Notes on K-pop Interview: Kevin Woo

If you were a K-pop fan back in the mid 2010s, I bet you remember Kevin Woo in one of two contexts: he was a co-host of Arirang's English-language K-pop show After School Club, or you were trying to figure out if he was still part of U-KISS amid numerous lineup changes and their extremely good singles. You might, like me, still sometimes find yourself wondering what the hell they were singing about when "0330" featured the iconic line, "you are my r squared pi".

You also might find yourself, an old-school K-pop fan, watching K-Pop Demon Hunters and going, "Oh hey, isn't that Kevin?" Kevin Woo, and U-KISS, were emblematic of the latter half of K-pop's second generation, and his distinct voice drove their sound for many years, and now

For the past few years, he's been pursuing his solo career stateside, and has frequently released his own music while working to break into Hollywood. He most recently, and prominently, appeared as Mystery Saja in K-Pop Demon Hunters, and is featured on "Soda Pop", which is now climbing up charts around the world, following just behind the No.1 song of summer, "Golden". There's also a lot of Mystery Saja art out there, some NSFW, as fans fall for the, well, most mysterious demon.

But Woo has also dabbled not only in voice acting demonic boy band members, but also appeared in KPOP The Musical on Broadway, is featured in Anderson .Paak's film K-Pops!, and stars in the Margaret Cho-produced short film Seoul Switch. His last single, "Deja Vu", came out in March, just ahead of KPDH and its seismic impact.

Shortly after the film's release, Woo got on a Zoom call with me to chat about the film, his career, and K-pop. He took the call in his car while charging his EV, and I took it from the airport praying that I didn't have a flight delay. Please enjoy the conversation that ensued.

Tamar Herman: Hey! How are you doing?

Kevin Woo: Good. How's it going Tamar?

Good, it's been a while. How's everything?

Good, you know. It's been quite the past few weeks, but trying to take it all in one milestone at a time. There's just been a lot of you know, hype around this and a lot of interviews. And you know, interest left and right, even from Korea, too. So yeah, I've been chatting with a lot of people, and I'm more than happy to chat with you.

I think the last time we met was at KCON, right? It wasn't when we did a panel together in 2019, right? It couldn't have been that long!

It might have been last year? In front of my green room.

Oh yes! Oh, my gosh! I'm missing it this year, sadly. Are you going?

So funny thing, this year they didn't reach out. I feel like now KCON is so big. And and don't need to actually have like these panels to sell tickets.

Yea, it's sad but there aren't like panels like we used to have.

I heard they tried to make a K-Pop Demon Hunters official panel at KCON, but I think Netflix turned it down because there wasn't enough time, and they were planning their own thing. I think it was an opportunity loss, because KCON would have been a great place to have a panel. But I'm doing my own little pop up fan meet [SDCC] weekend in DTLA.

Are you LA based now? Weren't you in New York?

Oh, I was for the Broadway show, [KPOP The Musical]. But then I moved back last year. LA has been great for me, cause you know Cali is my home state, and New York was just very intense for me.

Oh, I'm so sorry! [T/N: I am born and bred New Yorker.]

No, it's okay. It's not you. It's just the energy of the city was quite overwhelming sometimes. And I need my sunny Cali weather and ample parking space.

Well, even if we're not in the same city anymore I wanted to reach out anyway, and I kept on waiting for an opportunity after KPOP on Broadway. I figured that K-Pop Demon Hunters would be a great opp, and I'd reach out after its release to have some context and then... Well, it exploded. So thanks so much for making time amid it it all, and let's start at the beginning: How did you get attached to KPDH?

This was kind of a long time coming. So for my role of being the singing voice of Mystery Saja, I was reached out to directly by Sony. So Ian Eisendrath, the music producer of this film, is very close to my music producer on the Kpop Broadway show, Helen Park, and when he was looking for voices to sing for the Saja Boys she strongly recommended me. So Ian and his team at Sony reached out, and they were like, 'Hey, there's this movie called K-Pop Demon Hunters.' And, by the way, I already knew about this, but we'll get to that after this story... But basically, Ian said, 'We need to record two songs of this demon boy band group in this movie. Would you be interested?' And I was like, 'Heck, yeah.'

