Features Archives - Page 13 of 19

The Curious Case Of Super Junior’s Kim Kibum’s Quiet Departure From SM Entertainment

August 26, 2015/in Features, OPINION /by Tamar Herman

On August 18, a member left one of SM Entertainment‘s most popular groups and the K-pop world hardly stopped to consider the usual questions. There was no “why?” or “what now?” as there had been following departures from EXO, Girls’ Generation, and f(x) over the past two years.

Instead, Kim Kibum’s departure from SM Entertainment led, yes, to sadness from many Super Junior fans, but also to an almost overwhelming sigh of “it’s about time” from the larger K-pop community.

For a fandom that has seen a lot of dramatic exits, Kim leaving SM Entertainment was one of the quietest major events to happen to one of K-pop’s top acts. Which leads to the question of why the calm? Why didn’t K-pop fans freak out about a departure from Super Junior?

Probably because Kim Kibum in actuality left being an active Super Junior member long ago, and the official statement that was shared by Kim on Instagram is just the final nail in a coffin that was already buried years ago.

[Just a note, several Super Junior members posted support for Kim’s departure from SM, showing that there were no hard feelings, and fans were quick to notice that that Kim’s official Instagram post said that he was leaving SM Entertainment but not Super Junior.]

2015 august 18th. Finished with S.M. ent. Lets begin my new life…!! 그동안 함께했던 SM 감사합니다.

A photo posted by 김기범 (@mub_ik_mik) on Aug 19, 2015 at 10:25pm PDT

Also on KultScene: Super Junior’s Music Video Evolution

Since debuting in 2005, Super Junior has seen a lot of scandals and drama amidst personal loss, accidents, fights, lawsuits, line-up changes, enlistments, and much more. But Kim’s departure was something that had been expected, and accepted, almost since 2009 when he first went missing from the group amidst “Sorry, Sorry” promotions.

After he was absent from the follow up track to “Sorry, Sorry,” “It’s You,” SM Entertainment announced that Kim would focus on his busy solo promotions. The group wasn’t suffering, and had just seen legendary success with “Sorry Sorry,” so the fact that Kim went MIA at this point in the group’s career sent a pretty clear signal that he was happy to do his own thing. And Super Junior and SM Entertainment were, from the outside point of view, fine with that (it is unclear what arrangement the company had with Kim regarding compensation and Super Junior’s career following his initial absence from the group.)

In essence, Kim Kibum left Super Junior unofficially in May 2010, when SM Entertainment confirmed that Kim would officially not partake in Super Junior activities for the time being. ELF, Super Junior’s Everlasting Friends, continued to support Kim’s solo career, and Super Junior even recently discussed welcoming Kim back if he were interested, but that ship had truly sailed long ago.

Why wasn’t this a big deal then, and why isn’t it now? In comparison to the departure of Hankyung (Han Geng) during the same period (2009-2010,) and the JYJ-TVXQ lawsuit (and the more recent Kris-Luhan-Jessica-Tao- Sulli exits), Kim’s departure was phrased as anything but. He’s been under the company until now, taking a few acting jobs now and then but essentially sitting as a lame duck. Why did SM Entertainment put up with it? That leads us to the fact that Super Junior probably should win the award for being the K-pop Group That Shouldn’t Exist.

Also on KultScene: Super Junior Makes Epic Comeback

The fact that Super Junior began its tenth anniversary promotions this summer with the release of “Devil” is absolutely insane, to put it easily. Super Junior debuted as the project group Super Junior ‘05, with the intention of SM Entertainment rotating members in and out. The original line-up of twelve members was not supposed to stick. The addition of Kyuhyun and the removal of the year from Super Junior’s name was momentous not only for the group’s loyal fans because it meant that Super Junior was there to stay, but it also meant a change of path for the members.

Prior to debuting in Super Junior ‘05, Kibum was the most prominent member in Super Junior. As a model and actor, Kim was responsible for getting Super Junior’s name out there, and took the role as one of the group’s so-called visual members. And he got the job done, promoting as Super Junior’s Kim Kibum on television.

Following the initial success of the group and then the 2009 glory of “Sorry Sorry,” it was clear that Super Junior was going to stick around the K-pop world. So someone who had initially prepared to graduate from being a K-pop idol in a few years was forced to look at a possibly daunting career. As an ELF myself, I can admit that Kim Kibum’s raps were decent at best, while his heart was truly in acting and modeling. For whatever reason, SM Entertainment didn’t promote him well after he went on hiatus from the group, but Super Junior had gained exposure thanks to Kim’s presence on television, and then when he wanted to call it quits, it seems like SM let him go at a time when bad PR would tank the company’s stocks even more.

Kim Kibum was never integral to Super Junior, and Super Junior was never integral to Kim Kibum. So when he left initially, it was fine. And in 2015, when his contract expired, there was no drama. There was no lawsuits, or shocking interviews with the Korean press, or outrage from either side. There was civility, and an adult attitude towards the whole thing. Which is quite impressive for K-pop.

How do you feel about Kim Kibum’s exit from SM Entertainment? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Help Us Make Sense of this Interview with K-Rock Band GENIUS

August 20, 2015/in Features /by Tamar Herman

If you don’t know know what you’re listening to but it makes you angry, that may be a GENIUS song. When it comes to the Korean music scene, just about everything is based out of Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood. And then there are the few random outliers in other cities. GENIUS is the Busan-based punk rock band that is out to be the most insane, headbanging K-rock band out there.

The group released “Lucky Mistake” in June and called it “the Ramones pretending to be the Pixies covering Johnny Cash.” KultScene spoke to GENIUS’ members without any editing, by request of the band so that you can get a glimpse of what GENIUS is truly like.

1. Can you please introduce GENIUS to our KultScene audience? Who are you guys, what makes you tick?

Kim Il Du: Hallow. I think we are instinct rock ‘n’ roll band. feel good.

2. You’re from Busan and not a Hongdae-based band like many indie ones. How does that affect your music and career?

Kim Il Du: We can go to beach anytime if we want. We can go into the ocean anytime if we want. We can do something special if we want. Come to Busan, ocean buggers.

Steve C: The inability of people to look beyond Hongdae offers insight into why so much music sounds the same.

3. Can you describe your musical style in three words?

Kim Il Du: I – don’t – know.

Steve C: It’s a surprise!

Lee Chung Mok: Rock ‘n’ Roll?

4. What sort of story are you trying to tell with your music? How do you want people to feel?

Kim Il Du: I wanna say about beautiful things. I wanna make listeners smart listeners.

Steve C: Bathos.

Also on KultScene: KCON 2015 LA’s M! Countdown Concerts Recap

5. How did you guys get started as a band together? I heard something about online ads. What sort of hardships have you faced as a trio?

Kim Il Du: Destiny, I think. Already we spent 5-7 years. Most important time to me. No hardships; always fun and happy.

Steve C: It’s hard to acknowledge that one day we’ll stop.

6. What are the worst and best thing about being musicians in South Korea?

Kim Il Du: About good points, many Korean people love music so much and kind. About bad points, many Korean people don’t care music, cause they have no curious about music, I guess.

