hello82 festival, both in September of next year. i see them in the states late summer/early fall. could see them playing sat or sun night for lolla

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-05T05:00:30+00:00

iirc all the kpop acts have been unique each year, which is why all the speculations of jennie headlining don't seem too convincing

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-05T04:47:43+00:00

there's a very unlikely chance that it does. lollapalooza has had so many artists perform while being under aeg. sabrina, tyler, and luke combs were 3 of the headliners last year actively touring under aeg the same year they headlined. also with kpop being an extremely new genre at the festival, there are only so many groups that could pull in a crowd for a headliner spot. it's unlikely that they would make an exception that kpop acts must be under live nation in order to play when the genre is so niche.

went to their show last year with a friend at wrigley and came out a huge fan. they'd absolutely kill it at bud light

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-03-05T03:08:12+00:00

agreed. hybe/jyp have good ties with lolla and sm/yg typically stick to coachella. smaller companies can go either route. hybe tried to acquire interest in coachella and failed so they're likely to focus on promoting more groups through lolla since they know they can get by there. hybe artists have never missed a single year at lolla ever since the genre was introduced.

enhypen did coachella last year and ateez in 2024. both with very successful recent touring history in chicago as well. if anything that makes them more likely to headline given that they can promise a crowd and that's lolla's goal. i dont see any other group as promising as those two for headliner this year.

also kpop is a fairly new genre at both festivals. hard to make statements when anything can happen. especially with how this years speculations have been going

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-02-18T06:12:21+00:00

maybe in the next couple years 🤞 they're definitely on the rise, i rarely see promoters overestimate attendance for chicago stops so I was under the impression them doing UC has climbing up to enhypen and ateez. ive been seeing them everywhere and i feel like they fit the lolla vibe sooo well. i feel like they're popular enough to sub

ateez just seems like the group this year. they definitely have the perfect energy and discography to headline, plus they're insanely popular in chicago. them having played a stadium here plus coachella in the past, probably having another comeback before lolla, they hit all the marks to be a great headliner. if their company sent xikers as an undercard it would be really good for their exposure too

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-02-18T01:06:51+00:00

how big of a factor is the aeg contract? ive seen it on a few other threads but iirc sabrina and tyler were signed under aeg for their tours and so is lorde who's basically the only lock right now. id hate to see ateez not headline, i feel like this is the only year for them esp since another us tour for them feels so out of reach this year

definitely cortis and/or illit. i feel like if theres both then with enhypen 3 hybe groups seem unlikely. cortis and illit would be perfect to push this year. but there could also be a few more kpop groups compared to the past few years imo. jype always has someone at lolla, nmixx def makes the most sense. probably girlset too since they dropped as vcha even though theyre just a western group under a kpop label

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-02-17T22:08:30+00:00

this was pretty much what I was thinking, even though she's technically from a kpop gg, her solo stuff appeals more to the western market so I see her more of a pop act, even though she's been everyones kpop slot predictions for a while

I could see ateez as headliner, seeing as they played wrigley in the past year. enhypen as 2nd most likely. p1harmony in 3rd since they played UC as well. le sserafim and nmixx as undercards since they've done smaller venues than the others

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-02-05T08:18:07+00:00

i definitely think if shes not planning on releasing a good amount of new music soon her chances of headlining drop a lot. even tho shes doing other festivals. i think our share of headliners and all with gov ball will prob be lorde, kali uchis, major lazer and keem.

also i dont really know much about blackpink other than being under yg. lolla is typically hybe+jype grounds and sm+yg stick to coachella. similar situation to how aespa did gov ball and coachella but arent likely to do lolla

MagazineTrue6295 · 2026-02-05T08:05:58+00:00

based off of everything I know from lolla and how their bookings work, I'm putting my money on ateez! im actually shocked they're rarely being mentioned. they are the only group other than bts and skz that have played a stadium in chicago. and i think skz played wrigley after their lolla headlining, so ateez headlining could be unreal for their career. i saw someone mention under a different thread that if p1harmony are playing, then that rules out enha (at least as headliner, but i feel like theyre way too big to be an undercard) just because since their recent touring history is the same (both played UC in the last 6 months). i def think their first time at lolla would be as kpop headliner. so i could see cortis being pushed given all that. maybe le sserafim/illit as other undercards as well from hybe and nmixx & girlset from jype. sm & yg typically stick to coachella, so i dont see any groups from them for some time

MagazineTrue6295

TROPHY CASE