First of all, I'm a K-pop idol, and also who doesn't like a demon boy band? So I immediately agreed, and they flew me over to New York. I think it was April of last year. Yeah, not too long ago. I recorded "Soda Pop" and "Your Idol" with Ian and [producer and singing voice of KPDH protagonist Rumi] EJAE, and a few other people in the room.

Prior to me going to New York, they sent over the tracks, and they were like, 'Kevin, we already know you're a phenomenal singer, and you have all your experience in K-pop. But we do want to hear your voice on 'Soda Pop' so like, can you sing like an acapella to this verse?' So I quickly recorded on my phone, and I sent it to Ian. And he was like, 'Yep, that's the voice we're looking for.' And then the rest of the experience was just such a such a thrill.

I was hoping you were saying that they actually used your phone recording, because that would just be iconic.

No oh, no way, no way.

You said that you heard of it before they reached out?

Yes, so... Years prior to Sony and Ian reaching out to me for the Saja Boys recording, I already knew about this project through the the grapevine. Anything K-pop-related in Hollywood spreads like wildfire. So me being in Hollywood and in the industry, I immediately wanted to be a part of it. There was an opportunity to audition for the role of [lead Saja Boy] Jinu. This is, I think, in 2021, 2022. I don't remember. It's quite vague, the memory.

But yeah, this is like a few years back, and I was sent an audition from my from my manager to be like, 'Hey, this is this K-pop animated film.' I didn't know it was Netflix or Sony at that time. They just said it was an animated film about demons, a fantasy story. And that got me intrigued. And then there were lines in English and Korean. So I was like, 'Okay, this is something that like is right up my alley.'

The one scene that I auditioned was that first encounter of Rumi and Jinu on top of the buildings, and where she was kind of slashed his throat off or head off? That was a scene I remember very vividly. So when I watched that scene in the film I was like, I know every line of this because I auditioned for that.

They probably were familiar about me when I first auditioned. Maybe that could have led to this opportunity. But I kind of forgot about it after a couple of years, because I didn't hear a call back. So I was like, 'Okay, you know, moving on, as we do in this industry.' But then it was really fascinating, because when I heard K-Pop Demon Hunters again after like 2, 3 years. I was very, very happy to hear back even though it wasn't the voice for Jinu.

It was something [special] to be a part of this film that I deeply resonated with. First of its kind, and something that really bridged my two worlds. I was just extremely ecstatic to just be a part of it.

That sounds so fascinating, and also kind of matches my experience, of hearing about it, then moving on and it returning in a big way. They announced it on Twitter back in 2021, when it was still Twitter, and then things went silence for a long time. So it was in the early stages when it was announced. I would occasionally wonder what's going to happen with it. And, honestly, this is going to sound terrible, but I hoped they would change the title. I thought it was so campy that they would have to change it before release. But they didn't!

This film is the first of its kind s o I think it's great to put "K-pop" in the title, and then it's very just like... demon hunters! It's targeting a certain audience. So I think, hey, it worked out for the better.

Yea, I honestly really loved it. It works so well ultimately. I'm a big, fantasy fan, so I was really into it. How do you feel about it now getting to see both the role you had originally auditioned for, Jinu, who was voiced by Ahn Hyo-seop and Andrew Choi for singing, and getting to partake as Mystery Saja?

Like I said, just being a part of this film in any way, shape or form, I just feel super, super blessed. I feel very privileged to have this spot where I could really represent K-pop and Korean culture on just another level. You know my whole career I've been advocating for K-pop as a Korean American. You know my journey. But this feels different. It feels like another wave has begun because it's reaching newer audiences. And you know, I feel you know, it's a really, really cool opportunity for me because I was the only idol who participated in this as a character. TWICE did the soundtrack, but as far as like the the world of K-Pop Demon Hunters and the fictional characters among the voice actors and the singing actors, I am the only K-pop idol.

Indeed you are.