Steve C: Unlike in the U.S., clubs here have their own setups so the bands don’t need a van full of gear.

Lee Chung Mok: I like not carrying drums around. Sometimes the drums are shitty though.

7. So, what exactly makes you guys geniuses?

Kim Il Du: Genius know who genius. I know who geniuses. But I’m not genius. I’m one of oldy buggers.

Steve C: We don’t know how to suck. This is important.

via Genius Rock Facebook

8. Other than GENIUS, what music are you guys listening to lately? What is the worst song you’ve heard this year?

Kim Il Du: These days I love Teletubbies theme song. Very good to me. Nothing worst songs.
Cause I don’t listen bad songs.

Steve C: A recent hit compares relationships to bowling. This bowling ball is special though. It doesn’t roll. It’s “running.” It has legs or something. It’s not even in the lane. It’s “running out again.” It’s confused. It’s looking for the tenor of its metaphor. Is it in that Radiohead song it’s copying? And now the woman is a bowling pin and someone’s taking score. This is an actual hit song.

9. What is the most memorable thing that happened to each of you during your career as GENIUS?

Kim Il Du: I met band members’ families in those brothers’ hometown. It’s so special memories.
I will remember that forever.

Steve C: Honestly, a lot of amazing things have happened. But I can’t remember them because I’m an alcoholic.

Lee Chung Mok: Let me think about it.

10. What are your individual roles in making the music? Who is the most involved in the music process? Is anyone a bit lazy?

Kim Il Du: I think I’m lazy. Sorry brothers.

Steve C: We all come up with our own stuff and share, like: “Hey. Want to play this? Is this stupid?”

11. How do you feel about K-pop and the Korean music industry as a whole?

Kim Il Du: It’s beautiful shit.

Steve C: In the 60’s and 70’s, we fell in love with plastic. It was shiny, synthetic, and futuristic. It transcended the natural world of forms and colors, shockingly green, and psychedelically orange, and, preternaturally malleable, could be molded to look like our dreams. It had no history, unlike wood, brass, or leather. In fact, it strove to diverge from history. It could be mass-produced into infinity. But it was toxic. It ages like shit and clutters the world and shards of it linger, forever.
I really like Gu Hara though.

12. Are there any GENIUS songs you regret making or have played so many times that you’re sick of performing them?

Steve C: Does Wimpy get tired of hamburgers?

By Lauren Naefe

13. If you wanted one of your songs to make it to the top of music charts around the world, which one would you each pick?

Kim Il Du: Next new songs.

Also on KultScene: Simon D ‘Simon Dominic’ Music Video & Song Review

14. So, I hear you like the Simpsons character Ralph? Why Ralph?

Kim Il Du: Oh..Long time no heard this name. I don’t like him anymore. I can’t be like him. Cause he is too cool.

15. 2015 has a few months left, but it’s almost 2016. What can we look forward to from GENIUS in the near future?

Kim Il Du: First be survive, be good with Casey and Steve together, keep playing, make new songs, go somewhere for playing rock ‘n’ roll.
Steve C: Thanks for the chat, KS! We’ll be splitting a release with Chinese band Yourboyfriendsucks through Nasty Wizard Recordings and thinking more about the next album. Look for it.

Listen to all of GENIUS‘ music on their Bandcamp and check out their live performances here:

‘Hello, I Love You’ Is (Probably) The First Novel About Romancing A K-Pop Star [INTERVIEW+GIVEAWAY]

August 7, 2015/in Features /by Tamar Herman

There is no such thing as too many books, especially when they relate to K-pop and falling in love with K-pop idols. Katie M. Stout, the author of the young adult romance novel “Hello, I Love You” spoke to KultScene about her book.

1. Congratulations on publishing “Hello, I Love You”! How did it feel when you got to the end of the long writing-editing process?
Thank you! Honestly, it felt a little surreal. I wrote and edited the book for about nine months before I queried, then that took almost a year. My agent and I were on submission for about six months with it, and all-in-all, it was about three years from finishing a first draft to seeing it on shelves. So publication day was definitely a victory day.

2. The book is all about K-pop, and there’s a lot of mentions of Korean dramas. How did you get into that scene?
I’d never even heard of a Korean drama until I was in college. I was teaching English in China and went into a video store, where they had some K-dramas featured. I picked up one on a whim (it was “49 Days”), and once I’d started, I couldn’t stop. That led me to other dramas, like “Heartstrings” and “Dream High,” which ended up being two inspirations for my book.

3. What made you decide to write a book about South Korea? Have you ever spent time there?
Because I was writing about K-pop, it seemed like a natural progression for the book to be about South Korea. It didn’t make sense to me for a book about a K-pop singer to be set in New York, for example.

I had never been to Korea when I was writing the book, but I actually got to visit the same week I signed with my agent. I had finished up an internship in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and made a stopover in Seoul before going back home. It was so fun to visit the places I’d written about!

Also on KultScene: YA E-Sports Novel ‘In Real Life’ Shows The Dark Side of Korean Trainee Life

4. I read somewhere that the book was supposed to be set in China. Why the change?
Yes, originally, the book was set in China. I wrote it that way because I was inspired by my own time in China. I also liked the idea that both of my main characters would be foreigners living in another country and they would bond over that. However, when my book was acquired by St. Martin’s, the team there felt like it was too confusing to have that many cultures represented in one book. So I shifted the setting of the entire book to South Korea, which I’ll admit, was no easy feat.

Fun fact: the book was originally called “From China, With Love,” referring to the letters that my main character writes her brother back home. My editor at St. Martin’s came up with the idea to name it after the Doors’s song that features so prominently in the book. It was such an extraordinary idea that I don’t think I could have come up with this myself, and I’m so glad I had the guidance of my editor. That’s why I think it is important for any aspiring authors to look into “freelance editors near me” to join them on this journey to publishing a successful book. Even if you think you don’t need them, they could present you with interesting ideas about how to move the story forward and what to incorporate to make it work better. I’m glad I took this advice, as the title sounds much better now.

5. “Hello, I Love You” is about music. What songs were you listening to when writing, other than the title song?
I listened to a lot of music while writing, mostly K-pop. I joke that, like some actors are “method actors,” I consider myself an “immersive writer,” meaning that whatever I’m working on at the time, I consume only media that matches my current work in progress. So while drafting and editing HILY, I listened to a ton of Girls’ Generation, BIGBANG, CNBlue, Shinee, Teen Top, and other K-pop bands. I also watched a lot of K-dramas; some of my favorites at the time were “Big,” “Monstar,” “Rooftop Prince,” and more recently, “My Love from Another Star.”

6. What Korean music and television shows are you a fan of? Have you ever gone to a K-pop concert?
Other than the ones mentioned above, my favorite K-drama is probably “City Hunter,” which is mentioned in my book but not by name. Two of my characters have a conversation about a specific drama, and I think people who’ve watched “City Hunter” should recognize it based on the description. [We did!]

