Lee Soo-man, key producer and visionary leader of A2O Entertainment, surveyed the present and future of K-pop and exercised influence befitting a "cultural pioneer."
Lee Soo-man attended the Global Media Conference held at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 18th as a speaker and delivered a keynote speech titled "The birth of a culture operating system: K-pop, designing the next civilization."
In his speech that day, Lee Soo-man emphasized "Culture First, Economy Next" and said, "The power of culture was the driving force that made me run as a 'First Mover.'" He then reflected on his journey of founding SM Entertainment and dedicating the past 30 years as a producer to introducing K-pop to the world with numerous artists including H.O.T., S.E.S., BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, SuperM, and aespa.
Lee Soo-man, who named and developed the culture operating system as CT (Culture Technology), said, "CT continues to evolve as we pass on the entire management process — from casting and training to producing and marketing — to the next generation and revise it to fit the times."
Lee Soo-man also envisioned the future of the entertainment industry and proposed the concept of "Zalpha Pop," aimed at global music. He said, "Many artists such as BLACKPINK, BTS, TWICE, and IVE are active on the global stage, and now Korea is being called a 'country with Billboard No. 1s' and a 'cultural powerhouse.' As someone who has advocated 'Culture First, Economy Next,' I am pleased and moved that this trend has become a reality," adding, "Zalpha Pop is the music enjoyed by Generation Z and the alpha generation and the content these generations will center and lead," and explained, "The coming future with Zalpha Pop will be a world of AI and celebrities."
About A2O Entertainment, he said, "A2O Rookies, composed of Generation Z and the alpha generation, will continue to grow and share their journey of performing on the global stage with global fans."
At A2O Entertainment, fans currently create and share content directly through A2O ZONE and A2O CHANNEL, and together with 4DV Intelligence, the company developed a new filming and editing technology called "Infinite Studio," which won first place in new computer graphics at the SIGGRAPH conference held in Vancouver, Canada, on Aug. 14. Recently, they launched Blooming Talk, a chatbot that combines Human Talk and AI Talk to allow 24-hour one-on-one conversations with celebrities.
About Infinite Studio, Lee Soo-man said, "It is a new filming and editing technology that allows you to newly change camera work and freely express yourself even after a single shoot," and jokingly added, "Director Bong Joon-ho, who was present, said he used AI to create two Mikis in Mickey 17, but if you use our camera system you can make that very easily, within an hour," drawing laughter.
Pointing to the series of achievements resulting from advances in AI technology and the evolution of fandoms, Lee Soo-man predicted, "Prosumers will not only receive economic rewards but will reach the completion stage of becoming the owners of the platforms."
About the soon-to-open A2O School, he said, "It is a space that helps young people discover and express their talents in various fields. We aim to provide a foundation for them to grow into future prosumers and, ultimately, producers."
Having designed the next civilization of K-pop with new technologies, Lee Soo-man said, "Beyond people who make music, we can call those who read the currents of the times, combine technology and culture, plan content that can communicate with people around the world, and propose a new civilization 'producers.'"
He also mentioned representative producers who promote 'K,' including Park Jin-Young, Teddy, director Bong Joon-ho, director Megi Kang of K-pop Demon Hunters, and coach Park Hang-seo, and said, "There are talented composer-singers and producers like Lee Jae (EJAE). They worked with me, and everyone knows they were nurtured at SM." He added, "Korea must grow into a global hub that cultivates cultural designers around the world and can collaborate with them, where people can come to Korea to develop their producing capabilities, and thus Korea should become a country that produces the world's future producers."
A2O MAY entered the U.S. mainstream radio chart Mediabase Top 40 for five consecutive weeks, becoming the first group composed only of Chinese members and achieving the best record as Chinese female artists. Ahead of the October release of their first EP, PAPARAZZI ARRIVE, they began taking preorders, and the single released in August, B.B.B (Bigger Badder Better) [feat. A2O LTG], has been attracting attention in the global market, ranking No. 1 on QQ Music's new songs daily chart and No. 3 on the main Hot Song chart.
[Photo] Provided by A2O Entertainment.
[OSEN]