South Korean boy band Stray Kids will headline the first K-pop performance in the 40-year history of the Rock in Rio music festival on Friday, September 11, 2026.
The eight-member group takes the main World Stage alongside fellow South Korean acts Nexz and Hwasa as the iconic festival in Rio de Janeiro opens its doors to Korean popular music for the very first time.
The concert schedule on the World Stage begins at 4:40 p.m. with opening act Nexz, followed by solo singer Hwasa at 7:00 p.m. Stray Kids will close the night as festival headliners, taking the stage at 12:05 a.m.
Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina and festival organizers chose to embrace Korean culture following extensive market research into the genre's growing commercial influence among Generation Z music listeners.
Organizers compared the move to the 2001 edition of the festival, when the lineup surprised traditional rock audiences by introducing global teen pop acts such as American singer Britney Spears and boy band N'Sync to the Brazilian event.
Decision-makers cited regional engagement studies on the Korean Wave, known globally as Hallyu, alongside streaming and digital consumption metrics provided by industry data firm Luminate and streaming service Spotify. The data demonstrates that K-pop commands a devoted Latin American audience of more than 25 million fans, a demographic known for selling out concert venues within minutes of tickets going on sale.
Stray Kids Headline the World Stage
Headliners Stray Kids enter the festival following exceptional global commercial success. According to figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, an organization that tracks global record sales, the group was the third best-selling musical artist worldwide in 2023, behind American pop star Taylor Swift and South Korean boy group Seventeen.
Stray Kids also achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first artists in the 69-year history of the Billboard charts to debut seven consecutive albums at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The group consists of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. The group has assembled a specialized setlist for their debut performance in Rio de Janeiro.
Stray Kids operates under JYP Entertainment, one of South Korea's premier music conglomerates. Founded by veteran musician and producer Park Jin-young, the agency is widely recognized as one of the foundational companies in the modern K-pop industry.
Rising Performers Nexz and Hwasa
Opening act Nexz comprises seven members: Tomoya, Yu, Haru, So Geon, Seita, Hyui, and Yuki. The group was formed through the reality competition show Nizi Project Season 2, a talent broadcast produced as a joint venture between South Korea's JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
Nexz made their official debut in May 2024 with the release of their first Korean-language single, Ride the Vibe. Their group name stands for Next Generation Z, reflecting their focus on younger music fans.
In 2025, the Recording Academy, the American organization responsible for hosting the annual Grammy Awards, highlighted Nexz as one of the top musical artists to watch, citing their rapid rise and thousands of views across digital streaming platforms.
Singer Ahn Hye-jin, who performs under the stage name Hwasa, takes the stage in the early evening. She began her professional music career in 2014 as a member of the South Korean vocal quartet Mamamoo under agency RBW, debuting with the single Mr. Ambiguous on the EP Hello.
Mamamoo previously traveled to Brazil in 2018 to promote their album Red Moon and its title track Egotistic. Hwasa launched her solo career in 2019 with the single Twit, which topped domestic music charts in South Korea. In 2020, she released her debut solo album Maria, whose title track accumulated over 33 million views on YouTube.
In 2023, the members of Mamamoo agreed to focus on individual projects while scheduling periodic group reunions. Hwasa signed an exclusive solo contract with P Nation, the record label founded by South Korean artist Psy, who gained worldwide fame with his 2012 viral hit Gangnam Style. Her releases under the P Nation banner include I'm a B, I Love My Body, NA, Star, and Good Goodbye.
Ticket Prices and Festival Lineup
Although tickets for the festival originally sold out in July, organizers reopened sales during an extraordinary ticketing period. Standard admission tickets are priced at 870 Brazilian reals, with half-price tickets listed at 435 reals on the official Ticketmaster ticketing platform.
In addition to the three South Korean acts, the Friday concert bill features performances from Brazilian electronic producer DJ Alok, British funk band Jamiroquai, and American musician PJ Morton.
First launched in Rio de Janeiro in 1985 by Roberto Medina, Rock in Rio has developed into one of the largest music festivals in the world. The introduction of K-pop to the main World Stage represents a historic shift in the festival's four-decade history.
