The 18th Seoul Jazz Festival 2026 will showcase popular artists from Korea and Japan, featuring diverse genres from May 22-24.
March/13/2026 21:08
Popular artists from Japan and Korea will appear at the '18th Seoul Jazz Festival 2026' (hereafter 'Seoul Jazz Festival'). Held from May 22 to 24 in the Olympic Park area of Songpa, Seoul, the festival recently announced its lineup of performing artists. The first lineup includes John Batiste, who will visit Korea for the first time, the British band Ezra Collective, New Zealand's band LEISURE, Jenevieve, who had a big hit with 'Baby Powder', Arturo Sandoval, who will perform at the festival for the first time in eight years, and the American band Medeski, Martin & Wood, known for their experimental jazz sound. The second lineup will add 30 more global artists, including jazz legend Herbie Hancock, French house pioneer FKJ, British R&B singer Ella Mai, Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles, Indonesian duo Galdive, British band Mama's Gun, city pop band PREP, and Norwegian singer-songwriter Peder Elias. Many luxurious artists from Korea will also gather, including SEVENTEEN's main vocalists DK & Seungkwan, CNBLUE, EPIK HIGH, Baek Yerin, Silica Gel, wave to earth, Chang Bum Joon, Choi Yuri, Han Rolo, Denny K, The Poles, and Yoon Seok Cheol Artifaction (Guest: Yulmu). The festival is expected to transcend genres, featuring jazz, rock, R&B, hip-hop, and classical music. The third lineup will also announce popular Japanese artists. Takaya Kawasaki, who conveys warmth with gentle guitar melodies and a husky voice, Shikima, who is creating a new J-POP trend with 'Masyou no Onna A' and 'Uwasano Ano Ko', and the new generation artist Sora Tomonari, who has been releasing unforgettable melodies, will all take the stage, along with alternative crew S.A.R. Special stages unique to the 'Seoul Jazz Festival' will also attract attention. The legendary city pop artist Original Love from Japan and the Korean free session band CADEJO will appear as 'Original Love & CADEJO'. NCT's Taeyong and Haechan, who are finding their individuality in hip-hop and R&B, will perform solo. Other performers include trombone player Trombone Shorty, representing New Orleans jazz, tropical rock band Summer Salt, who weave summer romance and warmth, HYUKOH, who showcase rustic music and delicate emotions, Stella Chang, who transcends language and genre, Chokjae, known for his pleasant vocals and impressive guitar skills, Tabber, who creates honest music across alternative, hip-hop, and R&B genres, and K-pop reinterpreted by the SM Jazz Trio, along with singer-songwriter Park Chang Yeon, who charms with a calm voice and warm cello melodies, tango-latin artist Ko Sanji, inspired by anime and games, and many more artists from diverse genres. The '18th Seoul Jazz Festival 2026' will be held from May 22 to 24. Tickets are currently on sale at MelOn Ticket.
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