Producer Lee Yeon-kyu opened up about the criticism regarding JO1's appearance on 'KPOPPED,' saying it deviates from the intent of the program.
On the morning of the 29th, an online live-streamed video interview was conducted with Lee Yeon-kyu, the producer of the Apple TV+ music competition series 'KPOPPED'.
'KPOPPED', co-produced by CJ ENM and Apple TV+, is a music competition series in which top K-Pop artists team up with international pop stars to reinterpret each other's hit songs on stage. It garnered attention with the participation of Psy, who caused a global sensation with his hit song 'Gangnam Style', and Grammy Award-winning superstar Megan Thee Stallion, and features collaborations between K-Pop representative groups and international pop stars that create unprecedented performances.
The South Korean girl group ITZY and the legendary girl group Spice Girls, as well as artists from entirely different backgrounds and musical worlds such as KISS OF LIFE, Ava Max, ATEEZ, and J Balvin, will form teams to reinterpret each other's hit songs with bold performances. Classic hits that defined their eras, including Patti LaBelle's 'Lady Marmalade', Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby', Kylie Minogue's 'Can't Get You Out of My Head', and Boyz II Men's 'Motown Philly', along with current iconic tracks like Megan Thee Stallion's 'Savage' and Ava Max's 'Kings & Queens', will transcend generations through K-Pop, providing a unique musical experience. In each episode, a global star from the pop music world teams up with a K-Pop star to present stages that will rejuvenate beloved hits in entirely new ways.
In particular, among the cast is the K-Pop artist JO1, who is collaborating with international artists, but there has been criticism that this does not align with the program's intent.
JO1 is an 11-member boy group from Japan that debuted on March 4, 2020, formed through the audition program 'PRODUCE 101 JAPAN', which aired in 2019. They primarily operate in Japan and do not have any Korean members. Reactions have surfaced questioning why a Japanese group born from a program produced and invested by CJ would be featured on 'KPOPPED'. The stated mission of the show is that 'top K-Pop artists and international pop stars team up to reinterpret each other's hit songs', leading to doubts about whether JO1 can be regarded as a K-Pop group.
In response to the question, "I wonder about the criteria for selecting the cast and why JO1 was included," Producer Lee Yeon-kyu replied, "We thought about how to create synergy when collaborating with Western artists, and JO1 was created through the K-Pop system and a global system. They have achieved good results on world tours, so I wanted to show that collaboration with Western artists, which is why we invited them."
Even if it was made through the K-Pop system, JO1 is a Japanese group. There are concerns that this may confuse K-Pop with J-Pop.
In response, Producer Lee Yeon-kyu stated, "JO1 was thoroughly created through the K-Pop system. It is different from J-Pop. You will know by listening to the music; I think it has a strong K-Pop inclination," adding, "I hope you will watch the episode featuring JO1. Their energetic performances on stage and their collaboration with international pop stars are enjoyable. So I hope you take a look and judge for yourselves."
Meanwhile, 'KPOPPED' consists of a total of 8 episodes and was first released today (29th) on Apple TV+.
[Photo] Apple TV+, provided by LAPONE Entertainment
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