Tag: kpop

LE SSERAFIM Takes Its Daring Brand of K-Pop to the World as Our Latest RADAR Korea Group

June 7, 2023

From the very start, K-Pop girl group LE SSERAFIM made it known they would stand at the top. Consisting of members Sakura, Chaewon, Yunjin, Kazuha, and Eunchae, the group has garnered global attention with its unwavering spirit and infectious sound. This is even evident in its name—an anagram of the phrase “I’m fearless”—which serves as a mantra to represent the members’ self-confidence and unbreakable poise.

Now the LE SSERAFIM is taking the next step toward pop superstardom as RADAR Korea’s newest featured act.

RADAR, a global Spotify program, is dedicated to showcasing emerging and talented artists around the world through support and resources that help selected artists expand their global audiences. As part of the RADAR program, Spotify is providing promotional support to LE SSERAFIM through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and billboard placements. We also worked with the group on a RADAR mini-documentary, which you can watch in full below or catch some footage on the Clips featured in our RADAR Korea playlist.

LE SSERAFIM marked its arrival last year with its debut EP FEARLESS and quickly followed that up with a second EP, ANTIFRAGILE. Last month, exactly one year after its first release, the group released UNFORGIVEN, its debut studio album that further showcases the group’s determination to pave its own path. 

Since then, the group’s most-streamed songs globally include: 

“We deeply appreciate the opportunity to connect more closely with our fans around the world through Spotify’s RADAR program,” said Chaewon. “We look forward to continuing to challenge ourselves by sharing music and telling stories that are uniquely LE SSERAFIM.”

Since its launch in 2020, RADAR Korea has supported various emerging Korean artists—including AleXa, ASH ISLAND, NMIXX, SOLE, and Huh—and introduced them to Spotify listeners around the world.

Check out the hottest sounds from these artists and more with the RADAR Korea playlist.

Six Playlists To Get Your Dance on From South Korea’s 1MILLION Dance Studio

September 21, 2022

Based in Seoul, South Korea, 1MILLION Dance Studio originally started in a basement in 2014. It has since grown in both size and cultural significance, welcoming students from all over the world, establishing itself as one of South Korea’s most-prized dance agencies, and representing some of the top dancers and choreographers in Asia and around the globe. 

1MILLION’s dancers have collaborated with companies; choreographed routines for superstars; and appeared in numerous music videos, concerts, and television shows. Its frequently updated YouTube channel has over 25 million subscribers worldwide to date, and now the famed studio is ready to connect with fans on Spotify. 

To celebrate the launch of the official 1MILLION Dance Studio Spotify account, the world-renowned studio has created 1MILLION!—a special playlist consisting of fan-favorite tracks that have appeared in its videos. Tracks include “The Greatest” by Sia, “bloodline” by Ariana Grande, “SUNDOWN (ft. Justin Bieber)” by BEAM, and more.

But 1MILLION Dance wasn’t content to leave fans with just the one playlist. The studio also tapped five of its brightest stars—Yoojung Lee, Bale, Woonha, KOOJAEMO, and K-Chan—to create their own specially themed playlists to help fans get warmed up, cooled off, and in a relaxed state of mind.  

Curious which tracks these top dancers keep on repeat? Let’s find out.

Yoojung Lee 

Yoojung joined the ranks of the 1MDS elite in 2015. She became interested in dance at the age of 16 and went on to immerse herself in everything related, starting with commercial dance and moving on to other genres including street-dance fundamentals.  

With her Mystery Party playlist, Yoojung shares some of her favorite daily warm-up songs, which include tracks from Shawn Mendes, BIBI, and more. 

Bale 

Known for winning first place in Asia’s most prestigious dance competition, the Feedback Competition, Bale has been dancing since he first learned how to pop at the age of 15. He’s gone on to participate in countless competitions and dance battles and joined 1MDS in 2020. 

Before class or practice, Bale likes to listen to his playlist Relax, Warm-Up, which includes hits from Khalid, Daniel Caesar, and Jeff Bernat.

Woonha 

Known for her dark and gothic style of choreography, Woonha began dancing as part of her high school’s junior dance club. She later passed an audition and was invited to perform with 1MILLION Dance, which led to her officially becoming a choreographer at the academy in 2019. 

With selections from Mura Masa and FKA twigs, Woonha’s Low Wave playlist is equally suited for relaxing before or after dance class. 

