What do you think YG’s biggest challenges are in the US? The biggest challenge for us would be getting past the stigma of Asians in entertainment. You don’t see many Asians in the entertainment industry these days in the way that everyone is laughing together. That’s a very unfortunate thing; times are changing and this needs to change. A lot of people are starting to look towards Asia and Korea for new trends in fashion and music. We need the US to have more of that focus much like Europe and other countries do.
Are fans in the US different from fans in Korea? From what I can see, fans are different in all different parts of the world. I am not sure exactly what makes them different by region but our artists have the most dedicated and loyal fans.
How did you start your career in the Entertainment industry? I have an event production and marketing group that was started about 10 years ago. I also gained experience interning at record labels and went into media and magazine publishing. Entertainment has always been my interest so I always wanted to work in this field.
What are YG USA's goals? Our goal is to contribute towards YG Entertainment’s success. Our existing artists are continuing to grow and our business opportunities in the US will also continue to grow. We are continuously making moves out here. YG likes to make moves that feel right – we don’t like to force anything.
Do you have any exclusive artists that you're working with in the US? We enjoy collaborating with artists from the US when it feels right and we have been for some time so stay tuned.
I'm sure it was an exciting time last year with PSY's big hit in the US market. Did you see a big difference in demand for your artists? PSY’s success last year was definitely exciting, not just for K-pop but for Korea in general. I don’t feel like this created a bigger demand for other YG artists because by that time they were already on World Tours but PSY helped in creating awareness for K-Pop in general all across the globe.
What's the biggest change you see in the entertainment industry these days? I think these days entertainment is about having fun. During some parts in the past such as the early 90’s, entertainment was sometimes about negativity but we have come a long way from those times and pop music is about positivity and having fun.
What do you think YG’s biggest appeal is to the non-Korean fans out there? I think YG artists are about the originality and forward-thinking behind what we do. We bring a different style and color to our music and performances. From my experience, there are many famous as well as underground producers and artists who are into what we are putting out there. That’s why we are fortunate to work with some of these people because they like what we do and the feeling is mutual. Not everyone might understand it now but you will see more of our style out there in the future – we want to create trends and influence pop culture.
There have been numerous attempts in the past of Asian pop stars trying to break through the US market and found only mediocre to no success. It’s never an easy task introducing new music, new style, and a new culture to an already saturated market full of preconception but Korean has culture come a long way. Bibimbop is one of the most popular dishes in urban areas like New York, Korean films are appearing in major theaters and K-pop is no longer alien to the ears of Americans.
There’s still a long way to go but YG is doing a great work in paving the way not only for its own artists but also for Korean entertainment as a whole. It certainly won’t happen overnight, although PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ undeniably opened up many doors. There are still countless streotypes and chauvinism to overcome; but it is truly exciting to witness the emergence of cultural concoction and we can’t help but wonder what the future holds.
글 Mom&I English Reporter Tina Kong
Bachelor of Science in Business, Indiana University Kelley School of Business Marketing Associate at Korea International Trade Association, NY Branch
June 2013 LIVING & CULTURE 67
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