Kevin Woo Steals Hearts at His First Solo US Show in West Hollywood
- Cristal Dean
- 10 hours ago
- 7 min read
Saja Boy, Mystery, absolutely devoured the hearts of fans with his mesmerizing vocals this week at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. The elusive boy group member is voiced by former k-pop idol Kevin Woo who performed November 25, 2025 for fans young and old to enjoy his timeless vocals. From the stages in South Korea to the venues of the US, Kevin Woo has forged a path for himself in the entertainment business by branching out into acting and hosting while also steadily building his music career.
Before landing his role as a boy group member in the movie Kpop Demon Hunters , Kevin Woo was a real boy group member as a main vocalist in a kpop boy group known as UKISS. Having debuted in 2008, Kevin spent 9 amazing years with UKISS creating iconic songs such as “Dora Dora” and “Man Man Ha Ni (Am I That Easy?).” Both songs have a unique 2nd gen feel to it which can throw any 2nd gen kpop fan into nostalgia where hair defied the physics of gravity and outfits truly reflected the era of early 2000’s music. Chrome pants, heavy eyeliner, bowl cuts with wind swept bangs, Kevin was a part of it all until he left the group in 2017 to pursue a solo career.
To start the night, fellow Bay area native, Tealousy, amped up the crowd by performing catchy R&B tracks he wrote himself. Lyrics of emotion from personal experiences pervaded The Troubadour, preparing the crowd for who was to come next to share his own personal journey.
Before he could set foot on stage, fans erupted into cheers as they caught a glimpse of Kevin Woo. His suit jacket, bedazzled with glistening sequins, caught the light as he descended the small staircase to take his spot center stage.The first notes of his debut single “Got It,” which was released back in 2021, kicked off and seconds later Kevin’s voice took over the night. Hearing his voice again after so many years reminded me just how talented 2nd gen idols are and it was obvious his mic was ON. Right after singing his debut single he dove straight into his most recent single “Deja Vu,” which was released in March of this year and is currently his most popular solo song.
The crowd cheered as the lights turned bright and the track faded so Kevin could engage with his fans where he admitted he was surprised, but elated, from the outturn considering this was his first solo concert in the United States. He noted that it was an honor to begin his solo US career at The Troubadour, specifically considering world-wide famous kpop group BTS had also started their US journey here as well over 10 years ago. Similar to BTS, Kevin Woo’s popularity rapidly soared in the US but for an entirely different reason.
The 2025 movie Kpop Demon Hunters took the world by storm and fans became enamored with the fictional kpop groups HUNTR/X, who are the protagonist defending the world against the demonic boy group, Saja Boys. It’s here where you will recognize Kevin Woo’s voice as he lends it to Mystery Saja. Children, adults, and fans of musicals added his voice to their playlists and sang along to the catchy tunes of “Soda Pop” and “Your Idol.” Becoming the singing voice for Mystery Saja launched him back into the spotlight.
So of course he had to perform “Soda Pop,” right?
Two back-up dancers joined him on stage and fans jumped in excitement as the notes began. The lyrics everyone has been singing this entire past summer finally came alive as they followed Kevin into the chorus: “You’re my soda pop, my little soda pop! Cool me down, you’re so hot, pour me up, I won’t stop, you’re my soda pop, my little soda pop!”
The night was buzzing right after the performance and Kevin told a story of how he met a fan who has been following him ever since the early days of UKISS and today she brought her daughter because she loves Kpop Demon Hunters. “It was a full circle moment,” he said proudly, having touched the hearts of a wide age range. No one is safe from a vocalist who persists in chasing his dreams. To pay homage to his Korean roots he sang two songs in Korean, his first solo debut “Beautiful Day” and"Beautiful" by Crush, from the popular k-drama Goblin. Both songs truly highlighted his voice and proved how he was meant to be on stage serenading as many people that would listen.
But the night couldn’t get away from the Kpop Demon Hunter phenomenon. Kevin brought out surprise guest, Kate Mina Lin who he had previously worked with in a Korean Broadway show. They reunited for a duet of “Free” from the film. Together their voices blended and complimented each other for a unique rendition of the song.
