Singer Stevie Wonder performs on stage at City Of Hope Spirit Of Life Gala Music legend Stevie Wonder will perform with South Korean singing star Hyolyn at one of K-pop's biggest events in Hong Kong Friday, as the genre garners increasing numbers of international fans. The global success of Psy's "Gangnam Style" put K-pop on the map around the world in 2012, with the accompanying video featuring his now-famous horse-riding dance soaring to become YouTube's most popular of all time, with more than 1.8 billion views.
Millions of K-pop fans will tune in to the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) at Hong Kong's AsiaWorld-Expo Arena on Friday night, which will be broadcast to 94 countries.
Wonder, 63, who recently announced that he plans to release two new albums next year, will perform with 22-year-old Hyolyn from girl group Sistar, and is by far the biggest international star ever to have featured at the awards, which started five years ago.
American socialite Paris Hilton will also make an appearance in her new incarnation as a DJ, though she wasn't on the radar for some of the K-pop stars at the launch event.
"I haven't really thought about meeting Paris Hilton but it's always exciting to see a new artist," K-pop icon G-Dragon, of boy band Big Bang, told reporters.
The 25-year-old made a guest appearance at Canadian superstar Justin Bieber's concert in Seoul in October, and said Friday that he and Bieber had just finished recording together.
"Some time early next year we will be able to show you something," he told reporters.
The night's other hotly anticipated performance will be a collaboration between two viral Internet sensations -- Norwegian musical comedy duo Ylvis, whose hugely successful video "The Fox (What Does The Fox Say)" has won them 238 million YouTube hits since its release in September, and helmet-wearing K-pop girl quintet Crayon Pop.
Source: AFP