KOOJAEMO 

Appearing in countless music videos including Solar’s “HONEY,” NCT U’s “Maniac,” AleXa’s “Xtra,” and “Blue Moon” by kyungri, KOOJAEMO is one of the rising street dancers in South Korea. 

Before a 1MILLION Dance class, you need to get pumped. And KOOJAEMO’s playlist All That Hip does just that, with cuts by Ari Lennox, UMI, and Sam Smith.

K-Chan 

While having famously appeared in SUNYE’s “Just a Dancer” music video, K-Chan is a rookie in the dance scene. He notably choreographed for K-Pop artist Hong Eunki and former BESTie member Jung Yu Ji on the hit competition show Sing Again 2 and appeared in Korea Tourism’s famous “Feel the Rhythm of Korea: SEOUL” ad, which has garnered over 48 million views to date.

Get your groove on with Burna Boy, Omah Lay, and more with K-Chan’s Feel Groovy playlist. 

1MILLION aims to break the barrier between dance professionals and enthusiasts to create a dance culture that is accessible to all. And now that it’s officially on Spotify, fans will have a chance to stay up with all the tracks that inspire their favorite dancers.

Want to keep the dance party going? Turn ON the movement with Spotify’s K-Pop On! playlist!

K-Pop Girl Group NMIXX Brings the Buzz as Spotify’s New RADAR Korea Artist

March 3, 2022

Two years ago, Spotify announced the launch of RADAR, a new emerging-artist program aimed at spotlighting rising talent from around the globe. From Sweden and the United States to France and India, the artists on Spotify’s RADAR have gone from being nascent figures in the industry to stealing the hearts of fans around the world. Now, following NMIXX’s successful first year in South Korea, home to K-Pop, Spotify has selected the girl group as its first RADAR Korea artist of 2022. 

NMIXX (pronounced “n mix”) came onto the scene last year as part of JYP Entertainment’s latest global K-Pop project. The group comprises seven members—LILY, HAEWON, SULLYOON, JINNI, BAE, JIWOO, and KYUJIN—and together, they embody the meaning of NMIXX. 

“Our name, NMIXX, combines the letter ‘N’—for now, new, next, or an unknown variable—and ‘mix,’ which symbolizes harmony and diversity. It’s about being the ideal mix for the new world,” NMIXX told For the Record. “We think the best substitutes of the letter ‘N’ for us are the words ‘now’ and ‘need.’ We chose the word now because we, NMIXX, are just getting started! And we chose the word need in the hope that more people will want and need us in the future.”

The group’s debut EP, AD MARE (which means “to the sea” in Latin), was released in early February. Along with the EP’s four tracks, NMIXX shared audio liners in which they greet Spotify listeners and express their excitement—in multiple languages, no less—about their new music. 

To celebrate NMIXX’s selection as Spotify’s first RADAR Korea artist of the year, For the Record asked the group to share their thoughts and experiences as they take on K-Pop’s global music scene. 

What was your reaction when you heard that you were selected for RADAR?

Spotify RADAR is a project that reaches many people from all over the world, and when we heard that we had the honor of being selected, we were moved and delighted! We are excited for the opportunity to connect with such a diverse audience.

What do you hope to take out of the RADAR experience?

It’s a real pleasure and honor to be able to get closer to more fans with our music through RADAR. We are looking forward to being featured on Spotify Singles with music that is unique to us, and we dream about one day being featured on the billboards in New York’s Times Square. We would also love to collaborate with other artists from around the world who work in different genres, like the project between AleXa and Bader AlShuaibi.

As a new K-Pop group, what do you want prospective fans to know about you?

We want people to know that we are an all-around group whose music features everything from rap to vocals to dance. Our goal is to make MIXX POP a worldwide phenomenon. It’s our own genre that brings multiple genres into one, and we want everyone to know its magic so they can really get into our music.

What messages do you want people to take from your music?

Our title track, “O.O,” symbolizes our eyes being wide open after peeking into the unknown. And our worldview became bigger with our discovery, so we would like you to join us in this incredible journey by listening to this song. “TANK” is about the tank-like confidence that burst from us when we were finally unveiled. We hope that those who listen to our music will take away the same powerful energy that’s been propelling us as we introduce the new genre of MIXX POP.

Why was it important for you to incorporate multiple languages into your audio liners?

