SE SO NEON – Korean Rock n Roll Comes to the USA! Live In LA at The Wiltern!

September 29, 2025 – Last Saturday night was really special for me. I’ve lived in LA for more than a decade, and seeing an Asian band perform at the Wiltern was a big deal. It was their last show on their North America Tour 2025, and it felt like a major moment as an Asian-American. To see a Korean band at such one of the famous venue in the US, especially for the final stop, was pretty inspiring.

Most of the crowd was Asian too, and everyone was super excited. It was really cool to be in a room full of people who share the same background, supporting an Asian artist on such a big stage. Made me realize how far we’ve come and how important it is to see ourselves represented like this.

A little about the band: SE SO NEON started in 2016 with frontwoman Soyoon Hwang. They dropped their debut album NOW last August 15th, and it’s got a mix of styles — blues, psychedelic rock, new wave, synth pop. Even though most of their songs are in Korean, the emotion in their music makes it feel relatable. They’ve won awards like “Rookie of the Year” and “Best Rock Song” in Korea, and their EP Nonadaptation was named one of the best rock albums of 2020 by Pitchfork and Paste. They’ve also been recognized internationally and even joined YouTube Music’s global artist program.

Seeing them play last night, especially their new songs, and how they connected with the crowd was just amazing. It felt like a big step for Asian artists, and I left feeling really proud to be there. It’s a reminder that there’s more of this to come, and I can’t wait for more shows like this.