KPOP’s popularity and fast growth quite visible for everyone nowadays, with global sensations such as BLACKPINK or BTS, it would be naive to deny their status. BTS, for instance, has been a leading act for the Billboard lists in the USA, with hits such as “Dynamite” in 2020, “Butter” in 2021, and even managing to get a nomination for 2020 Grammy Awards.
In the case of Brittany Press, a publicist in the USA, states that KPOP is being ignored and frown at from the western media.
“Although more K-pop groups are coming to the U.S. for their promotions and some are scoring well-deserved award nominations at American music awards, it seems many people in the U.S. music industry still want K-pop to go away, believing it is just a fad,” Press, the publicity manager at Helix Publicity, said in a recent email interview with The Korea Times.
Helix, a publicist agency in New York is dedicated to promoting KPOP or any sort of Asian artists, advertising them to the worldwide market. Now, they are working on promoting MAMAMOO, AB6IX and LIGHTSUM.
“There are close-minded people who do not understand K-pop because it is in another language or because they have an outdated and, frankly, racist point of view about Asian artists. Many simply do not take it seriously and consider it as ‘real’ music,” she added.
Some professionals of the US media have been known to mock KPOP and Asian artists, in the case of Helix, they have been asked why they don’t work with any white or western artist.
“They often do not even listen or give any kind of consideration to the artists we are currently promoting,” Press said. “It is a true shame, but I hope this will gradually change as time passes and K-pop artists keep promoting their music worldwide.”
Hence, the goal for Press and Helix is to showcase the KPOP industry to the western market, alongside with other Asian artists from countries different than Korea.
“It has taken Asians far too long to be widely appreciated in the West despite their talents,” she pointed out. “In the past, when Korean singers came to the U.S., this was hardly covered in the media, with only their fans knowing about the news. Even when they made it into radio or TV shows, this had such a little impact that most people do not realize or remember that Girls’ Generation was on ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ and that Wonder Girls did a movie with channel Nickelodeon in 2012.”
As Press mentioned earlier, this have changed in a positive way, but there’s room for a better involvement.
“I would like to see more nominations outside of the specially created ‘K-pop’ category,” she noted. “I want to see more K-pop stars getting spins on the radio. To achieve these goals, I and Helix are working closely with Korean music labels to further promote K-pop singers and connect them to their global fans.”
However, all the people involved in Helix are KPOP enthusiasts, Press is not the exception to the rule. She joined Helix on 2021, she states that she’s been a fan of the KPOP scene since she was an adolescent.
“I love K-pop’s choreography, its elaborate stages and how passionate the artists are in every aspect of their work,” she said. “I also love the feeling that the music emits. In fact, I have been a fan of Kim Jae-joong and Kim Jun-su, the former members of K-pop act TVXQ, since 2003 and I hope I get a chance to team up with them in the future.”
At the moment, Helix is promoting a couple of big KPOP acts. When asked about novice or debuting acts that have been making a name for themselves in the international market, Press named Omega X, aespa, Kep1er, ENHYPEN, IVE, and Xdinary Heroes, who are really new to the industry.
“In the case of Omega X, which is one of our clients, its insanely catch songs and the members’ immense talents are gaining people’s attention,” she said. “And the group’s ‘second chance’ back-story is another factor leading people to root for it.”