We wanted to reach our fans around the world, and we thought the language was an important way to show more people who NMIXX is. That’s why we’ve been putting a lot of effort into learning different languages and sharing audio messages on Spotify both in English and Spanish, and we’re so thrilled by all the compliments we received!

Which artists have most influenced your music?

LILY: Taylor Swift has always been a role model for me, and I love and respect her dearly. I look up to her songwriting skills so much. She is also a strong and smart business woman who has done so well in this industry, and I hope I can navigate it with as much grace and wit as her.

HAEWON: For me, it’s The Weeknd and Imagine Dragons. The Weeknd is the artist that opened my eyes to R&B, and Imagine Dragons got me into pop. I first heard the song “Demons” when I was in elementary school, and although I didn’t understand the lyrics in English, the song touched me deeply.

SULLYOON: I listen and sing to Anne-Marie’s music a lot. It was her albums that made me love music even more.

JINNI: Beyoncé for me. I was blown away by how professional she was on stage. Just one line of her song, and she had the whole crowd wrapped around her finger. She has an incredible stage presence and energy, and I always try to learn from her.

BAE: Ariana Grande’s music has always comforted me and made me feel better. I have been listening to her songs since I was young, and the songs still remind me of the seasons, situations, scents, or emotions I experienced when I first listened to them. She’s the role model who started my dream of becoming a singer. I still listen to her music and see my own image in her songs.

JIWOO: I’d say Billie Eilish. She always has this confidence when she sings, and she delivers all the emotion and depth in each song to her fans, which really touched me. I learned a lot by watching her perform.

KYUJIN: I get a lot of my musical influence from TAEYEON! I absolutely love her unique stage presence, her voice, and her emotional depth. Her music has allowed me to feel and experience so much. It’s because of her that I first dreamed of becoming an artist.

As you look to the future, what are your goals as a group?

We want NMIXX to be a group that brings smiles and happy energy to our fans every time we go on stage. We want to become the kind of artists who are loved by many for a long time to come. And we always want to keep growing and improving. We want to follow the footsteps of the Korean groups that have come before us and become the kinds of artists who continue spreading K-Pop love worldwide.

Spotify Celebrates K-Pop With a Relaunch of Its Flagship Playlist, Now Called ‘K-Pop ON! (온)’

March 2, 2022

It’s been one year since Spotify debuted in South Korea and almost eight years since the launch of our flagship playlist, K-Pop Daebak. Since its unveiling in 2014, the playlist has racked up billions of streams for Korean artists and has expanded their reach around the world. As K-Pop continues to dominate the charts, Spotify is building on this momentum with a complete relaunch of its K-Pop Daebak playlist, now called K-Pop ON! (온). 

K-Pop is more than a music genre—it’s a cultural hub for fandoms, superstars, fashion moments, and more. With K-Pop ON! (온), Spotify is creating a destination that gives fans and artists even stronger ways to connect with each other. That’s the reason for the new playlist name and the addition of the Korean word “온,” which means “100” or “whole.” When combined with the English word “on,” the playlist’s name embodies the idea that K-Pop is always on 100 for the whole world. And that couldn’t be more true; every day, K-Pop brings new songs, styles, and trends to the world. With K-Pop On! (온), fans aren’t just tuning in to a playlist, they’re immersing themselves in a worldwide phenomenon. 

Since 2018, K-Pop streams on Spotify have increased by 107% in the United States and 230% globally, resulting in almost 8 billion streams per month around the world. The love of the genre is truly global, with the U.S., Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Malaysia, Canada, Singapore, and the U.K. rounding out the list of the top countries that stream K-Pop. The music has taken over the Spotify platform. In fact, in the last 90 days, there have been over 4.7 million searches for the term “K-Pop” on Spotify. 

These searches include a wide array of artists and songs, ranging from big hits by top stars to deep cuts from emerging artists. Since the playlist’s original launch in 2014, BLACKPINK and BTS have been the most-streamed artists, while the most-streamed songs have been “DDU-DU DDU-DU” by BLACKPINK, “FANCY” by TWICE, “DALLA DALLA” by ITZY, “Kill This Love” by BLACKPINK, and “SOLO” by JENNIE (from BLACKPINK). 