Right after, Kevin once again mentioned how his life has changed ever since the release of Kpop Demon Hunters and due to the spotlight he signed his first ever record deal with 10K at Atlanta Records where, coincidently, his role model and inspiration, Bruno Mars, is also signed!
But that wasn’t the only news he dropped that night. Kevin shared that only one hour prior he, along with UKISS members Kiseop an Hoon, released a new single "Halo," under their new subunit, UX1. This three minute song utilizes the trio’s well-trained voices to evoke your emotions and provide a taste of just what else UX1 will produce. The artist also mentioned to keep an eye out for a Christmas song dropping December 5th.
But wait there’s more!
Kevin mentioned he was diligently working in the studio with costar Andrew Choi, who also lent his singing voice to Jinu from KPDH, to produce songs to be released at the top of 2026. To give a little example of what they’ve been working on he performed two brand new, never released songs giving exclusive access to the fans in attendance at The Troubadour. To help keep the anticipation high and preserve the “surprise” factor of the songs we can’t release the names or details of the tracks so you’ll just have to keep a look out in 2026 for the full release.
Wanting to pay homage to his kpop days, Kevin jumped into an exemplary UKISS Medley performance! The medley was banger after banger of classic 2nd gen songs like “330” which the crowd loudly sang to because how can you keep quiet when you’re finally listening to such an iconic song LIVE? From “Stop Girl to Believe” and finally “Man Man Hi (Am I Too Easy?)” The medley was a flashback that UKISS fans, also known as KissMe’s, eagerly enjoyed. Every KissMe sang along and even shouted the fanchants as Kevin recalled lyrics and choreography from the mid–2000’s which, no doubt, are still muscle memory. It was as if someone took my MP3 player and plugged it into the venue speakers and lyrics I thought I had forgotten were suddenly coming out of my lips. Or like dusting off your childhood bike and taking it for another ride, just reliving the former years where old kpop music videos were in 480p or, if you were lucky, 720p. To me, talking about Kevin Woo is like talking about Justin Timberlike. “Did you know back in the day he was in a boy band?” And now he’s signing record deals and showing up on the stages of LA!
Of course there was one last song this Saja Boy had to sing and with his back up dancers back on stage the chilling tune of “Your Idol” overcame them, giving one last performance from his hit movie. Kevin belted lyric after lyric letting the dark vibe take over the room while fans joined in, whether by singing along or waving a lightstick. This song utilizes dark themes like chanting in latin and the lyrics progressing from seduction to deception until finally it ended with the symbolic words “You’re down on your knees, I’ma be your idol”. While the crowd continued to cheer from an incredible performance Kevin Woo began waving goodbye until his sister, Deanna, surprised him on stage with a birthday cake. With an encouraging wave of her hand and mouthing the first words of the song, the venue sang a very happy birthday to Kevin Woo.
His excitement was contagious and he was very happy to celebrate his birthday on the day of his very first US show. “It’s truly a dream come true.” He said and expressed his gratitude with a few more choice words. Singing and performing on stage is what he has always wanted to do and is thankful for the opportunities he has received and now with his new record deal he is seeing more of his future lined with additional performances, albums, and appearances. If you're in LA on December 5th, you can catch Kevin at Jingle Ball Village's free show with iHeartRadio Jingle Ball.
But we all know there’s always an encore.
The final song on the setlist was "Camouflage” from the comedy short-film Seoul Switch. Although it was the last song the crowd immediately wanted more, Kevin obliged and he pulled his back-up dancers back onto the stage for another round of “Soda Pop”.
It seemed to be the end of the night but Kevin, being the ever so sweet boy we’ve always known him as, began interacting with fans by posing for photos from the stage, grabbing phones and taking selfies with as many fans as possible. With such a sweetheart for a role model, fans waited patiently for their turns and lacked the usual aggression from overzealous crowds. No one pushed or shoved or yelled and instead bonded with each other over Kevin.
Whether they knew him from UKISS or Kpop Demon Hunters, fans alike were able to experience Kevin Woo’s raw talent for one remarkable night which will hopefully be the first of many. The artist mentioned he plans to release more music in 2026 and would love to do a US tour so keep your eyes peeled.
Kevin Woo
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