K-pop group RIIZE made history when they were announced in the artist lineup on the Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup this year. The sextet – consisting of Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee, and Anton – is the first Korean pop group to perform at the historic festival, which celebrates its 50th year, in Austin, Texas.
Weeks before the festival, RIIZE signed onto Zoom from Bangkok, Thailand, where they will perform two sold-out concerts at the Impact Arena. The members are all smiles, shouting, “hello,” when the screen pops on. They have been busy preparing for the concerts, which they express enthusiasm for. Sohee raises his arms, shouting, “We are very excited!”
After their Bangkok schedule, they fly to Lisbon, Portugal, for Music Bank before heading to Austin, Texas, for the festival. Austin City Limits is also RIIZE’s first American music festival – and, hopefully, not their last.
“Since we are the first K-pop group to perform at ACL, many of the audience may not know K-pop well or may not know us,” Sungchan shares. “We hope we can move and inspire people who might not know much about the genre, and spark their interest in us as well.”
The group doesn’t feel nervous or any pressure from the festival, as they’ve been preparing for the showcase. Determined to make a strong impression on the audience, they have been practicing very hard to show everything they have. It’s not the first time the group has been the “first” within the K-pop industry. Just earlier this year, they were the first Korean artists to perform at Mexico’s biggest pop festival, Tecate Emblema. They’re also regulars in the festival circuit, having performed at Busan International Rock Festival, Summer Sonic, and Thailand’s Rolling Loud.
“We want to always show different sides of ourselves because RIIZE is a group that can take on a variety of genres and characters,” Wonbin explains. “Each of us has our own strengths and, together, we can bring out a wide range of performances as K-pop artists.”
As they prepare for their set, they look forward to seeing other artists perform on the same day. Each member shares their favorite, with the majority agreeing they’re all looking forward to Sabrina Carpenter. Woobin and Shotaro also mention Japanese singer Fujii Kaze, as well as Dolechii. Anton adds more to the list, excited to see Olivia Dean, alternative pop duo Magdalena Bay, Djo, and Sunday’s performance from MK. Gee.
“It’s an honor to be able to perform at the same show as those artists,” Anton admits. “It’s a [great] kick-off to our North American tour. We’re looking forward to that and preparing hard for that as well.
Following ACL this weekend, the group embarks on the North American leg of their 2025 RIIZE CONCERT TOUR [RIIZING LOUD] at the end of the month (October 30), starting in Rosemont, IL, then New York City, NY, Washington, DC, Duluth GA, Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA, and Mexico City, Mexico. They look forward to traveling to more cities this time, since last year’s tour only included Los Angeles and Mexico City.
“We are looking forward to performing in those cities that we have not yet performed in,” says Shotaro. “Although my English isn’t perfect, we are looking forward to communicating with our fans there. The energy from Briize (RIIZE’s official fandom) fans in the U.S. is always great. That’s something I’m looking forward to.”
They return to Los Angeles at the Peacock theater on November 11, the same space as last year’s RIIZE FAN-CON TOUR: RIIZING DAY stop. They’ve learned a lot since then and are looking forward to showcasing their new songs enough for a full-length concert for the fans.
“The setlist has doubled,” says Anton. “There’s a lot more musing and more performances that we’ll be showcasing at the show. It’s definitely a whole new show.”
Eunseok laughs, excited about going to LA to see the fans and perform, but also mentions the great weather. They’ll be going to the City of Angels during a time when the weather in Seoul begins to get cold.
“It’s nice to take a walk or go for a run [in LA],” he says. “That’s something I’m looking forward to.”
The entire World Tour is expected to conclude sometime in February 2026, providing them with more opportunities to hit the festival scene. They already plan to perform at Lollapalooza in South America in March 2026, visiting Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The group’s ultimate dream is to perform at Coachella.
“Festivals are really a great chance for us to show ourselves to people that may not know what K-pop is at all,” Anton says. “ACL is such a great opportunity. [Next year’s] Lollapalooza in South America is all in countries that we’ve never been to. Some of our fans may be there. Festivals allow people to look at and embrace a variety of different kinds of music. So hopefully, after ACL, we’ll be confident and be able to do all those shows.”
Shotaro adds, “For now, we are definitely looking forward to ACL the most. We are going to grow and mature as performers through ACL. If we keep building on from that experience, one day, we’d love to take on a stage like Coachella.”
As for new music on the horizon, they are constantly working on songs while on tour or even during their breaks. Sohee says inspiration can come from anywhere, including movies, other musicians’ songs, and even anime.
“It comes from various places, even from listening to music from anime,” he emphasizes. “Naruto is my favorite.”
Anton hints that new music will be released by the end of this year, with the members continuing to develop their individual artistic identities. He adds they’ve been able to provide more input into the music they want to create and perform.
“It’s important that the members can put their thoughts and emotions into the things that we are doing,” he says. “Hopefully, fans and the people that listen to our music and watch our performances will feel that as well.”
Until then, RIIZE is ready to give it their all this weekend at ACL, set to prove their namesake right – a combination of the words “Rise” and “Realize,” signifying a group that grows together and achieves their dreams.
“We are still rising,” says Sungchan. “I feel like we’ve just taken our first steps as a group, and from here, I want us to keep growing and eventually make our way all around the world.”
RIIZE performs at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Saturday, October 4. Tickets are available here.