Spotlight on Korea at SXSW 2018
By Jon Dunbar
Electronic artist CIFIKA will perform at SXSW in Austin, as part of a larger U.S. tour from March 4 to April 7. / Image retrieved from Facebook
This year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, there are between 11 and 19 individual acts representing or connected with Korea.
“Depending on how you look at it, it could be a record,” James Minor, SXSW’s music manager, told The Korea Times. “It depends on what you consider to be Korean I guess.”
The annual conglomerate of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences runs this year from March 9 to 18, featuring thousands of music acts from around the world.
This year’s music schedule includes an assortment of K-pop, hip-hop and indie rock, as well as 10 acts from Korean rapper Jay Park’s global label H1ghr Records. Only Park, pH-1, Junoflo are born in Korea, while Ted Park and Rocryte are Korean-American and five more labelmates are non-Korean Americans based in Seattle.
“You see Asian hip-hop visibly working its way into the public eye,” Minor said about this year’s emphasis on Korean rappers.
One notable change in this year’s SXSW is the Korean showcase, titled “K-Pop Night Out” since 2013. The event, operated by Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), has been rebranded this year as “Korea Spotlight.”
The rebranding was “a long time coming,” according to Minor.
“I thought it was misleading for the bills we have every year. They always are multi-genre bills and I don't think it's fair to the indie bands who don't fit into that general perception. Here, an idol act equals K-pop.”
This year’s event includes hip-hop/R&B singer Crush, singer-songwriter Lee Hi, co-ed K-pop idol group Kard, rapper DPR Live, electronica artist CIFIKA and Busan indie rock band Say Sue Me.
Choosing the acts is “a bit of a conversation” between SXSW and KOCCA, Minor said.
“At the end of the day, SXSW curates its own event,” he added. “If they wanted to bring a certain act that we didn't believe had potential of getting something out of SXSW we wouldn't invite them.”
SXSW has countless other Korean acts, including fusion gayageum performer Luna Lee, rapper Keith Ape and glam metal band Victim Mentality. Plus, CIFIKA plans to tour the U.S. from March 4 to April 7.
Some of these bands receive Korean government backing to perform, and some don’t. Some previously received support but return this year on their own. Since 2013 SXSW has been key to the country’s strategy for globalizing Korean music.
“It makes sense,” Minor said. “First and foremost we think of ourselves as an industry event. It's not something we do for the consumer crowd, though those lines have blurred over the years. Our focus is on bringing the music industry from all over the world all into one place so these bands can come and showcase for them. It's kind of one-stop shopping for both the artists and the industry.”
Say Sue Me from Busan are one of the few Korean rock bands attending SXSW in Austin this month. / Image retrieved from Facebook.
Minor has visited Korea over the last few years to attend smaller-scale showcase events like Zandari Festa and Mu:Con, scouting out acts for the next SXSW.
“It's interesting to see how Hongdae has grown over the years,” he said of his experience. “Coming to Seoul for me is a lot different from the first time I came there. It's definitely becoming a more international city.”
Last year’s SXSW hit controversy over some wording in the performance agreement, saying visiting artists entering the country without a work visa could not perform at unsanctioned events. Although the clause was nothing new, it was misunderstood by some musicians due to the political climate.
“That particular language meant something different pre-Trump than it did after,” Minor said.
For this year, he said they removed the language that caused concerns last year. “We provide artists with answers to frequently asked questions related to international travel, and we coordinate with artists when possible to help expedite visa appointments,” he said. “We aren't able to provide legal advice, so we often connect artists with immigration attorneys or other professionals since the type of visa an artist uses to showcase at SXSW is ultimately the artist’s decision.”
This year, some Korean musicians have already departed for the U.S., while some are still packing, and others already live there.
“Our community is not just a Texas community,” Minor said. “For these artists to come over here it's not just coming to Texas, it's showcasing to the world. They're coming here to put themselves in front of the international market, not just Texas.”
Visit sxsw.com for more information.