I haven’t been to a K-pop concert, sadly. I’m from the Atlanta area, which never really has K-pop bands come through, and while I was living in England, I was in a region that had no concerts at all, so it just hasn’t been convenient. I thought about going to one when I was in Seoul, but I ended up not doing it. I still regret that.

7. What difficulties did you face while writing?
I had the usual difficulties, including the big one, which is namely trying to ensure that your book doesn’t suck. That means I agonized over words and character development and pacing of the book, etc.

But more than that, I had a lot of researching to do. I’d never been to the places I was describing, which meant I needed to know what they looked like. I also had to look up old Korean rock bands, because I didn’t know any but my characters needed to. And there was the typical research about food and language and other parts of the culture that I didn’t know previously.

And lastly, I really struggled with my main character. She’s going through a very specific personal struggle, and I wanted to portray that genuinely. While some people have felt that my portrayal isn’t sensitive, I’ve been encouraged by readers who have moved to other countries and lived as expats who’ve told me that Grace’s experience reminded them of their own. It’s certainly similar to the one I had when I moved to England, and I felt it was important to portray a character going through culture shock if she moves to another country – that’s real, and it’s not realistic to not talk about that at all.

Also on KultScene: Inside KCON LA 2015 [PHOTOS]

8. Which character do you think you want to be friends with?
Oh, Sophie for sure. I loved her from the first page she showed up. Both of my main characters have a little too much angst, so I wouldn’t want to be with them all the time, but Sophie is just kind and fun and funny. I also really like Yoon Jae, and if I were in Grace’s shoes, I think I might have been interested in him instead of a certain brooding leading singer.

9. What was it like creating an imaginary K-pop band? What were you influenced by?
My biggest inspiration for the band in my book was CNBlue, one of the few K-pop bands with members who play instruments. I knew I wanted them all to do more than just sing and dance, so I needed a real band to model them after. I imagine their sound to be similar to older CNBlue music, as well – songs like “Love Girl” or “Sweet Holiday.”

10. What’s one thing you want readers to know about the book?
I think it’s helpful for them to know that the book isn’t just about K-pop. It has K-pop in it, but it’s more about two people who have broken pasts that have to learn to recognize their faults before they can come together. It’s also told from the perspective of a Westerner with zero knowledge of Korean pop culture, who holds some distinct prejudices she never knew she had – and that she has to learn to recognize before she can move past them. It’s about culture shock, family, love, and forgiveness. And it has kissing, too.

11. To my knowledge, this is the first English-language novel about K-pop. How do you feel about that? Do you think we may see more in the future?
There may be other YA novels out there about K-pop, but I don’t know of any. In many ways, my book is the first of its kind, and that was actually both exciting and difficult. I came up against a lot of closed doors. I had numerous literary agents while I was querying tell me that they liked the book but had no idea how to sell it. I was told over and over again that the market wasn’t ready for a book about K-pop, and it was disheartening. I’m still thankful for both my agent and publisher who disagreed with everyone else and thought the YA market was ready.

It’s encouraging, as well, that my book did something new. I’d love to see more books about K-pop in the future! I’ve gotten some criticism that my book isn’t as informative as many people wanted it to be, but I like to think that I helped open the door for more K-pop-focused books in the Western YA industry – so we can have those books that are more informative and about Korean protagonists and are more in-depth studies of culture and everything my book is not. I think that would be amazing! And if my little book accomplishes anything, I hope it’s that.

Do you want to own a copy of “Hello, I Love You”? We’re here to help! Katie M. Stout gave KultScene the chance to raffle off one copy of the book, so enter now for your chance to win! (Unfortunately, this is only open to residents of the United States, but you can buy the book from Amazon and many other bookstores.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What K-pop star would you like to fall in love with? Let us know in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

K-Pop Sound, American Style: Marcan Entertainment Is The K-Pop Production K-Pop Agencies Turn To [INTERVIEW]

August 2, 2015/in Entertainment, Features, MUSIC /by Tamar Herman

They may not know it, but most K-pop fans owe their soul to Marcan Entertainment.

If you’ve ever heard SHINee’s “Lucifer,” U-KISS’s “Neverland,” or EXO’s “Love Me Right,” then you’ve heard a song that Marcan Entertainment had its hands behind. As a music production company that brings foreign producers and music writers together with South Korean musicians, Marcan Entertainment works closely with many Korean entertainment agencies. In particular, the company has a long-lasting relationship with SM Entertainment, and many of K-pop’s most popular groups have sung songs put together by Marcan Entertainment.

Marcan’s managing director Mark Yom spoke with me to discuss what the company is doing within the K-pop world.

So what is it that Marcan Entertainment does exactly?

“We facilitate music,” Yom said, as we sat in a cafe in the heart of Seoul, less than 100 feet from K-pop powerhouses SM Entertainment and FNC Entertainment.

“We have tons of writers and producers consistently sending us music, and we filter them and we see what will be good for SM or any other label,” he explained, describing the first way that Marcan Entertainment connects K-pop with songwriters. Marcan also works with Warner Chapell, which helps the company access thousands of musicians.

Foreign producers send their demos to Marcan, and Marcan decides where to pitch it. “We pitch songs that they [the agencies] don’t even ask for,” said Yom. “They’re always looking for something that is different.”

Also on KultScene: Meet iDR, The Man Behind EXO’s “Love Me Right”

Marcan Entertainment began in 2009, with Ryan S. Jhun as the creative producer and Yom as the managing director. Almost before things were underway, Jhun had already closed a deal with SM Entertainment, and the two have honored their loyalty to the Korean agency ever since.

“A mutual friend happened to know one of the staff from SM, and that person introduced Ryan [Jhun] to the A&R team leader,” explained Yom. “Lucky for us, he was able to close a deal and when he came back to New York, that’s when he asked me to work together with him, to partner up and I said ‘sure, why not?’”

Since then, the “sure, why not?” attitude has gotten Yom and Jhun working with a variety of K-pop agencies. Marcan Entertainment has produced songs for JYP Entertainment (15&’s “Somebody”,) B2M Entertainment (SPICA,) NH Media (U-KISS,) and more. According to Yom, YG Entertainment and FNC Entertainment have their own sounds and in-house producer that Marcan Entertainment doesn’t usually tailor to.

Regardless of the other agencies, though, Marcan works closely with SM to the degree that they provide music writers for multiple songwriting camps run by SM each year, the second way that Marcan generates K-pop songs.

“Every month, songwriters from all over the world come to write songs for them. We do anywhere from three to five song camps with SM per year. So the last one we did was March. This one [in July] is not as big, but normally we have 20 different songwriters and producers from all over the world for anywhere from 2-3 weeks.”

Marcan chooses producers and songwriters that they think will be able to tailor songs to SM Entertainment’s tastes and invites them to Korea.

“At the beginning of writing camps, SM A&R’s gives them leads, gives them reference,” Yom told me. “’Hey, these are the kind of songs that we’re looking for at this moment. These are the artists that we’re aiming for.’”

Those songwriting camps have resulted in some of SM Entertainment’s latest hits, including SHINee’s most recent single “View,” and EXO’s “Love Me Right.”

