BoA Plans Debut in US

Pop singer BoA

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

After achieving phenomenal success in Asia, Korea's biggest pop star BoA is setting her sights on the world's biggest music market ― the United States.

S.M. Entertainment said BoA is preparing to make her debut in the U.S., Yonhap News reported Tuesday. Her management agency said BoA has been shuttling between the U.S., Japan and Korea in preparation for her American debut.

BoA is scheduled to hold a press conference detailing her plans for the U.S. on Sept. 10 at the Imperial Palace Hotel, Seoul.

S.M. used BoA's initials to coin the slogan `` Best of Asia, Bring on America,'' which is said to reflect the singer's ultimate goal of making it in the highly competitive American music industry.

S.M., a top Korean entertainment company, recently announced the establishment of S.M. Entertainment USA. The company is expected to expand SM's business in the U.S., which may include promotions for its stars like BoA and TVXQ.

BoA is the latest in a string of Korean pop stars who are trying to make it big in the U.S. Rain and Se7en have reportedly been preparing for their debut in the U.S. for the past year, but neither have released an English-language album.

BoA, whose real name is Kwon Boa, was only 11 years old when she was discovered by S.M. Entertainment. At 13, she released her debut album, which was an instant hit in 2000.

In 2002, she made her debut in Japan with the album ``Listen to My Heart." BoA has concentrated most of her activities in Japan, releasing six Japanese albums, which have all topped the Oricon weekly charts.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr