Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
AleXa to expand activities globally through contract with top US agency
K-pop singer AleXa has signed a contract with United Talent Agency, one of the largest entertainment agencies in the U.S. Courtesy of ZB Label
By Kim Rahn
By Kim Rahn
AleXa, a Korean American K-pop singer who won the American Song Contest in May, has recently inked a contract with United Talent Agency (UTA), which is said to be one of the U.S.' four largest entertainment agencies, her Korean agency ZB Label said, Tuesday.
The 25-year-old, whose mother is a Korean adoptee to the U.S. and father is of Russian American ancestry, debuted in 2019 in Korea. Her name became more well-known globally after she became the first champion of NBC's American Song Contest this May.
Following the contract with UTA, AleXa plans to expand her activities beyond singing, to acting and show hosting. ZB Label, a subsidiary of video and film production company Zanybros, said that it expects AleXa to make history in the K-pop scene through her global activities with the major U.S. agency.
UTA music agent Janet Kim and worldwide music co-head David Zedek told Billboard: “AleXa is a multi-talented artist whose ability to engage her audience is unparalleled. We are excited to collaborate with her and the team at Zanybros to create innovative ideas across multiple platforms to help take AleXa to the next level.”
AleXa has been performing on a concert tour in eight cities in the U.S. since the beginning of this month. She is expected to drop a new album next month.
UTA has represented top-level artists, including actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and James McAvoy, as well as film directors such as Wes Anderson and Joel and Ethan Coel.
Several Korean artists have also signed contracts with the agency, including actor Lee Byung-hun, who has appeared in Hollywood films such as “The Magnificent Seven” (2016), “Terminator Genisys” (2015) and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (2013); actor Park Hae-soo, who rose to global stardom with his supporting role in Netflix's megahit series, “Squid Game” (2021); and actress Jeon Jong-seo who was cast in Hollywood film “Mona Lisa and the Blood Man” and appeared in Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area” (2022).