According to Yom, the songwriting process can take anywhere from a few hours to two weeks, but forcing the producers and songwriters to produce hundreds of songs during the songwriting camp isn’t what Marcan is there to do. “It doesn’t make sense for us to make 10-15 songs a week if they’re all – excuse my language – shitty songs. If it’s shitty, it’s shitty. … Sometimes they [the songwriters] can work on one song the whole day or a few hours, or a few weeks, cause that’s how long it takes to make a song.”

So what happens exactly when an agency like SM Entertainment hears a song at the songwriting camp that fits their image? “Love Me Right” is a good example, even though it took a bit longer than usual to create.

“As soon as they heard the hookline ‘love me right uh huh’ while we were having this songwriting camp, they were like, ‘we want to use this as a single so can you build more upon it?’” Yom recounts SM Entertainment’s interest in the song. “So we had iDR [the producer] working on just that song for two weeks, we had him do nothing else. We had other writers working on other songs, like Adrian [Mckinnon, who wrote SHINee’s “View] and other guys working on stuff for SHINee, with a lot of other stuff going on at the same time.”

For his part, Mark Yom is mostly involved with the business and legal side of things, but his relationship with Jhun is like to two hands attached to one body. One hand is better at doing one thing, while the other is good at another, but they still have to know what the other is doing and where they are at all times.

”I’ve learned that just because I’m on the business side of things doesn’t mean that I have to close my ears and can ignore what’s going on. Even though I’m not part of songwriting or producing, I’m there just to give them [the creative side] support.”

Working so closely with SM Entertainment, Yom has a good idea of what the company is angling for, and highlighted SHINee’s latest album, “Odd,” as SM’s ideal sound for the foreseeable future.

“They don’t want too much going on from the production side. They want something light and minimal, but with very catchy hook lines and melodies…For the last two or three years, trap and EDM style music was in but now they’re trying to phase that out. The recent single that we had with SHINee, the song called “View,” it’s very light and a mix of dance, R&B, and pop sounds. We did their song “Lucifer” too, and that was very electronic, EDM heavy, but that was almost four years ago.”

The deep house song became a huge hit in South Korea. If there’s more where that came from planned for SHINee, every music fan in the world should be excited.

So what exactly happens to all of those songs that they create that don’t get accepted by SM Entertainment or wherever they think they should go? They sometimes go unproduced, but Marcan Entertainment will re-pitch. “Just because it [a song] was rejected doesn’t mean it’s bad quality, but it’s not what they’re looking for or not in their musical direction,” explained Yom. “There were songs that were supposed to come out with SM but didn’t. For example, U-KISS’s ‘Neverland,’ was pitched for Super Junior but for some reason it didn’t get cut on time, and went to U-KISS.”

Even though that didn’t work out, Marcan Entertainment has worked with Super Junior on other projects, such as their single “No Other.” Marcan has worked with just about every top SM Entertainment artist in the past six years. Marcan Entertainment’s latest song for SM Entertainment was “Champagne,” a solo track by TVXQ’s Yunho prior to his enlistment in the Korean military.

Next up from Marcan are two of the biggest K-pop comebacks of the year.

Also on KultScene: Which Korean Entertainment Company Is For You?

“We have Girls’ Generation’s [comeback]. One of the songs, “You Think,” was produced by us and the songwriter, SAARA. She’s a Finnish artist. We brought her over, she’s working with Marcan, and she wanted to meet Girls’ Generation so she met Tiffany yesterday.”

“You Think” is one of the two follow up tracks to the hit single “Party” that Girls’ Generation will release later this summer. SHINee’s repackage album is also expected to be released soon, with a few Marcan Entertainment songs.

Marcan Entertainment is one of the only companies doing what it’s doing, and hard work has truly paid off.

Six years ago, when Yom and Jhun began their work, Yom admits that it was a bit more difficult to convince producers and songwriters to get on board the K-pop train. That’s not the case now. “We don’t even have to convince songwriters or producers to work with us because they’ve already heard about the K-pop market so we don’t have to sell them as much as we used to, because they didn’t know about the market.”

While Marcan Entertainment is a relatively small agency, Yom and Jhun have big dreams, and have around 30 songwriters signed to their company. “There’s a lot of other areas that we’re interested in getting into, for example having our own artist someday, and we’re going to continue producing music for K-pop. Clearly, we’re open to working with US writers. That’s eventually what we want to do and we’ll keep on pushing to reach that level. We want to not only be K-pop music producing team or company but we want to be able to produce all sorts of music, for anyone.”

What do you think of Marcan Entertainment’s work in the K-pop industry? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

The Future of Virtual Reality in K-Pop

August 1, 2015/in Features /by Shelley Foo

When it comes to innovations in music, K-pop is one genre that does it best.

The Internet was sent into a frenzy recently when popular idol group INFINITE released an alternate version of their latest music video for “Bad.” Just what made this particular video so groundbreaking was its use of 360 degree virtual reality (VR) technology, and while it may not have been the first ever to try its hand at the cutting edge technology, it was definitely the first of its kind within the mainstream K-pop sphere. With this new version, viewers are put in control with the ability to manipulate the different camera angles in order to simulate the experience of being on set. Indeed, the music video is only one (great) step closer towards fan-idol interactions, and at the end of the day gimmicks like these are what sells.

K-pop powerhouses such as SM Entertainment know this all too well, leading them to capitalize on their consumers’ desires to become closer to the faces and personalities behind the music. Without having to force their top acts into display cases where fans can ogle at them all day (because c’mon, that’ll just be inhumane and borderline slavery, which is definitely not what SM is about), the company gave us the next best thing – their digital counterparts.

Also on Kultscene: SM Entertainment: The ‘Brand’

In what was probably SM’s attempt at gathering their bearings after a messy 2014, the agency launched SMTOWN@coexartium earlier this year. Simply put, the five-story complex, located in Samseong-dong, Seoul, is every SM stan’s (fan) dream come true. Not only can visitors lounge at the K-pop themed café or browse through official merchandise, the site also features a virtual studio where guests can experience stardom first-hand with their favorite SM artists, or at least their artificial doppelgangers. What’s more is that there is the hologram theatre where visitors can watch holographic concerts from big-names like EXO or Girls’ Generation, or enjoy the world’s first holographic musical “School Oz,” starring some of SM’s most capable vocalists.With technology like that of require travel expenses. “Why pay to travel all the way to Korea for housed lograms whecould be seeing the real deal?” one may argue. Although not exactly perfect, there is still no d holograms and 360 VR music videos are harbingers for what is to come in the future…

…Which got me thinking, what exactly is about to come? What’s next? At a time when the Hallyu wave – the phenomenon that describes the transnational flow of Korean culture – is crashing hardest on international fans, it would definitely be lucrative for entertainment companies to invest in technology that will rectify the physical barriers separating fans from their idols. A large part of the current music business is the concerts which draw crowds from around the world en masse, so looking into how they can join an experience good, such as that of a concert, with the realism that entails virtual reality could potentially be the answer to this. And as if the entertainment moguls do not have enough money going into their pockets already, it could even serve as a completely new revenue stream. If you have not figured it out by now, I am referring to the up-and-coming virtual reality concerts.

