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. (The Korean Times)
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