by HASAN BEYAZ
Photo: Courtesy of CJ ENM
If there’s one artist who could hold an entire arena in the palm of his hand at this year’s KCON, it was Jackson Wang.
Even before the festival gates opened, his name was one of the most talked-about on the lineup. When KCON first announced he’d be performing, fans lit up timelines with speculation: What songs would he choose? Would he bring surprises?
There’s never a shortage of big moments at KCON, and 2025 was no exception – but when Jackson took the stage on Day 2, the atmosphere shifted. You could feel it in the roar that rolled from the barricade to the very back row, the collective jolt of a crowd bracing for impact; an almost electric anticipation settled over the room.
Since his 2015 debut with GOT7, the Hong Kong–born star has carved out a career that extends far beyond idol conventions. He’s a rapper, singer, producer, fashion force, and all-round cultural shapeshifter – but on stage, he’s something even harder to define. He’s an apex performer, the kind you can’t just watch passively. The kind of artist who doesn’t just perform to a crowd but with it. You either surrender to the energy or risk being left behind.
Dressed in all-black with his signature undercut, he made his entrance like a force of nature. The opening notes of “GBAD” rolled in with breezy, hip hop swagger, and from the first step he claimed every inch of the stage – striding to each runway edge, locking eyes with fans, radiating a confidence that made the space feel electric. At one point, he flung his jacket into the audience; a gesture as effortless as it was thrilling, met with an eruption of screams.
The energy spiked with “BUCK”, arguably the night’s most charged moment. Sliding a black Nike cap into place, Jackson rallied his dancers with a few sharp claps, and together they stormed down the runway in a chest-beating march, the snare-heavy beat punching through the air. It was an unspoken challenge to feel the music, to live in that exact second.
“Say you wanna dance? I can show you how to dance,” Jackson opens the song with. Tonight, this was more than just a lyric – it was a statement of intent. Every snap of his footwork, every precise sweep of his arms, carried the precision of years on the world’s biggest stages. You could tell he was enjoying it – and so were the dancers beside him, riding the same high-voltage current.
And then, just as quickly as it began, it was over. Two songs. For a man of his talent, it felt like the barest glimpse – enough to ignite the room but leaving everyone hungry for more. The buzz lingered long after he stepped off stage; the kind of afterglow only a true stage master leaves behind.
With his just-released album MAGICMAN 2 and a world tour on the horizon, Jackson is entering a new creative chapter defined by risk, swagger, and unshakable self-possession. If KCON was any indication, these shows won’t just be concerts; they’ll be charged with the same intensity that shook the arena in Los Angeles. The MAGICMAN is back, and he’s about to take the world with him.
At KCON, plenty of artists impress. In 2025, it was Jackson Wang who dominated.