K-Pop’s Next Frontier: Africa – How ATEEZ broke barriers just for others to speed ahead

K-pop has focused on the US, Europe, and Japan for years. In 2024, ATEEZ made history. They became the first K-pop group to perform at Morocco’s Mawazine Festival. This festival is one of Africa’s biggest music events.

ATEEZ's performance attracted around 130,000 attendees. Their success shows that Africa is a promising market for K-pop. Fans of ATEEZ, known as "ATINY," are now pushing for an official African tour. They want concerts in South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia, and Egypt.

The African market is becoming important for K-pop. The US market is saturated and complicated due to visa issues and high costs. In contrast, over 60% of Africans are under 25 years old. This age group is the prime demographic for K-pop.

Africa also offers many untapped festival opportunities like Mawazine in Morocco and Flytime Fest in Nigeria. Other major companies are noticing this potential too. Groups like Stray Kids and TXT are exploring opportunities in Africa.

KQ Entertainment seems hesitant to invest further in Africa. They continue to focus on traditional markets like the US and Europe. Despite ATEEZ's success at Mawazine, there are no plans for a tour or follow-up festivals from KQ.

By delaying investment in Africa, KQ risks losing momentum with ATEEZ. Competitors could take advantage of this opportunity quickly. Timing is crucial in the industry; being cautious can be risky.

Stray Kids and TXT have gained significant popularity worldwide, including Africa. In 2022, Spotify named Stray Kids the second most-streamed K-pop artist in Sub-Saharan Africa. TXT ranked fourth while ATEEZ was ninth.

Stray Kids made history by appearing on Nigeria's Top 100 chart with their song “Chk Chk Boom.” Meanwhile, TXT won fans with their Afropop-inspired track “Tinnitus.” This song was praised as a great fusion of African music with K-pop.

SM Entertainment’s aespa is also gaining recognition alongside local artists in Africa. Their album "Armageddon The 1st Album" became the most-streamed K-pop album in Nigeria this year. It spent 20 weeks on the Top Albums chart—the longest for any K-pop act—and peaked at No. 34.

aespa’s "Whiplash The 5th Mini Album" also performed well on charts this year. Their music resonates even in smaller markets like Djibouti where they unite festival crowds.

ATEEZ has shown that Africa is ready for more K-pop acts. However, bigger companies are moving quickly into this space too. If KQ Entertainment does not act soon, they may lose their first-mover advantage.

Being first matters but failing to follow up can lead to missed opportunities. Any act entering the African market could become its face easily if they engage actively with fans.

While ATEEZ made history by introducing K-pop to Africa, questions remain about their future role there. Will they lead or will rivals take over? With JYPE, SM Entertainment, and HYBE potentially entering soon, KQ must act fast or risk falling behind in what could be a major market for K-pop.