Global K-pop company Titan Contents has expressed its ambition to create a group that surpasses BLACKPINK and BTS ahead of the debut of the new girl group AtHeart.
Titan Contents held a launch founders meetup for the new girl group AtHeart on the morning of the 6th at the RIIZE Autograph Collection located in the Seogyo-dong area of Mapo-gu, Seoul, where the company presented its vision. Han Se-min, the Chair of the Board of Directors (COB), stated, "I will create a new paradigm for K-pop."
Titan Contents is a global K-pop startup established as the first and only company in K-pop history to have its headquarters in Los Angeles, the birthplace of popular music, in April 2023. It operates its headquarters HQ and a dedicated studio in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and has a Korean corporation and production studio in Seoul, establishing a global production marketing promotion system linking the two countries.
Titan Contents was founded by four leaders who have led the global K-pop industry: Han Se-min, the former representative of SM Entertainment; Kang Jung-ah, the CEO, who is a former casting director at SM Entertainment; Lia Kim, the Chief Performance Officer, who is a top K-pop choreographer and performer; and Lee Kyum, the Chief Visual Officer, who is a leading visual director in the industry.
On that day, Han Se-min shared his thoughts on Titan Contents' competitive edge, saying, "I left SM in 2020, and there was a pandemic until 2022. It felt like a dark age during that pandemic period. I went to LA at the end of 2022, and I was surprised to see that a group called ATEEZ was immensely popular in America. I apologize for not being well acquainted with ATEEZ. I thought to myself that the U.S. was ready to accept K-pop as a mainstream culture."
He continued, "In fact, until 2019 and 2020, there were only BLACKPINK and BTS, but I felt that 'now K-pop has become one of the main stream genres.' I thought that I wanted to create a company with a truly global infrastructure in the U.S."
Titan Contents aims to present a new paradigm for K-pop on the global stage, based on a differentiated planning system centered around artists and music, global creative capabilities, and top-notch global business infrastructure.
As he planned the establishment of Titan Contents, Han Se-min first thought of CEO Kang Jung-ah, with whom he had worked at SM Entertainment. Kang Jung-ah explained her reason for joining the company, saying, "I first entered the entertainment industry at SM Entertainment in the early 2000s. At that time, the Korean Wave and K-pop boom were taking place. I remember working together with Han Se-min on casting in China and heading into new territories. I experienced working on Girls' Generation and Dongbang. I later moved to another company and worked on The Boyz, but I felt the urgency of needing to develop an overseas network. When you made the proposal, I believed that if Han Se-min's overseas network and know-how met with my abilities, we could create a new entertainment and idol group."
Lia Kim, the founder of One Million, also joined as the Chief Performance Officer. Lia Kim revealed, "When I first received the proposal, Han Se-min looked really impressive. In fact, I had a connection with CEO Kang Jung-ah during my training at SM. I had also worked with him on The Boyz. There were many people I had experienced working with, and he spoke globally in a truly impressive way," adding, "'I want to create a group that surpasses BLACKPINK and BTS, and I am confident we can do that.' I wanted to be part of it because of this confidence and trust."
Regarding the ambition to create a group that surpasses BLACKPINK and BTS, Han Se-min stated, "I founded the company with a big goal and vision from the beginning. As we select, train, and produce AtHeart, I undoubtedly have confidence in it. Next week, when I see the music and visual content that we can hear and experience, and phenomenal performances, I can confidently say that we have created content capable of leading the next generation of the K-pop industry."
He also explained, "It is quite a challenging task to have a system that nurtures, produces, and debuts global K-pop artists more quickly. A company that has come together with founders and employees who have worked hard in their respective fields in the K-pop industry is striving to create a company that will change and lead the paradigm of the global K-pop industry. Still, since we are a startup and not a major company, we are working diligently every single day."
Han Se-min also mentioned future plans for Titan Contents following the debut of AtHeart. He stated, "We plan to create two girl groups, two boy groups, a global virtual idol, and one solo artist each from both genders by 2028, aiming to become the best in the global K-pop market."
Titan Contents' first girl group, AtHeart, is set to officially debut on the 13th. AtHeart consists of high school members with an average age of 16. The team name combines the meaning of 'heart,' which signifies 'mind, heart, love,' with 'At(@),' which represents the message being conveyed to everyone, embodying the aspiration to genuinely connect with every fan around the globe and to grow and create a new world together.
AtHeart is expected to operate based on the uniqueness and purity of K-pop idols while maintaining authenticity in their engagement with fans, music, and performances. They are anticipated to lead the new era of K-pop through bold and innovative attempts in both fashion and visual aspects.
Han Se-min stated regarding the first team, AtHeart, that "We conducted global auditions in over 40 cities worldwide from January to April 2024. At that time, I already thought of creating the first debuting girl group." He added, "Since it's a new girl group that must create a new ripple effect and change the paradigm in the market, I clearly thought that it would be great to have American members, a rising member from the Philippines in Southeast Asia, and a member from Japan, which is a significant market."
He explained the reason for launching the girl group first instead of a boy group by stating, "When we first discussed it, given the historical phase of the current girl groups and the K-pop scene, I thought launching a girl group first would allow for unique positioning. Overall, girl groups tend to take less time to develop than boy groups because finding and training boy groups usually takes longer on average."
He continued, "Of course, there have been failures as well, but we are dedicated to not forgetting the essence of K-pop while focusing on the musical, performance, and visual aspects. Especially since the essence is in music business, I believe creating new music is our top priority and most important. We have always aimed to create music that leads the times, rather than following anyone else's music."
Lia Kim, who trained artists like Lee Hyori, CL, and Girls' Generation, and choreographed for TWICE, ITZY, MAMAMOO, and Sunmi, also expressed confidence and anticipation for AtHeart. Lia Kim remarked on AtHeart's performance, saying, "I was genuinely amazed by Hyoyeon's incredible dance skills during our training with Girls' Generation. There's a member named Arin in AtHeart who possesses the skills to be a class instructor at One Million if she hadn't debuted as a singer. I can confidently say that she could deliver the best performances among contemporary girl group members."
Moreover, Lia Kim expressed her anticipation, stating, "Overall, while I can't say that everyone in AtHeart is a perfect performer, they each bring their own unique charm to the performances. I believe it's important to express music and the overall vibe and mood effectively, and I see AtHeart as a team with that kind of charm."
AtHeart, consisting of Michi, Arin, Seohyun, Nahyun, Caitlin, Bom, and Aurora, will debut with their first EP 'Plot Twist' on the 13th.
[Photo] Provided by Titan Contents.
[OSEN]