So yeah, it's really amazing to have that title and and to bring the authenticity to this film. I heard a lot of fans and comments on like Reddit and Twitter, and all that saying like, they're really glad that Netflix and Sony did have someone like me be a part of this film because it just feels more connected to the actual world of K-pop, and how I was able to deliver the essence, the core essence of this genre. So I was like, 'Oh, hey! At least someone recognized this.'

I think definitely a lot of people do. But also I was curious about how you feel about coming at K-pop not just from the K-pop side of things, but from the Korean American spin of things, which definitely impacts the film.

That's a great bonus, you know, just to have Korean culture and K-pop in the forefront of a film like this is amazing and so surreal. But to know that this was made from not, you know, a Korean studio or Korean director. Yes, Maggie Kang is Korean, but she was, you know, born in Canada. [T/N: Kang grew up in Canada but was reportedly born in South Korea. She's Korean, Canadian, and I definitely resonate with her and her life story being Korean American and having two identities and being kind of torn. Who am I, at the core?. And that was her struggle, and it's the same, for every other Korean who has grown up in a foreign country outside of Korea, with a dual cultural background.

So for me to see someone like Maggie Kang to be the forefront of this film. I was like, yes, someone like me who really understands the struggle, and is really just so passionate. She said this was a whole labor of love. This is her love letter to her culture, her heritage, our heritage. So yeah, it was really cool to see that, and from her lens.

I love that. And the identity of everyone, the characters and the creators, were definitely something I was thinking about while I was watching. And something kind of random that I realized when I heard you was, wait, how many K-pop groups has Kevin technically been in now?

Xing. U-KISS, Fate from KPOP the musical, Saja Boys... And if you count all the U-KISS unit groups then I can't count.

You're someone who has switched identities and boy bands throughout your career. So how does it feel to kind of be taking on another one that's charting amazingly. But at the same time, it's like the one you've put the least amount of effort into if you don't mind me saying so?

Honestly, in terms of effort or time, yes, I spent my whole life in U-KISS. On Broadway, I spent years working on the craft for that. But you know, working on this film for 2 days, just recording "Soda Pop" and "Your Idol" but seeing the most, I guess, recognition for it... I haven't really thought of it at that angle.

Everything I do and choose to do in my career comes from passion. So I never really think about how much time or energy I spend on each project. I feel like how much heart has gone into it, and everything I've done has equal amount of heart.

Oh, I love that! That is such a good way to think of things, and I guess not the way I think of things.

But also, yeah. Like you mentioned, I was doing a lot of different groups and different projects, and for me, for someone who has been in this career for so long, I think it's almost been... It's gonna hit 20 [years] soon, and I don't want to expose my age [laughs]. But anyways, I feel like I always have to think of ways to reinvent myself.

Because you know, my generation of second generation of K-pop, we have our fans who loved us throughout our years, and and they've grown with us, and those fans still exist till this day, and I'm forever grateful for them. But you always have to find ways to reach newer audiences, and find moments to kind of, again, reinvent yourself. And I feel like this was a perfect example of that. My face isn't the forefront of this one. But we're in an age of digital media, anything can happen. So for me to kind of be recognized as Mystery Saja, I don't mind.

You know, some people are like, 'Hey, your name isn't there? And they won't recognize you on the streets.' But I really don't mind, because now there's a new title attached to my name, and I could be like, 'Hey, I'm Kevin Woo, Mystery Saja of The Saja Boys.' Then that's a whole other audience that I'm reaching. It's like kids who have never heard of K-pop, kids who are now just getting familiar with this genre. So I'm just really happy that I could do that in my career.

This is a film that a younger version of myself would only have dreamt of. I never saw any representation in the media. We only had Mulan, I guess, in like an animated film. But to see something like this that mirrors my life is just so, so surreal. Watching this film, it was almost too close to comfort for comfort. Because everything these idols were going through, whether it was fighting their own demons, insecurities, or facing the fans, but also facing, like your own troubles and issues... Fighting fame and all that, and anxiety and pressure... I was just like, 'Wow, they like really went there.' So whether it was Rumi, or Jinu or any of the member of both Huntr/x and Saja Boys, just seeing the idol perspective in a film being amplified like that was such an out of body experience.

