Columbia student creates K-pop group in NYC

EXP, the first-ever K-pop group born in New York City, has its eyes set on debuting in Korea one day. / Courtesy of BK Studio

By Jane Han

Getting tired of SHINee, B1A4 and all those other pretty-faced K-pop boy bands? Then meet EXP, the first-ever K-pop group born out of New York City.

The six-member team, comprised of non-Korean experienced performers who hail from all over the U.S., is definitely not your typical K-pop idol group. But interestingly, it embodies the spirit and basics of a Korean boy band like no other.

How?

The mastermind behind EXP, short for ''experiment,'' has professionally researched, dissected and analyzed everything K-pop group before she just decided to make one herself.

''Yes, it sounds crazy and chaotic, doesn't it?'' Bora Kim, the original producer of EXP, said in an interview with The Korea Times. ''That's because it is a crazy and chaotic project.''

IMMABB team members Bora Kim, left, Samantha Shao, center, and Karin Kuroda work tirelessly in their New York City studio to perfect the music and performance of EXP.

The Columbia University graduate first began an intensive phase of research into K-pop bands and fandoms as part of her thesis in the Masters of Fine Arts program. And then came across what she calls a mad scientist moment.

That's when the entire project became more than a thesis.

''After that moment, I just focused on turning this into a reality,'' said Kim, who quickly teamed up with two others, Karin Kuroda and Samantha Shao, to create ''I'm Making A Boy Band'' (IMMABB), co-produce and bring EXP to where it is now.

Since production officially kicked off in September, IMMABB successfully released its first original single ''Luv/Wrong,'' with both Korean and English lyrics, on iTunes in April.

They staged several performances in New York City and expect more to come. But Kim says EXP's ultimate goal is to go to Korea.

''We want to build our initial career in New York first since we are all based here and have established networks already,'' says Kim, who stresses that members of EXP still need time to master Korean. ''We are at a very early stage of our journey right now but we know that we are, and will continue to be, a hybrid that contains localized globalism and globalized localism at the same time.''

Unlike other K-pop groups that are mainly produced for financial goals, EXP's roots go back to places deeper than money.

''The Korean government has found that for every $100 made in K-pop exports, there's an increase of $400 profit in Korean IT product sales, for example, things like mobile phones,'' Kim said in her Columbia Thesis Show interview. ''And in fact the biggest beneficiaries of the Korean Wave are companies like Samsung and LG.''

''I was interested in K-pop and idol groups on this level initially as I was thinking about cultural flow, or the relationship of dominant culture and peripheral culture, and how that is interwoven with one's identity or one's national identity,'' she explained. ''I wanted to see what would happen if I made American boys into K-pop performers, by teaching them how to sing in Korean and act like Korean boys, and complicate this flow/appropriation even more, since I'm in New York, where so many talents are just one online recruitment ad away.''

Gender role was also another component that intrigued Kim and her partners.

''We were amazed at how the concept of gender operates in K-pop boy bands,'' Kim, who completed her undergrad degree in Sociology at Korea University, said. ''These boys are tailored to attract straight young females, originally, but the presentation of their sexuality is very complicated.''

''A lot of people in the U.S., when encountering K-pop idol groups for the first time, express their confusion about the gender role and sexuality that these boys convey,'' she said. ''For example, a young group of pretty boys with great skin start rapping in a hip-hop music video while wearing a lot of makeup. What does this mean? Who is the target audience? It is totally gender-bending and experimental, but at the same time, it is very typical, mainstream K-pop.''

With all these questions in mind, IMMABB began their casting audition for a three-month period to find each of the six members ― Hunter, David, Sime, Frankie, Koki and Tarion ― of EXP.

''They haven't been trained by a giant talent agency like YG or SM over a span of seven plus years, as typical idol groups would, but they've all been working hard to become actors, singers, models for their whole lives in their own respective ways,'' says Kim, who added that each member is passionate and enthusiastic about learning Korean culture and K-pop.

''Since we don't have a lot of resources to make a K-pop boy band like big corporations, we need our members to be fully devoted and trusted in the project and the band, which of course, they are,'' she said.

Together, IMMABB raised more than $30,000 through an online campaign in May to help fund their music recordings and music video production.

The entire process is being recorded and documented to create a documentary on creating a K-pop group, says Kim.

''I just hope we can find the right moment to stop recording,'' Kim laughed, saying this documentary is one of their long term goals.

''Most importantly, our goal is to create a truly meaningful work that can generate conversation about the world that we live in, but at the same time, not lose the pure energy of entertainment,'' she said.