K-pop without Koreans? As ‘K’ shrinks, K-pop grows

KATSEYE, HYBE’s U.S.-based girl group / Courtesy of HYBE

HYBE’s U.S.-based multinational girl group KATSEYE entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 92 on Friday, making it the first K-pop act to do so without being based in Korea.

Their song “Gnarly,” released May 17, leans heavily into the hyperpop genre and significantly tones down conventional K-pop elements — a strategic pivot that may signal a new phase for the genre’s global expansion.

Billboard named KATSEYE and NewJeans among its “21 Under 21” list of influential young artists on Friday, further underscoring the genre's global reach.

Meanwhile, American producer Paul Bryan Thompson — CEO of VVS’s agency MZMC — is one of the few foreign producers to have built and launched a K-pop girl group.

A veteran of Korea’s music scene since being recruited by JYP Entertainment in 2013, Thompson has contributed to numerous tracks for SM Entertainment artists.

“Over the past decade, I’ve continuously studied the differences between what resonates with Korean listeners and what appeals to overseas K-pop fans,” he told the Hankook Ilbo.

As the “K” in K-pop becomes less Korean in origin, the genre continues to expand across global music industries. In Japan, Korea’s largest overseas market, local groups adopting K-pop’s methods have become mainstream.

Elsewhere, from the U.S. to Southeast Asia, Korean production systems are increasingly being localized.

VVS, a Korean girl group produced by American music producer Paul Bryan Thompson / Courtesy of MZMC

K-pop’s industrial DNA

Japan has arguably embraced the K-pop system more than any other country. While K-pop initially borrowed from J-pop, the dynamic has reversed in recent years.

Sky-Hi, a former idol turned producer who once warned that Japan’s entertainment industry could become dependent on Korea if it kept sending talent abroad, has now embraced K-pop’s methods.

His label BMSG launched the boy band BE:FIRST, a notable success built on Korea’s training and production model.

Newer agencies have followed suit. NTT, a Japanese telecom giant, launched the girl group cosmosy last year under a K-pop-style system.

Even veteran Japanese agencies are adapting. Avex, which has worked with SM Entertainment since BoA’s debut, formed the boy band ONE OR EIGHT for global audiences — including a Korean debut.

A20 May, a Chinese girl group produced by SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man / Courtesy of A20 Entertainment

Global remakes of K-pop model

The cultural transplantation of K-pop isn’t limited to Japan. XGALX, a Korean agency founded by Korean-American producer JAKOPS (Park Jun-ho), launched the Japanese girl group XG in 2022. Last month, XG performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, gaining global attention.

Lee Soo-man, founder of SM Entertainment, is also reentering the scene. His new agency A20 debuted an all-Chinese girl group, A20 May, last year.

Comedian Jung Sung-han, best known for his work with popular gag trio Cult Triple, helped produce the Filipino boy band SB19 and has since founded his own label, debuting groups YGIG and PLUUS.

Some of these acts have gained traction in Korea as well. JYP’s Japanese girl group NiziU recently won first place on MBC M’s “Show Champion” with their Korean comeback track “Love Line.” This marked their first domestic music show win since debuting in Korea last year — and the first such victory fora K-pop group fully developed outside Korea.

Not about nationality, but system

According to Yamamoto Joho, a K-pop scholar at Ritsumeikan University, “K-pop is not simply Korean music. It’s a mode of cultural production rooted in Korea, defined by a rigorous training system and shared aesthetic values.”

He added, “What matters is not who sings, but how and within what system. NiziU’s success clearly demonstrates how K-pop can be transplanted and contextualized — and still remain K-pop.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.