Right before jumping on this call, I actually had just seen art by someone who took Mulan and Mulan 2 characters and remade them with the Huntr/x and Saja Boys characters, and I thought that was really impactful.

Oh!

Right? I thought it was like, our generation reinterpreting representation? Obviously not my representation personally, not being Asian, but just, you know, us kids who grew up with a certain era of Disney and its very limited animated stories. The next generation won't hopefully have to fight as hard for representation. They already have it so. I don't know what the next generation will look like.

I hope more are represented. It's just normalized. It's not representation. It's just media.

Did you feel like any particular connection with Zoey? She's also Korean American, and went to Korea specifically for become a K-pop star.

Yes, if you say it like that. But in the film we didn't really get to see their backstories they did mention that she's from Burbank, but like everyone spoke English, all the Saja Boys spoke English, so they all felt like Korean, American.

I didn't even realize it was funny that she was from Burbank. I'm such a New Yorker, I was just like, "Oh yeah, that's in California."

There's that one scene before they do "How It's Done", and there's like a fan who goes, " Oh, my God! Zoey is from Burbank, USA!" And people from LA laugh because... Burbank. It's like so random.

I have to take your word for it that it's very, very cute.

Something that you mentioned also reminded me of these videos I've seen on Instagram: it's now a whole trend of second generation K-pop fans who have now seen KPDH, and it's the first K-pop thing they've engaged with in ages and now they're getting back into things.

One of the biggest responses to people seeing this film was when they heard "Soda Pop" they were like, 'I know this voice. This is definitely Kevin Woo.' Then they went and searched it up or saw the credits. Then they started flooding my DMs and were like, "Kevin, where were you my whole life?" or "Kevin, thank you for reigniting my passion and love for K-pop." Because, you know, life happens, they get married. They have kids, career, whatnot. Covid happened. So a lot of things happened since the second generation; I was a part of their childhood or their teenage years. But this brought them back to it. And they're like 'Kevin, thank you so much for bringing these sweet memories back with just one line in 'Soda Pop'."

I mean, your voice is so distinct. I can't imagine anyone who knows your work watching "Soda Pop" without being like, 'Oh, there's Kevin!'

How was it different recording in studio for this film versus, like your experience recording either as an idol or for the broadway soundtrack, or for your own solo work?

Every project has its own different nuances and styles. You mentioned singing for Broadway. That style is more theatrical, meant to be as if we were on stage, so it was more like a live performance version of a song. Even the way we sung, it wasn't one person in a booth at a time. We all sang it collectively as a whole cast in one big studio.

When recording for U-KISS, like a studio recording, we would go over each line a bunch of times to perfect that one line, or even that one word or that one tone. For Broadway, we'd do a few takes and just select the best one or two. As an idol, you need to perfect every word, but for theater they wanted to capture that raw moment of the scene, and how it ties in with the story of the of the Broadway show.

I did feel like a more theatrical Broadway take to KPDH, because, you know, Ian Eisendrath has experience in the theater world, and he's so renowned in that world. So he did bring out that same kind of direction. But I was also in the studio with EJAE. And EJAE is s very, very K-pop! She produced aespa, Red Velvet, etc. I'm so happy for her. She deserves all the flowers. But for her, she is probably the epitome of K-pop in terms of vocal directing and recording. So them together was a perfect blend. K-Pop Demon Hunters is very much a dramatic epic theater style, but with the K-pop core. So I think it was just the perfect blend of both worlds.

Oh, I love that.

You mentioned that the specific direction of K-pop style differs from how you approach a musical. Is there a specific aspect that you really found yourself either stumbling over or thinking about in the studio when recorded for KPDH? Or is it just kind of a natural thing that comes to you?

