Starting Fresh With Kevin Woo: Mall Tours, Acting Gigs, and A Bit Of “Deja Vu”
If you’ve already been immersed in the world of K-pop, the name Kevin Woo should need no introduction. Whether you grew up as a fan of his Korean boy group U-KISS or have seen him interact with your favorite groups on the interactive Korean talk show, After School Club, Kevin’s overall presence is so embedded within the English-speaking K-pop community that he’s truly hard to miss. Maybe that’s why it was such a shock for U.S. fans to see Kevin joining Greater Than Distribution and Simon Malls on the “Scouting For Stars” mall tour across America.
After finding immense success across Asia, Latin America, Europe, and more with U-KISS, Kevin Woo is now setting out to conquer the U.S. on his terms as a Korean-American soloist and former K-pop star. In an interview at the Woodfield Mall in Chicago, Kevin sat down with EnVi post-performance to discuss his latest U.S. single, “Deja Vu,” the differences of navigating the Western music scene compared to K-pop, his acting career, and so much more.
A Little Bit of Deja Vu
Coming off his second set of the day — where he dazzled fans and unknowing bystanders with performances of his songs “Camouflage,” “Phoenix,” “Got It,” and his debut of “Deja Vu” — Kevin Woo was in the zone. While the concert lineup consisted of many emerging talents, all of whom deserve their flowers, Kevin’s undeniable star power, status, and fanbase drew in most of the crowd. There were even girls camped out on blankets sitting along the front of the stage, eagerly anticipating their former K-pop idol’s entry. And who could blame them? Not only was this a free opportunity to see their idol up close and personal, but it was also Kevin’s first-ever visit to Chicago in his 17-year-career. Needless to say, the excitement was palpable, surging through anyone who was within earshot of the stage speakers.
After his second meet and greet and autograph session wrapped up, I headed to the Woodfield Mall’s green room to meet back up with Kevin for our interview. Simply dressed in a pair of jeans, a leather jacket, and a beige tank, the singer’s personality is just as bubbly and infectious in person as it is onscreen. We start by chatting about his U.S. single, “Deja Vu,” a sultry dance/R&B track similar to his 2021 single “Got It” but vastly different from anything he previously released in Korea.
“I got in the studio with my best friends, and I really sat down with them and said I wanted to make an R&B/dance track, so we heard a lot of different tracks, and I was in that phase of finding and solidifying my color as an artist, and I feel like with ‘Got It,’ it was a good start and set the tone,” he told EnVi. “But this time, I wanted to take it more back to the roots, so it feels like a genuine R&B track. Even the lyrics, I wanted to write about something about deja vu because people who have already known me during my U-KISS or K-pop days, I’m in a way reintroducing myself to them and the US audience. So it sounds familiar — it’s something that feels like home, but also new and unknown.”
However, “Deja Vu” isn’t a complete surprise for those who have followed his career. In 2021, the 33-year-old credited several notable R&B singers as his main inspirations for his solo music, including Usher, Ne-Yo, Omarion, and Destiny’s Child. “I’m pulling from a lot of different elements and genres that I love listening to and grew up with — number one being R&B as the underlying base genre,” Kevin explained. “But I’m also bringing in some pop elements like eye-catching choreography and visuals, and I’m a huge sucker for pop, so I love something that’s easy listening, and people can catch on to it quickly.”
But they are also hints of current R&B trends underneath the 2000s atmosphere of it all. “That was the era I grew up in, but I want to bring it back with a more modern take to it,” he said. “These days, I’ve been listening to a lot of Brent Faiyaz, Lucky Daye, SZA…so things that I’ve been listening to lately, plus my inspirations growing up, [my music] is like a fusion between those two.”
Mall Tours and Reaching New Audiences
While the California native may have been used to playing for bigger audiences in South Korea, he’s still finding his footing Stateside, embracing the smaller, more intimate shows that make his journey all the more special. It’s one of the many reasons mall concerts were a staple for up-and-coming artists of the 2000s to mid-2010s. From teen pop sensations like the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, and Cody Simpson, to popular boy bands and girl groups at the time like B5, Little Mix, and Mindless Behavior — if you were looking to make it big in America, mall tours would be the place to be.
However, with social media and Internet culture proving to be the way of the future when it came to growing an audience and building a platform, the music industry began to focus less and less on personal interactions in favor of digital. Subsequently, it didn’t help that mall culture, in general, had steadily been declining as more shoppers (especially young ones) have shifted to online shopping instead. While many Millennials would consider mall concerts a lost art nowadays, Kevin has seen the appeal and impact in real time.