 

 

Spotify couldn’t launch K-Pop ON! (온) without help from a few fan-favorite artists, so it’s rolling out star-studded billboards around the world to celebrate. Fans will find larger-than-life images of NMIXX in LA; BTS, aespa, and NMIXX in NYC; ATEEZ, Red Velvet, NCT DREAM, and more in South Korea; aespa, SEVENTEEN, BLACKPINK, and more in Indonesia; BTS, NMIXX, and IVE in Japan; and BTS, TWICE, and ENHYPEN in Toronto—with more exciting content to come, across the platform and on Spotify’s own channels. 

Want to join the millions of fans around the world singing and dancing along to K-Pop? Stream our newly minted K-Pop On! (온) playlist here.

EQUAL Artist of the Month STAYC Encourages Women Artists To Express Themselves

October 29, 2021

Spotify’s EQUAL Global Artist of Month, STAYC, chose their name very carefully. The six-person K-pop group’s moniker is actually an acronym for Star To A Young Culture, a phrase that reflects their goal of dominating pop culture. And so far, they’re well on their way!

With almost 2.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the group is quickly gaining global attention with catchy fan-favorite songs like “STEREOTYPE” and “ASAP.” STAYC’s work has also earned the group accolades, including a nomination for Rookie of the Year at Korea’s 2021 Seoul Music Awards.

Together, STAYC band members Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J create an upbeat sound they describe as “teenfresh,” a term the group has coined to represent their unique blend of youthful, fresh tunes. They explain, “We want to deliver new messages while also delivering a sense of comfort and empathy to listeners, regardless of gender and age.”

The rising stars are the first group from Korea and the first K-pop artist to be on the cover of Spotify’s EQUAL Global playlist. They’re also advocates for women artists, calling for continued diversity and opportunity within the industry. For the Record spoke with the EQUAL artist to fill in the blanks and learn more about their creative process and the women creators they admire.

Celebrating 7 Years of Spotify’s Flagship K-pop Playlist, K-Pop Daebak

September 12, 2021

On September 12, 2014, Spotify unveiled K-Pop Daebak, a first-of-its-kind playlist that became home to the K-pop genre on Spotify. Since then, it’s racked up nearly 5.3 billion minutes of streaming and 1.7 billion accumulated stream counts, and introduced approximately 70,000 tracks worldwide. Today, seven years later, it has over 3.1 million followers on Spotify, making it one of the most important global hubs of the genre and connecting the genre with a global audience. 

In honor of the impactful playlist’s seventh anniversary, we’re sharing the streaming data with K-pop fans. Check it out:

Over the past seven years, the playlist has been streamed for nearly 5.3 billion minutes—that’s over 88 million hours. And translated into years? Ten thousand years of K-Pop Daebak listening. 

In that time, we’ve found that the age group that streams K-Pop Daebak the most are Gen Z, with over half of the streams coming from 18- to 24-year-olds (51%), followed by 25- to 29-year-olds (20%), and those ages 17 or under (13%). And the top 10 countries that have listened to the flagship playlist the most? The United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Brazil, and Australia.

“Spotify is dedicated to connecting Korean artists and their work to listeners all over the world, so that music can be discovered and enjoyed far and wide across borders,” says Kossy Ng, Head of Music, Asia, Spotify. “This has [been], and will continue to be, our mission in Korea for the long term and we are honored to serve as a bridge that connects K-pop and Korean artists to the world.” 

Since launching its service in Korea back in February, Spotify has also accelerated its support for Korean labels and artists by providing Masterclasses of our Spotify for Artists platform featuring various cutting-edge tools and data to empower them to connect with a larger global audience.

But K-pop doesn’t start—or stop—with this one playlist. In addition to K-Pop Daebak, Spotify offers a wide range of playlists and music from Korean artists through our global K-pop hub. Playlists range from RADAR Korea and Fresh Finds Korea—dedicated to helping listeners discover rising Korean artists—to R&B and hip-hop-focused TrenChill K-R&B and K-Hip Hop +82, indie music-focused In The K-Indie, and countless more. The hub also has multiple playlists filled with tracks from Korea that are ever evolving, organized by various themes, moods, and moments so you can dive into K-pop nonstop.

Celebrate K-Pop Daebak’s 7th anniversary by streaming the playlist below.

RADAR Unites K-pop Star AleXa and Arab Hitmaker Bader AlShuaibi to Create “Is It On”

May 25, 2021

K-pop, which has transformed from a burgeoning genre to a full-fledged musical phenomenon, has held onto its border-crossing world domination for some time now. And yet there are always new fans turning to the genre from around the world. One such place where K-pop found a particular popularity is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): From January 2020 to January 2021, the genre saw a 140% increase in Spotify streaming from users in the region. 