I think it was in my DNA. When we went to the studio, I just kind of sung it in the way Kevin Woo would, and I think they loved it but they also wanted to make Mystery Saja a bit more ethereal, more airy and literally mysterious. So they kind of experimented with different styles. So they were like, 'Can we try this take with a bit more breathier tone, can we do it more like light, and like more just kind of like bubbly? Where you're almost laughing while you're singing so that we can capture that like sweet essence of soda pop."

So yea, I did kind of go more extreme and lean more towards that than I normally would. But we we had a lot of fun, experimenting what works for this character.

If they remade this as a live action, which which character do you think would fit you the best?

I love Mystery Saja. I think it was a perfect match. It was match made in heaven. Even in U-KISS, I was more of an androgynous member, whether I liked it or not. My label when I was in U-KISS, they were like, 'Kevin, you have the prettiest voice, so you should have pretty makeup and pretty hair. You have a pretty face. So you should have this more feminine feel or brand to you.'

How do you feel about that now? You said 'whether I liked it or not'? So sounds like, maybe not?

No, no, because, I was too young at that time. So for a label to be like, you're this, I was way too young to recognize if that was my identity or not. But now that I'm in my thirties, and very more much aware of who I am, I do think I'd play Mystery Saja well.

I love that. And now you're getting to do your own thing, and you get to put your labels on yourself, especially now that you're a solo artist.

I've always been working on music and, regardless of K-Pop Demon Hunters being a success or not, I've already been in the studio working on music, and I already have music lined up. Even if I had 10,000 [monthly Spotify] listeners I would still release music and had fun with it. But now that I have 20 million, and still counting [T/N: Over 29 million at time of publishing]. Yeah, it just gives me another boost of inspiration and motivation to keep on going.

And now that I have a new audience alongside my existing audience, it kind of just lit up a fire on my butt.

Did you have the foresight to release "Deja Vu" before KPDH, to get it out strategically?

No, I actually did not. I knew KPDH was gonna be a big hit. I knew K-pop fans would adore this film. I knew it would just be a very refreshing animated film to the market. But I don't think anyone was prepared for a viral sensation like what it is right now. I don't think even Netflix and Sony knew that it would be this big.

I mean, honestly, it's crazy how popular it is. I literally wrote a newsletter, and thanks for reading it by the way! But I was just like trying to figure it out, because I feel like, you know, it's so magical when something like this happens.

You're spot on with all the points. It's the age demographic, the kids who are watching it like Encanto and Frozen. It's kids who love this regardless if they love K-Pop or not.

You guys got the you guys got the Frozen hit of our generation.

But back to your solo work, tell me about "Deja Vu"?

I think I'm kind of navigating my own journey as a Korean American artist from a former K-pop group, and figuring how that works as a solo artist without the title of my group. You know, what does that look like in a new territory? But also now everything's global and connected. So I don't know. We're in a very weird transitional shift in music and and pop culture where, like, I don't have to be Korean or a K-pop artist from Korea to release music. It's all intertwined somewhere.

It's been quite a journey for me to find my own identity, and my voice, and my color. But "Deja Vu" is like the perfect, I think, representation of who I am. It's my love letter to the genre I loved listening to growing up, which is R&B pop, like Usher, Neo, Omarion, combined with dance performances and nuances from K-pop that I already. So fusing those together gave birth to "Deja Vu". I did work with writers in America, but I helped with the lyric writing and top lining with my team. So I think what I brought to the table was my experience in Korea, because I lived there for so long, and I was a part of that, but also the music and the style of the song is so true to my inspiration of R&B's roots.

And "Deja Vu", the meaning behind it was kind of like coming back as a solo artist. With a new intent and new mindset, but also the feeling of a bit of nostalgia. Like, 'Hey, this is new territory, but something about it feels very nostalgic and and very familiar.' I wanted listeners to feel that.

What exactly is that intent and mindset? And what does it mean to you?

The intent is to never lose where you come from, and your roots, no matter how much you want to – and I try to – constantly reinvent myself. I feel like there's beauty in where I come from. And it's just another form of myself.

How has it been developing your skills? Obviously, you're a very talented singer. You have a lot of experience. But how has it been songwriting and working as an independent artist?

