ACON 2026 Sets Taipei Special Stages With Sung Han Bin, MEOVV, NEXZ and More

ACON 2026 is positioning its Taipei pre-show as more than a standard warm-up for the Asia Artist Awards, with organizers unveiling a slate of special cover stages built around collaboration, regional familiarity and fan-service moments. The event is scheduled for July 25 at NTSU Arena in Taipei and will be hosted by ZEROBASEONE member Sung Han Bin, who returns to the AAA orbit after previous hosting duties at AAA 2023 and AAA 2024.

The announced lineup brings together several fast-moving K-pop acts and artists with distinct performance identities. MEOVV, Xdinary Heroes, Yena, CLOSE YOUR EYES, KISS OF LIFE, NEXZ and QWER are all listed for the program, giving the pre-show a mix of idol groups, band-driven acts and solo performance energy. For ACON, the emphasis is not only on who appears, but on how familiar songs are reworked for a live audience in Taiwan.

Cover stages take center stage

One of the most closely watched segments will pair CLOSE YOUR EYES and NEXZ in a dance collaboration inspired by Michael Jackson’s catalog. The format is being described as a 3-on-3 exchange, with CLOSE YOUR EYES set to perform Dangerous and NEXZ taking on Beat It before the two teams come together for Thriller. The setup gives both groups room to show individual style before moving into a joint stage designed for a bigger arena reaction.

NEXZ will also present a separate special cover of a GOT7 hit, a notable choice because it links a newer JYP Entertainment boy group with one of the company’s most recognizable earlier-generation global acts. These kinds of selections are often used at award-linked events to create a bridge between fan communities, especially when a younger team can reinterpret a song that already carries strong recognition across Asia.

MEOVV is scheduled to perform a cover of BTS’s Dynamite, one of the most widely known Korean pop releases of the past decade. The song’s upbeat disco-pop structure gives a rookie or rising act a clear stage framework while still leaving room for vocal tone, choreography details and styling to distinguish the performance from the original. For a pre-show, that balance matters: the song is instantly accessible, but the execution determines whether the cover feels memorable rather than merely familiar.

Sung Han Bin adds host and performer roles

Sung Han Bin’s role is also expanding beyond ceremony management. In addition to hosting, he is preparing a solo cover of Karencici’s Hard to Say, a choice that gives the program a direct connection to Mandarin-language pop culture for the Taipei audience. His previous AAA hosting experience makes him a steady anchor for the event, while the solo stage allows him to participate in the performance narrative rather than remaining only at the microphone between acts.

Other artists are being positioned with similarly localized or contrast-driven choices. Yena is preparing a surprise cover of a song described as a major hit in Taiwan, while QWER will reinterpret Mayday’s LOve-ing. KISS OF LIFE will take on BIGBANG’s BAE BAE, and CLOSE YOUR EYES will also reinterpret CORTIS’s REDRED. Together, the selections suggest a program designed to move across generations, languages and performance textures rather than simply stacking regular promotional stages.

That approach fits the current function of award-season side events in K-pop. Pre-shows increasingly serve as content engines in their own right, producing short-form clips, fancams and cross-fandom discussion before the main ceremony begins. A cover stage can travel especially well online because fans already know the original song and can immediately compare arrangement, choreography and stage presence without needing a lengthy introduction.

For ACON 2026, the Taipei setting also raises the stakes for regional connection. Holding the official AAA pre-show at NTSU Arena gives organizers a chance to foreground an audience outside Korea while still keeping the event tied to the broader Korean entertainment awards calendar. Taiwan has long been a major touring and fan-event market for K-pop, and the inclusion of songs associated with local or regionally popular artists helps the lineup feel tailored to the venue.

What fans will watch next

The biggest question now is how much of the announced material will be reshaped through new arrangements, live band elements, dance breaks or group-specific choreography. Covers of songs by BTS, BIGBANG, GOT7, Michael Jackson and Mayday arrive with strong expectations, and that recognition can be both an advantage and a challenge. The most successful stages will likely be the ones that respect the source material while clearly showing why these particular performers were chosen.

With ACON 2026 set for July 25, fans now have a clearer picture of the pre-show’s identity: a performance-focused event using familiar songs to spotlight newer acts, established names and a host with growing ceremony experience. If the stages deliver on the announced combinations, the Taipei program could become one of the most replayed parts of this year’s AAA buildup.