Man behind the Korean wave talks about the future of K-pop and what aspiring artistes can do

It's been much than 3 decades since Soo-man Lee founded SM Entertainment, 1 of South Korea's euphony agencies known for bringing K-pop to the world.

The amusement company, primitively founded arsenic SM Studio successful 1989, became 1 of the archetypal to kickstart the planetary Hallyu question — amended known arsenic the Korean wave.

But Lee's euphony was not ever based disconnected Korean popular music.

"I became a vocalist erstwhile I was 19. Although I was famous, I realized that the assemblage was truly quiescent erstwhile I sang due to the fact that I sang people songs," helium told CNBC's Chery Kang successful an interrogation for The CNBC Conversation.

Lee said that's erstwhile helium began to deliberation astir taking South Korea's popular euphony to the world.

"As I studied successful the U.S., I learned a batch and thought it would beryllium bully to beforehand Korean songs and singers overseas. That's the commencement [of SM Entertainment]."

Over the years, the 70-year-old developed a strategy helium calls "culture technology" — done which helium recruited and nurtured endowment successful a systematic mode of casting, training, producing, and management.

The strategy is down the opus accumulation of SM Entertainment's K-pop apical bands — specified arsenic Super Junior, Girls' Generation and Red Velvet. 

"There is simply a written 'culture technology' manual determination successful my office," helium said, explaining that it combines some civilization and exertion successful a "logically formulized" way.

"The manual volition let employees to larn and transportation 'know-how' retired of it. Because I'm an engineer, it is to beryllium understood by logic. It lays retired formulas," Lee said, sharing that helium has a Master's grade successful machine engineering.

"So, I tin accidental that I americium an technologist alternatively than an artiste."

Even arsenic SM Entertainment's euphony continues to spell global, Lee says it's important to continually innovate and enactment up of the contention successful the euphony industry.

"We request to beryllium astatine that satellite people level, and we are focusing connected what's missing and what benignant of distinctions we tin make" from different genres of music," helium told CNBC.

Lee works with producers and songwriters from the U.K. and U.S. connected accompaniments, way songs, footwear drum and bass, which helium adapts to South Korean and Asian culture.

As for the value of China's power successful the K-pop industry, Lee admits that wealth volition person a "powerful influence," but said helium remains assured creativity that comes from producing volition person "infinite value."

The contented of intelligence wellness is thing that remains a absorption for his company, Lee says.

"'Be humble, beryllium benignant and beryllium the love' is what we thatch our talents and radical successful SM … Things are a batch amended present and planetary absorption companies are trying to larn astir it."

Lee besides said his institution is "connecting them to counselors and doctors truthful that they tin get assistance anytime. We whitethorn not person the aforesaid economies of standard similar CNBC, but we learned these things are precise important."

As for the aboriginal of K-pop, "I deliberation the metaverse that everyone is talking astir these days is the future," Lee says.

SM Entertainment established a metaverse satellite called SM Culture Universe, and launched its first metaverse miss band, Aespa in 2020. The group is made up of 4 real-life members – Karina, Winter, Ning Ning, and Giselle – and their corresponding virtual counterparts.

"SM Entertainment is gathering 'Play-2-Create'… radical tin observe their originative broadside and make successful the metaverse. They volition realize, 'Oh, I tin create. I tin marque music. I tin make creation moves. I tin marque clothes. I tin benignant artists.'"

To recognize the conception of "Play-2-Create," the institution partnered with metaverse companies similar The Sandbox earlier this year.

Players tin make NFTs and games surrounding "K-content" successful SMTOWN LAND, a virtual onshore successful The Sandbox nether SM Entertainment. NFTs are non-fungible tokens which are unsocial integer assets, similar artwork and sports trading cards, that are stored utilizing blockchain technology.

Lee believes that immoderate state tin make thing arsenic palmy arsenic K-pop, but the metaverse volition beryllium key.

"You cannot make a genre by copying K-pop. Everyone volition presumption it arsenic K-pop. Now, you request to amusement it successful the metaverse."

"I deliberation we conscionable request to fto the fans go producers and consumers astatine the aforesaid time. Let them create… Young radical volition person the immense restitution of instauration and volition extremity up creating monolithic amounts of intelligence spot and content."

For those aspiring to go K-pop artists immoderate day, Lee has this portion of advice: "Self-assessment is precise important."

"Without looking astatine yourself successful the mirror, you person nary thought what you'd look similar erstwhile dancing, adjacent if you danced truly hard … It is erstwhile you tin spot and consciousness what you don't bash good that you learn."

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