Yeah, I love the whole process of being in the studio with writers. And now I'm more heavily based in the States. I feel like I'm learning this new system, and how the music industry works over here. Compared to K-pop, I feel like I have more freedom, around who I want to write with, what I want to write, what message I want to portray in my songwriting. I just feel like the possibilities are endless. So I'm having so much fun with that. And I'm also discovering more sides to myself as an artist.

So that's been great, and also not only singing, but also, like, you know, in my experience in theater on Broadway. And now, as an actor. You know, I feel like there's so many different avenues of art forms that like I'm kind of tapping into, and it all intertwines together it's all going hand in hand with my music. A lot of the movie productions I have been a part of have been music oriented, like the Anderson .Paak film K-pops!, K-Pop Demon Hunters... I just love how everything is coming together.

Do you ever want to get away from the K-pop handle?

No, I think I'm just getting started. There's so much more to deliver and to prove. And I think K-Pop Demon Hunters was a perfect example of it. We thought K-pop reached its peak, its climax. But now, with this film and Netflix tapping into a newer audience, this is just another beginning of a K-pop wave, and for me to be a part of this journey, I feel like it's just a beginning. So I am not definitely not sick of it. I wanna do more.

So what else do you have to tick off your list of things you want to do?

Write a book.

Could you stop making the rest of us look a little bad? You're taking my job now! But all jokes aside, I'd love to read that.

It's in the works. I feel like I do have a very unique life story. So yeah, every step of the journey of my life and my career is.

Like an autobiography or a novel?

Autobiography, yeah.

Oh, also another another avenue I haven't tapped into much but would like to is directing and writing films. I already started with Seoul Switch, I'm a producer of that. It's a story that definitely mirrors my life story as a Korean American and struggling with identity, but also showcasing the struggles of being a K-pop idol. Not only the glitz and glam of it, but like the whole darker kind of behind the scenes to being a K-pop star. I feel like it's something that people are also curious about. So yeah, that that's something that's very, very close to my heart. And it's a story that I want to get out there. So I'm advocating every day for Seoul Switch to get pitched to be made into a feature film. So, yeah, maybe that's another journey that I want to pursue in the future as a producer director in the film industry.

I feel like now's your time.

Oh, and one other thing. Sorry, I have so many things now that you brought it up.

Never be sorry for dreaming big.

Maybe I want to start a new label and create you know, an idol group of some sort. Maybe like a Katseye type of international K-pop group, with the K-pop formula, or maybe like a digital group kind of like PLAVE where it could be omnipresent everywhere at once. Who knows? I because I have a lot of friends in the digital tech space, and the possibilities are endless. And now with K-Pop Demon Hunters, that's like a whole other world we're tapping into.

God, we've been talking for a while and I do want to let you go back to your day, but now that you brought it up... I saw you spoke to the Wall Street Journal for an article they were talking about KPDH and framing the groups in the headline and subheader as if they were totally fake, like AI, rather than voiced by humans. I had a good laugh and an eyeroll because I have a lot of thoughts about K-Pop Demon Hunters and PLAVE, and how they're very much real groups. They're fictional characters but the performers are real.

We're actually real human beings behind the characters. It's truly fascinating how a group like this are able to do so well. But I definitely do think it would be a missed opportunity if Huntr/x and the Saja Boys didn't have like an album, or a world tour, or some sort of career outside of just this film. I feel like there'd be so many cool opportunities. PLAVE is the first of its kind in Korea, but if you made this one a global scale where the members speak English and can speak any language and can be present in any country at any time All at once, with this IP and this growing fandom....This would be another level.

Oh, yeah, that'd be so absolutely crazy. And it'd be crazy. If we're thinking about it, I'm sure Netflix and Sony have.

For sure.

I'm really rooting for a prequel, because I want to see the girls come together and see like what that was like. I think that'd be a fun plot.

I want to see a whole spin off of the Saja Boys. When the hunters got the tonics, when they went to the doctor, there was a picture of the four members as humans, but no Jinu.

Oh, I think I missed that??

