Text by Nicolai Frich
Danish songwriters are playing an increasingly important role in South Korea’s K-pop industry, where musical talent, discipline, and cultural understanding are key to success.
“K-pop may be pop with a ‘K,’ but the goal is to make music that resonates with everyone.”
K-pop has cemented its position as a global cultural force and is the most recognizable image of South Korea internationally, according to the latest Global Hallyu Survey. Michelle Cho, founder and CEO of the production company Singing Beetle, has built a career working with Scandinavian artists to keep the music current.
“K-pop is Korean on the outside, but the music is for the world’s ears. Labels travel to the West to get their hands on tracks that can work both in Korea and globally.”
Many of K-pop’s biggest hits have been written or co-produced by Western songwriters, she adds. But competition is fierce. Building trust with Korean A&Rs and labels takes time.
Are You Mad?
When international A&Rs are rolling their suitcases across concrete floors in European airports, Western songwriters are often flying back home. Nanna Bottos is one of the few Danes who have achieved success. She has written songs for popular groups like TWICE and NiziU, earning gold and platinum certifications for her work.
Together with songwriter and topliner Amanda Thomsen, who has worked with the group VIVIZ, they have participated in the intense and infamous songwriting camps organized by the big labels—where many demos either break through or are discarded.
The Music Is the Easy Part
It’s not just about producing music, but about navigating social codes that are fundamentally different from those in Denmark, Thomsen explains.
“Even just pitching a demo or an idea can be a mind-bender. You often experience silence and stiff faces. You think they hate it, but in reality, they’re carefully considering and trying not to seem rude.”
“There are so many rules and lines you have to stay within. The real challenge is learning the cultural vocabulary from scratch,” Bottos adds.
Plastic Paradise or Extreme Examples?
Both have had amazing experiences in Korea, but have also seen the flip side of the culture. It takes great discipline to live up to the high expectations of being polished. One encounter with a trainee left a lasting impression on Bottos.
“In Seoul, I met a girl who was weighed and monitored every day. In one case, the teachers found a candy wrapper in the trash at her residence, and everyone was punished collectively.”
However, she points out that the West is far from perfect and also needs improvement when it comes to artists’ well-being.
Not All Is Hardship
Even though life as a songwriter—and artist—can be tough and push boundaries, the K-pop industry has also offered pleasant surprises.
“There’s a strong emphasis on keeping promises and recognizing and respecting the contributions of others,”says Thomsen. In addition, they are good at helping international songwriters by passing on your music, ideas, and name to musicians, labels, and producers. There’s especially one area where Seoul is ahead of the game:
“They pay upfront. That’s something we damn well could learn from back home,” Amanda Thomsen says, followed by roaring laughter.
Photo: Line Svindt
Tekst af Nicolai Frich
Danske sangskrivere spiller en stigende rolle i Sydkoreas K-pop-industri, hvor musikalsk talent, disciplin og kulturel forståelse er nøglen til succes.
“Det kan godt være, K-pop er pop med et k, men målet er at lave musik, som kan resonere hos alle.”
K-pop har cementeret sin position som en global kulturkraft og er det mest genkendelige billede på Sydkorea internationalt, ifølge den seneste Global Hallyu Survey. Grundlægger og CEO for produktionsselskabet Singing Beetle, Michelle Cho, har gjort karriere i at arbejde sammen med skandinaviske artister om at holde musikken moderne.
“K-pop er koreansk i sit ydre, men musikken er til verdens ører. Labels rejser til Vesten for at få fingrene i tracks, der kan fungere både i Korea og på verdensmarkedet.”
Mange af K-pop’ens store hits er skrevet eller co-produceret af vestlige sangskrivere, tilføjer hun. Men konkurrencen er benhård. At opbygge tillid til koreanske A&Rs og labels tager tid.
Er du sur?
Når internationale A&Rs trækker rullekufferterne langs betongulvene i europæiske lufthavne, tager vestlige sangskrivere ofte flyet tilbage. Nanna Bottos er en af de få danskere, der har opnået succes. Hun har blandt andet skrevet sange for de populære grupper TWICE og NiziU, og hendes arbejde har kastet guld- og platinstatus af sig.
Sammen med sangskriver og topliner Amanda Thomsen, der har arbejdet med gruppen VIVIZ, har de deltaget i de intense og berygtede sangskrivercamps arrangeret af de store labels. Her er det brist eller bære for mange demoer.
Musikken er det lette
Det handler ikke blot om at producere musik, men om at navigere i sociale koder, der er fundamentalt anderledes end i Danmark, fortæller Thomsen.
“Bare det at pitche en demo eller idé kan være en hjernevrider. Man oplever ofte tavshed og stive ansigter. Man tror, de hader det, men i virkeligheden overvejer de grundigt og forsøger ikke at virke uhøflige.”
“Der er mange regler og linjer, man skal holde sig indenfor. Den helt store udfordring er at lære det kulturelle ordforråd fra bunden”, supplerer Bottos.
Plastic paradise eller ekstreme eksempler?
Begge har haft fantastiske oplevelser i Korea, men også set bagsiden af kulturen. Det kræver stor disciplin at leve op til de høje forventninger om det polerede. Specielt et møde med en udbryder gjorde indtryk på Bottos.
“I Seoul mødte jeg en pige, der blev vejet og kontrolleret hver dag. Et eksempel var, at lærerne havde fundet slikpapir i en skraldespand på hendes bosted, og alle blev kollektivt afstraffet.”
Hun påpeger dog, at Vesten heller ikke er perfekt og trænger til et løft, når det kommer til artisters trivsel.
Ikke alt er hardship
Selvom tilværelsen som sangskriver såvel som artist kan være barsk og grænseoverskridende, så har K-pop-branchen også budt på positive overraskelser.
“Der gøres en dyd ud af at overholde aftaler samt anerkende og respektere omverdenens bidrag”, siger Thomsen. Derudover er de gode til at hjælpe internationale sangskrivere ved at videregive ens musik, ideer og navn til musikere, labels og producere. Specielt er der ét punkt, hvor man er på forkant i Seoul.
“De betaler upfront. Det kunne vi fandme lære noget af herhjemme,” siger Amanda Thomsen, hvilket resulterer i en øredøvende latter.
Foto: Stine Rosemunte
