More K-pop Artists Team Up with U.S. Labels to Expand Careers

SEOUL, March 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Adding to the phenomenal global ascent of K-pop, led by boy band BTS, another Korean band, SuperM, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last October, furthering the global influence of Korean pop music.

It was a major feat accomplished in SuperM’s widely publicized collaboration with Capitol Music Group, a major American music label under Universal Music Group, and a culmination of an increasing number of similar collaboration deals between K-pop artists and American music labels and talent agencies.

Recently, two roaring K-pop female acts have landed deals with American music agencies in their ambitious bids to launch careers in the U.S. music market.

In late February, JYP Entertainment, the South Korean agency for girl band TWICE, said it has forged a partnership with Republic Records, another unit under Universal Music Group, home to such high-profile American artists as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Post Malone.

The partnership is aimed at jumpstarting the girl band’s inroads into the U.S., as well as the broader global pop market.

This week, MNH Entertainment, the South Korean management agency of female soloist Chungha, also said it has signed a contract with ICM Partners, a major American talent agency, to work toward Chungha’s debut in the U.S.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, ICM Partners is a talent and literary agency that represents, or has represented, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Khalid, Orlando Bloom and Megan Fox.

ICM landed agreements with more K-pop artists earlier this year, including U.S.-born K-pop singer AleXa, as well as soloist Ha Sung-woon, with an eye on launching the K-pop artists into the American music scene.

Those deals came as K-pop has emerged as a promising genre for the global music scene, especially after BTS achieved breakout success in the American mainstream and proved the sustainability of its musical influence in the U.S. and beyond with its latest, fourth No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Such deals have already started to bear fruit.

Six-piece boy band Monsta X landed its first English-language album, “All About Luv,” at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last month in a collaboration with American music label Epic Records.

Monsta X’s local agency Starship Entertainment signed a partnership with Epic Records, a unit under Sony Music Entertainment, in May last year.

Monsta X’s latest Billboard feat with the first English album under the collaboration made the band the third K-pop band to hit the top five on the Billboard 200 chart, after BTS and SuperM, paving the way for a solid career in the American and global music market.

Another K-pop boy band, Ateez, is also on a solid course to establish itself in the American music market through a collaboration deal with RCA Records, a unit of Sony Music, signed in July last year.

(Yonhap)