A Quick Intro to Recent A.C.E Events

Do you got A.C.E up in the playlist?

If you don’t yet, you should check them out by the end of this article. A.C.E is a 5 member boy group from South Korea who celebrated their 7th anniversary on May 23, 2024. All 5 members have completed their military service so it is the perfect time to get into them, especially since they are gearing up for their North American tour which starts June 19th and goes through July 18th. In age order their names are Donghun (who you may recognize from the survival show Build Up), Sehyoon (aka WOW), Junhee, Byeongkwan, and Yuchan with the youngest member being 26. KProfiles can do a better job introducing them than I can if you want to know more, but they are a wonderful group if you are looking for someone out of their teenage years. 

A.C.E love seeing Choice, their fandom, and they create special events so they can see them more often. The first event that we are going to look at today is the A.C.E Overturn Fanconcert which was held on November 11, 2023. It was the first performance the group had since they began going to the military, but only 4 out of 5 members got to participate. Yuchan, the maknae, hadn’t been discharged when the concert was held. He was still able to attend though and surprised fans from the 2nd floor balcony where he jumped up and down and waved for a minute before returning to his seat. The members on stage expressed their feelings that they wanted him to return soon so they could all be together again. 

Video Credit: Mikayla King

Before the concert a special soundcheck was offered to 100 people who were waiting outside the venue. It was free if you went to get a wristband from one of the tents. Everyone that was outside waiting was able to attend since many fans hadn’t yet shown up because of the cold. Filming was not permitted during soundcheck, but the members sang a few songs and talked with Choice before everyone had to exit the venue once more. 

While the same experience can cost a lot of money for other groups, A.C.E just wanted to see their fans for the first time in several years and was able to make the experience more accessible to people who wouldn’t have been able to see something like that otherwise. 

Encore for the fanconcert lasted longer than intended because the members didn’t want to leave the stage. They were having so much fun performing again and interacting with Choice. The only thing that got them off the stage was a mix of the staff telling them they needed to end and the lack of songs to continue performing. 

Buying selfies with the members was not an option for the fanconcert, but if you bought something at the merch booth for a certain amount of money you were handed a scratch off card with a chance to win a selfie. Quite a few of the scratch cards actually were winners, giving Choice the opportunity to get pictures with the boys after the concert. 

Photo Credit: Mikayla King

The next event I want to focus on is the filming of the ‘My Girl’ music video. It was their first comeback since enlistment, though Yuchan was still unable to participate as he was still in the military. Throughout January and February this year, A.C.E was looking for fans to participate in the MV with them. 50 fans were chosen, some international and some Korean. The fans were taught the choreography to the song by the A.C.E members themselves at 1MILLION Dance Studio. They practiced with the fans over the course of several days, providing food and little notes of encouragement each day. The fans boarded a bus and went with the members to the filming location and can be seen dancing in the MV.  No other Kpop group has had their fans physically present in their music video, let alone be the ones to teach the choreography to the fans. 

Their first OT5 event came just days after Yuchan was discharged in February. The group had a ‘My Girl’ promotional busking in the Coex Mall located in Gangnam. Many old Choice were excited to see them perform once again, but the crowd was also full of new fans who had spotted Donghun on Build Up and were impressed by his skills. The group gave gift bags to the fans that were present and even had a photo op set up so the fans could take pictures while they waited for the busking to start. A.C.E sang some of their older songs and performed ‘My Girl’ even though at the time the song still hadn’t been released. A live stream of the event was also broadcast on YouTube so that international Choice or people who could not attend could get to see the event as well. The members even approached the camera filming the live stream several times as well to pay attention to the people watching from home just as much as the people who were able to be there in person. 

The members will also participate in menpa time on X, especially Byeongkwan. They take over the official account for about an hour or so when it is time for a menpa session they post about it beforehand so fans can get ready and the members respond to Choice’s questions and comments. Byeongkwan’s responses range from funny to savage. Fans have been teaching him new slang that he likes to try to use as often as he can. 

As mentioned above, A.C.E is going on their North American tour very soon, but they have another surprise for Choice before tour stars. A special single called ‘Supernatural’ will be released on May 31st. 

If you aren’t a fan yet this gives you a few days to catch up on their past comebacks before a new song releases, or if you’re already a fan get ready because your favorite boys are back!