Virtual reality concerts are an immersive concert experience that aim to stream and bring the feelings and sensations of live music into the comforts of your room. Stay at home concert attendees would only have to strap on any one of the virtual reality headsets that are in development, while the fancy 360-degree audio and video rigs located at various points throughout the venue take care of the technical aspects. Thanks to the spherical video and spherical binaural audio of the advanced technology, developers and creative directors are able to finally recreate a convincing 3D soundscape. It sounds ludicrous to think that this will work, but ask Western artists like Coldplay or David Bowie who have successfully experimented with VR concerts and skeptics might think otherwise. K-pop groups and artists could certainly learn a thing or two from these rock legends.

While VR headsets are not available on the market yet, users can watch 360 VR videos and enjoy their favorite immersive experience on their smartphones with affordable cardboard viewers in the meantime. This one is the ICT Spark from MOOOVR.

While VR headsets are not available on the market yet, users can watch 360 VR videos and enjoy their favorite immersive experiences on their smartphones with affordable cardboard viewers in the meantime. This one is the ICT Spark from MOOOVR.

Regardless of how much of a game-changer virtual reality concerts could be though, some people are still going to refuse to buy into it, and honestly I used to fall into this camp. Again, it’s the whole notion of “why waste money on something you know is not there when you could be spending it on the real deal” taking into effect. Especially since virtual reality would give fans the power to relive the concert to their heart’s content, it defeats the purpose of a concert being a once in a lifetime experience. But sometimes, spending your savings on the real deal is not an option. More than convenience, virtual reality concerts are able to break spatial and bodily constraints, and this is where VR can find its place within the (Korean) entertainment business.

Take, for example, what happened with ticket sales for EXO’s first solo concert tour, EXO “From. EXOPLANET #1 – The Lost Planet.” There is no doubt that EXO is an influential group, and that was only proven when the boys broke the world record for the fastest sold out concert, with 42,000 tickets in a fleeting 1.42 seconds. As a result, the ticketing site crashed and still many others were unsuccessful at nabbing a spot at the highly anticipated concert.

Also on Kultscene: The PEACEMINUSONE Art Exhibit Is Like Seeing The World Through G-Dragon Tinted Glasses[Photos]

That is where virtual reality concerts come in. Where accommodating the sea of concert-goers is an issue, VR can revise that by providing unlimited (and eco-friendly!) virtual tickets and seats. Want VIP seating? No problem. Or how about standing on stage alongside your oppas (older males) and unnies (older females)? VR concerts can make that happen, too. So long as it is within the six degrees of freedom of the special virtual reality display, anything is possible. Also, how about getting the new setlists of the concert in advance? THis way, viewers at home can also guarantee that idols will try to score some brownie points with the fans by showing some serious up close and personal fan service, all from a safe distance. Trendy groups with ~~crazy~~ passionate fans like EXO are sure to appreciate this, especially the last part about the “safe.”

If tickets for virtual reality concerts are reasonably priced – as in cheaper than that for in-person – then I see no problem with virtual reality finding a market within the K-pop concert business. No longer do international fans have to cross mountains and seas to reach their favorite groups. With VR, fans can even access the exclusive behind-the-scenes that they could not visit before. It’s not about taking fans to the best seats in the house, but taking them to places that were previously barred from the public. And if that is not enough incentive to switch over to VR, then I do not know what is. Arguably, virtual reality may even be better than, well, reality itself as the ability to watch the same concert from different vantage points (recall that the rigs are distributed throughout the venue) on the fly transforms an impossible human task into a possible one.

Of course, the potential debut of virtual reality concerts doesn’t mean that they will replace the traditional live concert business altogether. Because what else can make hearts thud as hard as the bass lines do? What else can unite complete strangers at a mosh pit? Mechanical music sales may go down, piracy may remain rampant, but concerts as we know it will never die.

How do you feel about virtual reality K-pop concerts? Is it feasible? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Synth Punk? Electro Alternative? It Doesn’t Matter, Love X Stereo Knows What It’s Doing [Interview]

July 16, 2015/in Entertainment, Features /by Tamar Herman

Rock meets electronica when it comes to Love X Stereo of South Korea. The indie duo is known in the Hongdae music scene and they’ve played abroad at SXSW, CMJ, and more. But the lack of chart-topping hits keeps Love X Stereo from gaining long-lasting recognition both at home and the greater world at large. And the pair’s upcoming album “We Love We Leave, Pt. 2” attempts to change that.

As the follow up to February’s “We Love We Leave, Pt. 1,” Love X Stereo is doing everything right on their upcoming album. “It’s like nothing we’ve done before,” Annie Ko told me over an Oreo frappe in a coffee shop in Seoul. “It’s all done now, we’re waiting for the masters. ‘We Love We Leave, Pt. 1’ was more about loving each other, but this one is all about leaving, parting, death. And not in a bad way, but mostly inspired by death and current events. We were affected by a series of personal stuff and national stuff [the Sewol Ferry tragedy of 2014]. So it’s, until now, the best record we’ve ever recorded.”

Ko and Toby Hwang are Love X Stereo. Together they create a new style of electro rock that Hwang calls “synth punk” and Ko calls “electro alternative.” Synthesizers clash with guitars to create Love X Stereo’s amalgamation of pop rock and electronic music, and Ko’s breathy tones acts as the string tying all of these musical elements together. “Ultimately, we’re a rock band, but we have so much respect and have been influenced by electro music, so we’re a rock band that’s trying to do stuff that has inspired us from electro music and try to do it on our own.“

Also on KultScene: Juck Juck Grunzie Brings Psychedelic Sounds To Asia, Glastonbury, And Beyond [INTERVIEW]

The pair has been making music together for years, and was together in the punk rock band Skrew Attack before forming Love X Stereo in 2011. Ko was 21 and preparing to be a K-pop ballad singer when they met thanks to tenuous connection with 1TYM’s Song Baekkyoung and No Brain’s Bulldaegal. After meeting, Ko auditioned to join Hwang’s band. “I don’t think he thought I would stay, but I always loved rock music and we’re both ‘90’s kids; we live and breathe ‘90’s music… We like the same music, but he is more of a punk rock guy, he knows all of these ‘90’s indie American, LA punk rock stuff. And I know, well, I grew up in LA in the ‘80’s, so I kind of have more of an attachment to pop music. So it kind of collides and merged in a weird way.”

Transitioning from a band to Love X Stereo was difficult for the pair. “Our drummer left the band, and we were kind of in a rut, music-wise. People don’t even care about punk rock music anymore. It’s kind of the end of the era, I think,” Ko explained before Hwang picked up. “In the ‘90’s, every band was a punk rock band. There are still maniacs out there. But time flies and we wanted to do something new. And back then, we had our first synthesizer. We bought a new synthesizer to make something interesting, and that led us into us doing this.”