“When the concept was first brought to me and my team, we loved it,” Kevin smiled. “It’s a free show for people who aren’t as familiar with the K-pop genre, and me as an artist, so it was a great way to reach out to new audiences. And it’s something special because once you encounter an artist in person, you feel like there’s like this connection, and that’s what I’ve been feeling with all the different cities and audiences I’ve been reaching out to.”
Although Kevin’s fans have come out in droves to support his U.S. endeavors, he’s also surprised and flattered to see many news faces and names pop up on his social media platforms. “Surprisingly, some people have been commenting on my Instagram and TikTok, saying, ‘We saw you at our mall, we never thought we would run into a [K-pop star],” he said. “And now they follow me, so it’s great to see a lot of families like moms and daughters or dads, and toddlers in strollers — they would come and ask for pictures, so it’s just endearing to see that. And I know for the little ones, this will really be a core memory growing up.”
Navigating the U.S. Market as a K-pop Artist
Kevin Woo is no stranger to the grind of the music industry and the sacrifices it requires — it’s what he’s been trained to do for nearly his whole life. From auditioning for multiple Korean talent agencies and being selected at 15 to temporarily debuting in K-pop group XING and later on as a member of U-KISS, Kevin always had his eyes on the prize. The goal was music, and the conditions were non-negotiable. One way or another, he was destined to make it happen.
“For me, the biggest takeaway from my K-pop experience was the work ethic because we were trained very hard at a young age to really push ourselves,” Kevin shared. “Whether it was training or being in the media, social media, interacting with fans…they were all really good skills to bring over to the US, because I feel like K-pop has it down so well, and America is kind of catching up now, like with lightsticks, meet & greets, photocards — I love bringing the best of both worlds together.”
Up until these last years, Kevin hasn’t really had to worry about establishing himself and making his name known. That box was already checked 16 years ago when U-KISS scored their 2009 breakout hit, “Man Man Ha Ni.” However, breaking into the US market, especially as a Korean or Korean-American artist, is a different story and comes with its own challenges.
“It took me a while to embrace my Korean-American identity,” Kevin admitted. “I was in a K-pop group for 15+ years, and our group’s identity was very Korean; it stemmed from Korea, and it was very K-pop branded. That was great for the group, but after I branched out to become a solo artist, I needed to really connect with music and how things operate here, so it’s been a learning curve for me.” To make matters worse, the perceptions of K-pop, especially in America, can range from borderline ignorant to flat-out racist.
“People who aren’t into K-pop, they see these groups like BTS or Stray Kids and are like, “Why do they have so much makeup on? What’s wrong with their fashion?” Kevin recalled regarding K-pop’s Western perception. “I’m like, no, that’s just how we express ourselves as an art form, regardless of sexuality — it’s just a different culture.”
Much to his advantage, however, Kevin’s Korean-American heritage does give him an edge, as he’s able to easily identify and connect with both sides of the industry. “For me, as a Korean-American who knows both sides so well, and knows the responses and feedback on the American side, it was another hurdle,” he stated. “For Koreans, that’s just them, and they just live their authentic selves. But for me, it’s like. ‘Oh, is this perceived as this?’ And as a young kid, it did mess with my mental a little bit. But fast forward 15 years, like, I’m very, very comfortable in my own skin now and just bringing that sexy back.”
Another difference between the US and Korean markets is the way events are run and even the way the audiences interact with their favorite artists. “One of the biggest events that I attended when I first came that was K-con, and although that’s K-pop, the audience is very American, so there’s a lot of cultural differences between the two worlds,” Kevin explained. “I feel like American fans — I don’t know, it feels very different because in Korea or Asia, there’s a whole system to it. You have to get your ticket to get your hi-touch or meet and greet, and then you just say hi and bye. But here, it’s very personal, and people share their stories, and they’re not afraid to connect on a deeper level, and I love that.”
Additionally, unlike many K-pop tours that often focus on major cities and states, the “Scouting for Stars” tour reaches far and wide, from large cities like Chicago to smaller areas such as Oklahoma City.
“I’m hitting so many cities that I’ve never even imagined I’d be in,” Kevin said in surprise. “Like, my first was Oklahoma City — I never thought I’d go to Oklahoma. There were so many Klovers and KissMe’s who brought their U-KISS Neverland albums and said, ‘We never expected you to be in Oklahoma; thank you for visiting us.’ So that’s when I knew I had to really venture out and visit all these other cities we don’t normally visit.”
Although this is his first legitimate tour across the States, Kevin can still recall his first live performance outside his home state of California. “Ohio was one of my first cities outside of LA — an event called OhioCon in 2019. It was technically an anime convention, but they wanted to fuse it with K-pop. I went to Columbus, and again, I didn’t know I had a fanbase there, but I have a big one.”
Despite his global fanbase, Kevin is still in shock every time he touches down in a new city and sees the scope of his support in real time, including in Chicago. “I just finished two sets here at the Woodfield Mall, and even though it feels like I’ve known them forever, and they have followed my journey forever, it was only our first time meeting. The energy — it’s just indescribable.”