There was an obvious shot of 4 boys with the doctor, so maybe they were trainees, and this is my just kind of like self interpretation...

Maggie's gonna come for you.

No, no. I have no legitimacy with this. I'm just another fan like the rest of the world. But in my speculation, I think Jinu wanted to form this demon boy band, but he needed talented kids. So maybe these kids were so hungry for fame and just to debut that they literally sold their souls, like what Jinu did 400 years ago, so they had the shot to be the next big boy band. And they did, but short lived.

Oh, that's heartbreaking to think about. But I would love to watch that and cry my eyes out for these kids who just want to pursue their dream

And sold their souls.

That's a little too real.

A little too real, a little too close. But at the end of the film we do see Derpy and Sussy on top of the comeback poster for Huntr/x so I feel like Sony and Netflix left that open.

That'd be that'd be really fun if they make a comeback. Maybe Saja Boys can too, somehow...

Okay, we have talked for so long and I'm so grateful, and glad that we could catch up a bit, but I feel bad I've kept you from the rest of your day. Thank you as always for your time!

But before I let you go...This is for Notes on K-pop, so what does "K-pop" mean to you?

K-pop means the world to me, literally. It's the only world I've ever really known, and I'm still proudly a part of. It defined my identity, and it helped me not only as a performer, as an idol, but as a human being navigating what it's like to contribute to the world.

I love that. And I lied, because I'm going to ask a follow up: what makes something not K-pop? People keep on asking me, is K-pop Demon Hunters actually a K-pop production? Or is it a musical production?.

I wouldn't see why it's not. That's kind of an easier question. Because yes, it's produced by Korean K-pop producers and collaborators who have also worked in K-pop and with K-pop performers and singer songwriters, so I don't think that's a difficult question.

But if your question is like, what makes K-pop not K- pop? That is also a very fine line, because, as we are moving into this very hot melting pot of genres and cultures, it is very hard now to say, like what is k-pop or what's not? It's like, is Katseye K-pop? They're definitely K-pop inspired. But I don't know. They may be in their own genre of their own. They're the first of their kind to have so many different cultures blending into one girl group backed by a K-pop label and an American label.

I honestly can't answer that question because I don't know the answer to that question anymore. I do think about it a lot. Sometimes we hear K-pop music now that's all in English, and a lot of the producers that they work with now are [not Korean]. It's a collaborative art. I don't really know what's right.

Nobody knows. That's why I was asking you. I ask everyone.

If the performer themselves are Korean, does that make it K-pop? But then, you see Lisa, she's Thai. So it's really hard to answer that question. But I think even K-pop from Korea adapted to a lot of different genres and cultures. I think the idol culture itself originated from other countries, like Japan was the first to really have idol groups. So I mean, everything is kind of shared cultures and ideas. So what is the original K-pop? Who knows? I mean, I don't. I don't know the answer to that question, either.

I don't think there's any real answer. There's nothing original under the sun, afterall. There's a famous dramatic idea that there's only 36 stories that humans narrate over and over again.

Even K-pop came from the love of hip-hop and pop music when they first came into Korea. We could go into the whole history of this if we had the time. But my point being... I think, as we're moving forward in this generation and generations to come, I think it's just a love for the culture, where K-pop first blew up from. But where this takes off from now... I think it's just an open book.

But as someone who is Korean, who has lived in Korea for most of my life, and Korean American, I hope that as whatever this is that we call K-pop evolves and grows into this new form, I hope it doesn't lose its core essence and roots. Can some all Latin American group call themselves K-pop? I don't know. I don't know the right answer. But you've already got groups like Black Swan, or even Katsye. There might be a fine line between what is K-pop and what's not. But I think that's what fans and the infrastructure have control of.

It's just label at the end of the day. And labels are things that people put onto other things.

So the [music] labels think of what the fans want and the fans want what the labels are putting out. And this is where we are now, just a blend of all cultures.

Speaking of putting out music, do you have any other new music coming out in the near future?

I do. Yes, very soon. This summer. I don't have the exact date, but I can tease that there will be new music coming out really soon.