American record biz goes all-in on K-Pop, but crossover challenges remain
LOS ANGELES - In July of 2017, the K-Pop group Monsta X played its first shows the U.S.: two nights at the 2,400-capacity Novo in downtown L.A. The sets were hotly-tipped among the genre's superfans, who loved the brash aesthetic of singles like "Rush." But they were only just beginning to break through to U.S. audiences.
What a difference two years makes.
In August, the group will return to L.A. to headline Staples Center, a capstone of its ascent into K-Pop's A-list. And this time around, they have a U.S. major record label and the most powerful music management consortium in the country behind them.
In May, the seven-member group - which performs in Korean, Japanese and English - announced they'd signed with Sony Music subsidiary Epic Records, putting them alongside U.S. rap and pop stars like DJ Khaled, Camila Cabello and Travis Scott.
"We have always agreed on a vision for Monsta X that certainly includes, but extends beyond their core K-Pop Audience," said Ezekiel Lewis, the vice president of A&R at Epic Records. "We see them as a potentially enormous boy band that happens to be from Korea as opposed to viewing through the more narrow lens of K-Pop.
