Few Americans realize all the separate subgenres that exist under the cloud of "K-Pop" but lo, they do. One of those subgroups is that of the ballad singer, a performer who specializes in the deeper, slower tracks versus dance-based music. One of the foremost performers of Korean ballads, Baek Ji-young, will be coming to the United States for a very brief tour later this summer, so K-Pop fans should be ready to travel.
The dates will come as part of the performer's "Sentimental Memories" tour, with Baek playing at Club Nokia L.A. Live on August 28, before heading east to New York City to perform at the Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center. Tickets went on sale Wednesday for her California gig but details regarding tickets for the New York concert haven't been released yet. The dates will be her first U.S. performances ever, but even South Koreans are excited, as the vocalist just broke a seven year gap between solo shows in February. She'll make her homeland wait until after her U.S. appearances-Baek will play a four-date tour of South Korea in September.
Baek first gained prominence in K-Pop during the late '90s thanks to the Latin influences present in her then dance-based music. Although that paid the bills, it wasn't until 2006's Smile Again that the performer released the ballad single "I Won't Love" and became a smash singing the style. Despite not touring, Baek has landed several tracks on the Korean charts including her hit "Voice" (no. 2) and the more upbeat number "Good Boy" (no. 4).
She has also starred as a judge on The Voice of Korea, a vocal television competition similar to the American title of the same name.