So with K-pop’s prominence as a dominant genre in the MENA region, our Spotify RADAR team saw a unique opportunity to bring an artist from each market together to participate in a cross-border collaboration. The result? Spotify’s first RADAR KOREA artist AleXa and RADAR MENA’s Kuwaiti-Saudi-based creator Bader AlShuaibi’s new single “Is It On.”

“Is It On” is a K-pop-style track with high energy based on a distinctive reggaeton rhythm, a fresh melody line, a catchy lead sound, and a drop. Over the past year, Spotify oversaw a virtual collaboration between AleXa and Bader that will ultimately give both artists global exposure and help them expand their audiences to over 178 markets. Of particular interest are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, and Qatar, which are currently the top five MENA countries streaming K-pop music.

“K-pop is a phenomenon that has blown up across the world, and as MENA is a crossroads of culture and trade routes from East to West since antiquity, it only makes sense that K-Pop makes a stop over in MENA,” says Spotify’s Wissam Khodur, Artist and Label Partnerships, MENA. “K-pop already has a healthy share of streams per capita in the region, but making the region’s first collaboration between both cultures and genres (K-pop and Khaleeji Pop) will help grow the appreciation for K-pop for sure and bring the artists closer to their fans.” 

RADAR was designed to help emerging artists around the world reach the next stage in their careers and strengthen their connection to listeners. Spotify provides RADAR artists with resources and access to integral marketing opportunities to help them boost their careers, in addition to expanded reach and exposure. When it came to this collaborative song, Spotify was available to support every step of the way.

“From a wide range of marketing support, including a billboard placement in New York Times Square to local and cross-regional playlisting, we’ve been excited for this RADAR collaboration featuring a K-pop artist for the first time in Spotify’s history,” explains Spotify’s Wootae Kim, Artist and Label Partnership, Asia. “We are confident to introduce both AleXa and Bader to each other’s market and globally in the most Spotify way, while continuing to connect K-pop with the world in creative ways.”

To celebrate the launch of the song, we asked each RADAR artist to reflect on the collaboration and what it meant for them as creators. Read what they had to say below. 

Bader AlShuaibi

You’re known for your pop hits. What elements were different in creating a K-pop song? 

Music is music, so the same passion was injected into this project, but the new element I felt during this song was that the tempo of the music was different than what we are used to in the MENA area. It was a fun, new, awesome experience.

What elements of your own creativity and style did you infuse in “Is It On”?

Trying something new in every production. In this one in particular I sang with a fast flow, I almost rapped. Something I’ve always wanted to try and I did.

How can music bring people together across borders? 

Music is a very passionate way of communication. The expansion of Spotify around the globe made it easier to understand what’s going on in every part of this planet. We can understand each other better with music.

AleXa

You became the first RADAR KOREA artist back in August 2020. What has your experience been like since then?

It is a huge honor and I still feel grateful for all the opportunities Spotify has provided. RADAR enabled me and my team to share our music and work of art to fans all over the world. I also got to meet new fans thanks to Spotify. I’m so grateful to everyone behind the scenes that helped make this possible! 

Why should your fans be excited for this collaboration? 

I really believe that this is a never-heard-before kind of project! It has lyrics in Korean, Arabic, and English. And the melody exudes a unique energy based on a distinctive reggaetón rhythm and catchy lead sound. Every element in the track is so distinctive and culturally outstanding on its own, yet they are all beautifully intertwined with each other. It’s a harmony of different cultures. 

I still remember during the recording session, everyone was so pumped up and excited, dancing and jumping to it. I really hope our fans and everyone who gets to hear this project can feel the same energy! 

What are you looking forward to in the future coming out of this collaboration?

I’m currently preparing for my comeback in mid-June, which is very soon! I hope that my lovely and beautiful A.I. Troopers (fan base) enjoy “Is It On,” and hopefully our song reaches new fans globally. I’m also hoping that through this project, more people get to understand that music is borderless and that music itself is communication when listeners can feel the beat!

Want more RADAR? Stream the global RADAR playlist below.