After playing abroad in the United States and Canada on multiple occasions, Love X Stereo garnered attention in South Korea, but the music scene in South Korea isn’t kind to indie bands, especially not ones with a female frontwoman who looks like a typical punk pop princess.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“Girls like guys,” Ko revealed. “The majority of ticket sales, 70 percent or more here at the shows and album sales are made up of girls. Guys sell, especially in Korea where everything is so visualized. For instance, K-pop. It’s less about the music and more the visuals, and that applies to K-indie as well. Being an indie band in Korea is really hard because you have to do your own music, your own promotions, your shows, everything, and it’s kind of a dead end because there is only a small chance that you can make money out of it.”

Even though it may seem like a dead end, Love X Stereo rattled off an impressive list of past performances. The pair has performed at multiple CMJ Music Marathon’s in New York, South By Southwest in Texas, Culture Collides in California, Canadian Music Week in Toronto, and countless other Korean and international festivals.

“Mostly, the response is that the Korean audience doesn’t really get what we’re doing,” Ko said frankly, explaining that the fact that she sings in English isn’t really why Koreans don’t immediately understand Love X Stereo. “People are like ‘um, interesting,’ but they don’t really get what we’re influenced by or what type of music we’re trying to do. But when we were in the States, they knew it right away. Like ‘ah, it sounds awesome.’ It’s a very different response right away. Since we got a good response overseas, it’s kind of now coming back to Korea and it’s catching up to us. Now Koreans are seeing what we’re doing.”

Also on KultScene: Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio’s Dance-Rock Band Sound Is All About The Energy [Interview]

The two spoke about being in talks with a record label so that they would be able to focus more on music and less on promotions. “[It’s] not that we don’t like our songs, we like our songs, but we feel that our past songs are mostly us experimenting and putting time and effort to make something interesting. But now we know how to be more available to the majority of our audience, and it should be, quality-wise, better. Producing, songwriting should be better. And just to make that clear, if the quality is there, people will find our music. We can expand our music business in a much bigger way. So like, if we have a semi-hit song, it’s easier to get record deals, and we don’t like our future to be too vague. We want to have a certain goal, and to do that, it’s easy to come up with a solution. It’s hard to describe, but to have better songs and to get more attention [is the goal]. The pop scene, not K-pop, spends a bunch of money on mixing and mastering, and there’s a reason why when you listen to the radio, it shows. When we compare that with our music, it’s not about what’s good or not, but there is a certain standard and for us to be listened to by a wider audiences, we need to improve our sound quality.”

Although Love X Stereo is not currently signed to a record label, “We Love We Leave, Pt 2” is being co-produced by Adrian Hall, who has worked on songs by Britney Spears, the Black Eyed Peas, and Shakira. They three were brought together by KT&G’s SangsangMadang’s “The Art of Recording” program in 2014, and worked together on five songs. “I never thought that our sound could sound like that, it was pretty amazing to see,” Ko said, regarding the new music.

Other than the pending release of “We Love We Leave, Pt 2” what’s next for Love X Stereo? “Ultimately, what we want to be, is follow our predecessors, the ones we love and adore. Every other band dreams about it, we want to have a root and expand ourselves as international artists.”

What do you think of Love X Stereo and their music? Share your thoughts and questions for the band in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Hyo Sung, BESTie & the Hook in K-Pop

July 15, 2015/in Features /by Joe Palmer

The hook is what makes a pop song so catchy, particularly K-pop songs. They are the part that we remember the most. They literally hook us into liking a song. They are the ‘gee gee gee gee’ or the ‘sorry sorry sorry.” Those are quite obvious examples of hooks though, but right now I want to look at how some artists use them in more interesting ways. For this we are going to look at two May releases, Jeon Hyo Sung’s ‘‘Into You’’ which has no hook at all and BESTie’s ‘‘Excuse Me’’ which delays its hook for a lot longer than usual.

The reason I’m returning to these two after two months is that I realized that they are two of the best songs of the summer yet have been kind of forgotten. And I never wrote about them when they came out, even though I loved them both.

On first listen, Hyo Sung’s second solo single ‘‘Into You’’ comes across as uneventful and dull. Compared to her first song ‘‘Goodnight Kiss’’ it seems lacking; this is probably why ‘‘Into You’’ didn’t sell as well as its predecessor either. This is because it forgoes a hook in favour of a more slick type of production. It’s a production that warrants many repeated listens before being fully appreciated. But why risk losing sales for something that could easily have been boring?

For me, it all comes together with the music video and live performance. The dreamy groove of the song and Hyo Sung’s breathy voice create an extremely sexual song. Coupling this with the video, we see something that is completely attuned to the sexy concept. Despite the fact that she denied it, Hyo Sung’s whole marketing efforts seem to focus on her body. So often sexy concepts are built only around visuals with the music taking a back seat. It comes across as pandering rather than a genuine attempt at being sexy.

Also on KultScene: Fantasy Vs. Reality Performances To See At KCON NY 2015

Breaking up the flow of the song with a massive hook would have suggested something bigger than what the song is trying to do. The way it is now, Hyo Sung can perform without making too brash a change in her vocal or body movements (which are in fact the most important part of the performance,) that could disrupt the sexy energy. The transition from pre-chorus to chorus happens so seamlessly that it’s hardly noticeable. This especially makes it feel like something is missing on first listen. As it grows on you though, you realize that by not highlighting one specific part, Hyo Sung’s highlights the whole song.

Another reason it works is that each part of the song sounds quite similar. The sax and synth combo are retained for most of the song and really holds it together. By not creating any contrast between verses and pre-choruses, no big pay off is expected in the chorus. Clashing different tones usually ends up in something else coming out of it. That is something that K-pop does extremely well, but here it is not needed. The hook would usually be a synthesis of preceding tones. ‘‘Into You’’ does not do this though, which allows it to get away with not having a hook.

BESTie’s ‘Excuse Me’’ is a song that does this and does it extremely well.

Also on KultScene: INFINITE’s ‘Reality’ Album Review

‘‘Excuse Me’’ starts off as a pretty fun track that’s refreshingly devoid of any electronic elements. After a while though, you begin to realize that a chorus has not yet happened and that this feels quite strange. The song cycles through a number of different parts including the standard verse, a chanting mid-verse(?) and two parts that could pass as pre-choruses. They feature blasting horns, powerful vocals and rapping. There seems to be so many disparate elements leading to nothing. That is until 1 minute and 10 seconds into the song, when the massive pay-off hook boldly announces itself. To compare that to other recent songs, Sistar’s ‘‘Shake It’’ takes 40 seconds to reach its hooks and even the totally weird ‘‘Ah Yeah’’ by EXID introduces its ‘Ah Yeah’ hook right at the beginning and reaches its chorus by 55 seconds. 20-40 seconds longer than usual may not seem that significant but this is pop music where time and attention is precious.

‘‘Excuse Me’’ grabs attention by its strange structure. Without noticing it, you begin to question the song. Stimulating thought is not something pop music usually likes to do. A listener is supposed to feel comfortable in the familiar patterns. Here, the pattern is thrown in our face as we wait and wait for that hook.

The main reason that this all works out though is because of just how good of a hook it is. This is thanks to U-Ji’s huge voice, which I think is one of the best in K-pop right now. Along with her vocals, the tempo ramps right up and the energy levels increase. It’s a catastrophically good chorus that turns a song on its head without a moment’s notice.