In His Bag: Acting Career & Upcoming Projects
Kevin can also be known as a triple (or quadruple) threat outside of music. Not only can he sing and dance, he’s also got his hands in several acting projects and years of experience as a talk show host. From 2014 to 2018, Kevin became a host on the Korean program, After School Club, alongside fellow K-pop friends in the industry like Eric Nam and Jamie Park. The show’s premise directly focused on connecting K-pop groups with their overseas fanbase, providing many English-speaking fans with opportunities that were once inaccessible to them in the industry’s early days. Fortunately for Kevin, the exposure became a two-way street, where newer K-pop fans regularly discovered and recognized him from ASC alone, extending his reach even further.
Eventually, that hosting experience transcended into acting, where Kevin went on to perform in the Korean adaptation of the musical Alter Boyz in 2019 and made his Broadway debut with the K-pop-inspired musical KPOP in 2022. More recently, the acting bug has landed Kevin a duel role in a short film called Seoul Switch, winning several awards at various Seoul festivals last year, and a starring role in K-Pops!, an upcoming feature film directed by and starring Anderson.Paak.
“It’s [Paak’s] directorial debut — he and his son star in it,” Kevin explained. “Because Anderson is part Korean, he always wanted to share his story about his life, and this movie is very much about his life. And it’s the first K-pop Hollywood feature film, so it’s very exciting for my community and also for America to experience this really seamless bridge between two cultures, and it’s heavily focused on Korean and Black culture.” He went on to note the significance American Black culture has had on K-pop since its inception in the ‘90s. “K-pop is very much inspired by and derives from hip-hop and Black culture, and for a movie to talk about that and explain the roots of both cultures, it’s something really special.”
As for Kevin’s role in K-Pops!, he let EnVi in on a little secret of what viewers can expect from his Hollywood debut. “I can’t explain too much, but I do play a big K-pop star, and I can mention that I play the antagonist of this film — I’m in my villain era.” In case that doesn’t already give you enough incentive to see the film when it opens, Kevin added, “There’s so much heart in it, it’s super funny, as you would expect from Anderson, and I feel like it’s for any demographic, any ethnicity, any age, it’s just lots of good fun and laughs and tears too — it’s very touching at the end.”
K-Pops! won’t be the only film to feature Kevin’s wicked side, though — he’s also set to play a villain in the upcoming Tubi movie, Death Name, this summer. As a massive horror and thriller fan himself, the singer-turned-actor has many villainous roles to look up to and take notes from. “A big case study or just research for me was Hannibal from the Hannibal Lecter franchise, which was very creepy to watch, but I’m a huge sucker for horror films,” he laughed. “I feel kind of psychotic when I’m watching them by myself in my room, then stare at the mirror to practice my stoic faces.” He then demonstrated the way he watches scary movies — amusingly tapping his fingers together in anticipation — and it’s clear nothing can stand in the way of Kevin and his love for the horror genre.
The Power of Music and Staying Grounded
On the outside looking in, working in the music industry, especially as a singer, the glitz and glamor usually take center stage, leaving millions to daydream what it would be like to attend the parties, award shows, red carpets, and all the stunning perks in between. But for those who are in the thick of it and experience the day-to-day highs and lows, Hollywood isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. You could either let the fame and recognition go to your head or fall victim to the endless obstacles of struggling to remain relevant in the social spotlight — the industry lets you see a fair share of both.
Kevin, however, is lucky enough to have found a middle ground where he can savor and appreciate every moment as it comes and not take his support system for granted. “I’m very fortunate to have a very tight-knit inner circle in LA,” he shared. “My family and closest friends are in LA, and I feel like they really keep me grounded. Also, music — whenever I’m in the studio, just writing about anything I’m going through or what I want to talk about, it’s very therapeutic, so I always resort back to music when I’m going through stuff.”
It isn’t just his immediate support system that keeps him sane either; that honor also extends worldwide on a digital level. “It’s weird to say social media because there’s also a downside of it, but when you use it the right way, it does help me stay grounded because that’s how I stay connected. My fans, my Klovers — they’re always there for me.”
Through all the whirlwind and beautiful chaos of this unique position he’s in, Kevin’s dedication and enthusiasm for his craft is one thing he wouldn’t trade for the world. When asked if he’s happy with where he is in his life right now, he grinned from ear to ear and responded, “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been — thank you for asking.”
You can listen to Kevin Woo’s single, “Deja Vu,” on all streaming platforms here, and for all the latest updates, follow him on Instagram, X, and TikTok.
For more exclusive artist interviews, check out our latest with Psychic Fever on their first U.S. tour here!