Spotify Set to Launch in South Korea in the First Half of 2021

December 17, 2020

Since Spotify debuted our first K-Pop playlist in 2014, listeners have streamed more than 180 billion minutes of the genre and added K-Pop tracks to more than 120 million playlists. In the last six years, the share of K-Pop listening on Spotify has even increased by more than 2,000%—that’s a lot of excitement for all things K-Pop. So soon, we will be saying “Annyeong haseyo,” or “hello,” to the home of the genre as Spotify launches in South Korea in the first half of 2021. 

Launching in South Korea will give Korean listeners access to over 60 million tracks and over 4 billion playlists, as well as enable Korean artists to reach their local music fans and Spotify’s 320 million listeners worldwide. It will also connect listeners in Korea to artists and music from around the world.

“We are excited about our upcoming launch in South Korea, a market recognized as an epicenter for music, culture and tech innovation,” says Alex Norström, Chief Freemium Business Officer of Spotify. “Spotify has been a partner to the Korean music industry for many years now. We are proud to have been a part of the K-pop global story, showcasing the genre on our platform and enabling its discovery all over the world, from Asia to the US, South America, Europe and the Middle East. We’re looking forward to working with our valued local partners to uncover more Korean artists, and to connect them with fans in South Korea and all over the world.”

As one of the fastest-growing major music markets in the world* and the sixth-largest music market globally,** South Korea is key for Spotify in our mission of giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it. Spotify wants to help accelerate the growth of Korea’s entire music streaming ecosystem, benefitting artists, labels, distributors and fans.

Today, our K-pop genre hub encompasses a wide range of Korean music, including K-pop, hip-hop, indie, OST, R&B and more, as well as “RADAR Korea,” a playlist uncovering fresh K-music finds as a part of Spotify’s global emerging artist program. The hub is localized in over 64 countries, including Russia, India, Brazil and the UAE.

Tune into K-Pop Daebak for some of the hottest K-Pop hits and look out for more information on the launch in the first half of 2021.

* According to IFPI 

** According to IFPI

This Week on the ‘Spotify: For the Record’ Podcast, Meet BTS

September 17, 2020

There’s no stopping BTS. The K-Pop band recently released their first all-English single, “Dynamite,” which set a new record on Spotify: 12.6 million streams in the first 24 hours. But long before this upbeat track was released, the group was racking up billions of streams from listeners all around the world.

In this week’s episode of our Spotify: For the Record podcast, the seven-member band joined us to talk about their creative process, how they’re staying positive during these challenging times, and—of course—their new hit. To fully understand the extent of BTS’s global impact on music and culture, Kat Moon, TIME Magazine journalist and K-Pop aficionado, detailed the band’s rise to fame and their deep connection with fans. Speaking of fans, the episode wouldn’t be complete without talking to members of BTS’s dedicated fan base, known simply as ARMY. 

Go behind the scenes with BTS on Spotify: For the Record: “BTS: The Band, The Brand & The ARMY.”

This Week on the ‘Spotify: For the Record’ Podcast, How K-Pop Became a Global Phenomenon

September 11, 2020

Since Spotify debuted our first K-Pop playlist in 2014, listeners have streamed more than 180 billion minutes of the genre and added K-Pop tracks to more than 120 million Spotify playlists. The share of K-Pop listening has increased by more than 2,000% in the last six years—meaning it’s growing really quickly compared to other musical genres. All this to say: K-Pop is huge on Spotify around the world.

That’s why we’re devoting this week’s episode of our new podcast Spotify: For the Record to K-Pop—and talking to some of the biggest fans and names in the business about where the genre has been and where it’s headed.

Tune in to hear from Kossy Ng, Spotify’s Head of Artist Label Partnerships in Southeast Asia, and consider the genre’s domestic origins (prior to world domination). Then, explore K-Pop’s global impact with Babi Dewet and Érica Imenes, a pair of Brazilian K-Pop fans who have founded K-Pop-themed groups, written books, and even created a K-Pop-themed podcast, Kpapo.

Keep listening to get to know Wonho Chung, a Korean actor, singer, and comedian who was born in Saudi Arabia, educated in Jordan, lives in the UAE, and witnessed the rise of K-Pop in the Middle East firsthand. Finally, bring it home with one of the top 10 most-streamed K-Pop artists of all time, Stray Kids, who share how the genre transcends the barriers of language . . . and impersonate a mosquito.

Dive into K-Pop on Spotify: For the Record: “From Seoul to São Paulo: The Global Rise of K-Pop.”