If BESTie had not delivered this and gone the Hyo Sung route of having no hook, ‘‘Excuse Me’’ would not have worked at all. The many juggling parts of this song had to create something bigger than themselves at some stage. Otherwise it would have been a mess. I know a lot of K-pop songs can sound mess but like this they always have something pulling them together. Like Girls’ Generation’s ‘oh oh way ohs..’ in ‘‘I Got A Boy’’ or like B.A.P’s choruses in ‘‘Hurricane’’ and ‘‘Badman’’. These binding factors allow groups to go really far leftfield with their songs. BESTie have shown that an audience can wait longer than usual for that satisfying hook kick.

The range of ways which K-pop can deliver new material seems infinite. Hyo Sung and BESTie have shown two interesting ways of changing up standard songs. By doing this they create not only something unique but songs that provokes a reaction.

What do you think of these two songs? Is there any other songs you think have interesting hooks? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Meet iDR, The Man Behind EXO’s “Love Me Right” And Other Upcoming Songs From SM Entertainment [INTERVIEW PART 2]

July 4, 2015/in Features /by Tamar Herman

Producer, DJ, and musician iDR spoke to KultScene about becoming a producer in the K-pop world in the first part of our interview. iDR also spoke to KultScene about working with SM Entertainment, including upcoming releases from top girl group Girls’ Generation, details about the thought process behind EXO’s latest song, and some insight into an upcoming group.

EXO’s June release “Love Me Right,” the title song on the repackage, or re-release, of the idol group’s May album “EXODUS,” is an upbeat song. It’s also iDR’s first single with the widely popular boy band EXO, and one filled with a lot of subtle meaning even though it wasn’t initially planned for EXO. “I wasn’t aiming for EXO when I was writing it because it’s more of an uppity, happy, ‘let’s go, we’re up’ song and their [EXO] stuff is what I thought of as a little more aggressive.”

Also on KultScene: EXO’s ‘Exodus’ Teasers Herald The Group’s Rebirth

In the past, iDR’s written other songs for EXO, such as “Peter Pan” and “The Winter’s Tale,” but this is his first title track for the group. Their previous singles like “Growl” and “Overdose” were hugely popular across Asia and EXO is one of the world’s most popular boy bands. But in 2014, former members Kris (Wu Yi Fan) and Luhan left EXO to focus on personal careers in China, and a third member, Tao, appears to have followed the same path in 2015. When iDR was asked to write a song, he thought that the happy, very un-EXO sounding song would be perfect.

“The thing is, and I’m sure a lot of people realize, they [EXO] have gone through a lot of drama, lost a few members, and I think, I felt and the SM staff felt, that they needed something that isn’t such a dark and aggressive track. Something that’s upbeat and happy will put a spin on the whole thing and allow them to say, ‘Hey. We’re good, we’re cool, we’re moving on, and there’s nothing to be sad or upset about. Let’s keep it up, let’s keep it moving.’ And when we came up with that feeling and that concept, that track seemed to fit, and boom! We kind of knew as soon as we had it with the A&R’s input that this would be, if not the single, one of the single’s on their [repackage] album. I’m really happy that it turned out that way too.”

Also on KultScene: 4 Ways to Promote a K-pop Trainee

Even though “Love Me Right” was a new style of song for EXO to promote as a single, the track did well in Korea. But nothing is certain, and iDR was excited to see how well the song, and style, did. “It was one of those ‘will it really happen?’ When it [“Love Me Right”] came out, I saw the video and heard the final mix and mastered version, and I was kind of blown away. You know, there’s always that little inkling inside that says ‘I feel like this is the one,’ and I had that feeling for sure. I didn’t really speak about it until this minute. I had the feeling, and I was hoping that it would turn out this way.”

Not only was “Love Me Right” successful, it helped EXO achieved multiple milestones, including becoming the first K-pop male group in many years to sell over one million albums.

Along with working with EXO, iDR has had experience working with other SM Entertainment acts. His first K-pop song ever was Super Junior’s “No Other,” and now he’s working on songs for Girls’ Generation and SM Entertainment’s next male idol group.

When asked if he could say anything else about the upcoming songs, iDR admitted that everything is under tight wraps. “I will say that the rookie group is going to be something SM fans haven’t seen before, a new twist on a group, not the typical group that they [SM Entertainment] would put out. [And] The Girls’ Generation project is also something they are really excited about. Expect to hear a mature, seasoned Girls’ Generation with their signature spunk and flare.”

Check out the first half of our exclusive interview with iDR right HERE.

What do you think about what iDR’s shared? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Former Skarf Member Ferlyn is Ready to Have a New Beginning [INTERVIEW]

July 3, 2015/in Features /by Anna Cheang

She made history in Singapore when she debuted in K-pop girl group Skarf in 2012, after passing auditions by JYP and Alpha Entertainment. However, two years later, Ferlyn Wong left the girl group and debuted as a soloist in Singapore at the start of 2015 with her EP “First”. Kultscene spoke with her about her experiences as a trainee, her time in Skarf, and her solo endeavours.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Firstly, what was your trainee period like?

It was overwhelming. Although it was suffocating at times, it helped me tremendously in terms of improvement in my stage presence and skills. I’ve also learnt how to humble myself and to be less self centred.

You’ve said before that it took you a long while to adapt to the Korean way of life, are there any memorable experiences you remember from that period of time?

Korean culture emphasizes a lot on hierarchy which is very unlike Singapore, where I was born and raised. Many times I was punished and scolded due to actions and behaviours I did unknowingly, as these actions were viewed as rude in Korea. It took me a while to get used to that part of Korea’s culture.

Also on Kultscene: BTS ‘Dope’ Music Video & Song Review

How was it like working with the rest of Skarf?

They are definitely a bunch of awesome girls. I’ve learnt a lot while working with them. It is not easy for people who came from different countries and who have different backgrounds to work together. Although we did have conflicts at times, we never ended a day without clearing up the misunderstandings and problems.

How did you feel when you left the group?

I left on a good note and I have no regrets. It was hard for me to leave because I really love my members but I knew deep inside that I wanted to do more. I wanted to make my own music and to progress towards my dream in music and acting. As for my precious members from SKarf, I will still be cheering for them no matter where I am!

What were some changes in your life that came with your departure from the group?

I gained freedom in my private life–meeting people, attending church at a frequent basis, serving my church. Career wise, I got the chance to write my own music, to voice my opinions, and to try things I never thought I would do in my career. I became more independent and responsible as a whole.

What are some skills that you’ve picked up from this first half of your music career that you can use as a soloist?
I actually picked up rapping while I was training in Korea. Skarf’s leader, Tasha, was initially selected as the rapper for the group due to her husky voice. While Tasha was having her rap lessons, I secretly went into the room beside her and eavesdropped on the lessons. After much practice, Skarf’s producer felt that I made the cut for rapping and got me to rap instead.

What inspired you for “First”?

The idea of having a new beginning – I wanted to show that I was stepping out from my comfort zone and that I was ready to make my journey towards my dream.

There are rumors that you’ll be coming back as the leader of a new girl group. How accurate are these rumors?

There will be potential collaborations, but in the coming two years I am likely to be focusing on my solo career, improving myself as a songwriter and artist. For further updates, do check out my Instagram and official Facebook page.

Also on Kultscene: Meet iDR, The Producer Behind Some Of K-Pop’s Biggest Hits [Interview Part 1]

What are some future works we can look forward to?

I am currently working on song compositions, DJ-ing, and I’ll be involved in upcoming screen works as well. I hope to be able to meet you with my new release soon.

Any final words for the readers of Kultscene?

여러분, 잘부탁드립니다! 많이 사랑해주세요. 정말 열심히 할테니깐 예쁘게 봐주세요. [Everyone, please take care of me and please do give me a lot of love. I’ll work hard to present myself well in the future.]
It’s an honor to receive this interview from Kultscene and please do keep supporting them! I hope to see you soon, but let’s connect on social media for now!

Check out Ferlyn’s shout out video for our KultScene readers.

Also, do check out Ferlyn’s latest music video for “Luv Talk” and let’s look forward to her next release!

Meet iDR, The Producer Behind Some Of K-Pop’s Biggest Hits [INTERVIEW PART 1]

June 29, 2015/in Features /by Tamar Herman

As a DJ, producer, songwriter, and EDM artist, iDR (Denzil Remedios) may not be the most popular name in the music world, let alone South Korea, where his songs consistently top charts. But he is the mastermind behind many of K-pop’s biggest hits, including songs by Super Junior, EXO, Lee Hyori, U-KISS, and more.

iDR began working with SM Entertainment and other Korean labels after joining up with the production company Marcen Entertainment in 2010. His first Korean hit was Super Junior’s “No Other,” and iDR hasn’t looked back since. iDR took the time to talk with KultScene about his career so far and what it’s like working with Korean artists and companies.

“You know, when I first heard K-pop I thought it was kind of random, I didn’t really enjoy it, I didn’t really like it the first time I heard it,” iDr said during our phone call. “But when I made that cut [Super Junior’s “No Other] and after I started going over there to work specifically with those artists and labels, then that’s when I started to appreciate it. I thought that I didn’t like [K-pop], but it wasn’t that. [K-pop] is a lot harder to digest and produce and write, because there’s a lot of variation going on it where in comparison, here it’s like you have the verse, you have the chorus, BOOM, you’re done, then it’s onto the next song type of thing. With K-pop stuff, there’s so much going on that sometimes, like with the last EXO song, I’ll work on that and nothing else.”

Working in South Korea, iDR is just one of many people to partake in the creative process for K-pop stars, with multiple players with their own role in the creation of a single K-pop song. “I go over there and we work first with the top liners, or the writers, as everyone knows them, and they work on top of the beats that I’ve created or the vibe that I’m looking for. That’s usually told to us by the label or the A&R people handling the artists who say ‘this is the direction we want to go with now,’ and while we’re there working either at SM or another label, then usually the artist will come in. We’ll try their vocals out and see if this is their range and go from there.”

Also on KultScene: EXO’s ‘Love Me Right’ Repackaged Album Review

Even though he’s one of many, the songs that iDR produces are very much his own, even after being handed over to some of K-pop’s biggest stars. “A lot of people don’t really realize this, but what any of these artists like EXO, SHINee, or Super Junior, what they are cutting to is exactly what I sang for them. So you know, they’re just following my notes, my rhythm. I’m kind of the original, as one of the co-writers.”

While iDR’s spent a lot of time producing for K-pop acts, he’s also worked with the likes of Soulja Boy, Nelly Furtado, Fifi Dobson, and much more. He’s currently collaborating on an upbeat Girls’ Generation song with SAARA, and his latest K-pop latest song is Melody Day’s “Love Me,” which is not remotely related to the EXO song of the similar title. “I didn’t plan that, it just happened; the tracks didn’t get written at the same time,” iDR explained the coincidence.

As the producer, iDR has a lot of say, but not the final call. But that doesn’t bother iDR, since it’s what is uniquely Korean about it that makes K-pop so special. “Looking at K-pop generally, it has the sound that was just there that’s embedded in Korean culture and language, and how they [Koreans] choose to express things in their language as opposed to how someone from America or Europe would phrase the same thing,” he explained, before emphasizing that the linguistic style mixed with foreign producers is one of his favorite things about K-pop, along with the influx of foreigners working in the industry. “I think that the bridge between European, American artists and producers working in the K-pop system is just bringing more interesting sounds. It’s our little monster that I’d like to see where it progresses to because I think it’ll be a never-ending story of how [K-pop] will progress.”

As a foreign producer in Korea, iDR’s experienced a lot. Since working with K-pop for over five years, he’s seen a lot of changes within the Korean music world, including the influx of EDM. Whereas electronic dance music used to hardly play a role in the majority of Korean songs, the past few years have seen a lot of dramatic changes as to what type of musical styles makes up the K-pop genre.

“I’m personally excited that the whole EDM scene out there is doing well,” said iDR. “I’ve had a chance to work with U-KISS and Dongho, one of their former members, is DJing now and that’s definitely EDM. It’s just cool to see the transition happen and see the presence that hit hard out there. It’s nice to see that go into the mix with everything else in K-pop, which I think is essentially what is so special about K-pop. It’s not one thing, and you can turn on quote unquote K-pop and it can be a person singing on a guitar or to be a hard hitting EDM piece and everything in between.”

Also on KultScene: MFBTY Talks To KultScene About ‘Wondaland,’ Watching Reaction Videos, K-Pop as Escapism, and More

Have there been difficulties working in Korea? iDR’s flown out to South Korea from his home in Toronto many times, and admits that he didn’t know what to expect originally. But now that he’s a pro at working in Seoul, iDR’s noticed the differences between working with K-pop artists than other artists from around the globe.

“One thing that I have to say is that it is really different than with artists from the rest of the world is that Koreans, well they can have a million followers, people stalking them all over the place, no privacy. They can be super superstars but when they meet you as an individual, it doesn’t matter who they are, they will bow to you. They show such respect, I think, that’s something that I found is really special about them and that’s something to admire. That ‘Hey, I can be on top of my pedestal but I can be knocked off at anytime’ attitude. They really show respect and admiration for writers and anyone they’re working with. They’re really cool with their fans, and that’s one of the biggest differences that I’ve seen. When I’ve been working with them, they’re never coming in with too much pride, or that whole artist vibe of ‘I know more, look at me.’ It’s more like ‘hey, you’re the producer, you’re the writer, let’s team up’ there’s no ego involved.”

And what’s next for iDR and his work? Along with Girls’ Generation’s upcoming music, iDR is working on some stuff for one of the most highly anticipated K-pop acts that has yet to debut. “I got a couple more with different artists at SM, a new rookie group that hasn’t even been named yet, that they all tell me will be as big as EXO, so I’m really excited about that too.”

Make sure to check out the second half of this interview, which will be published later this week.

Do you have something to say to iDR? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.