The musicians participating in the “K-Pop Night Out” stage, jointly hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency and the Culture Ministry, discussed their goals for the events during a press event Tuesday in Seoul.

The annual concert, launched in 2013, showcases artists from a wide range of genres — including garage rock, hip-hop and punk rock. The concerts typically feature mostly underground or lesser-known artists with one or two big names or idol singers thrown in.

Tiger JK (left) and Yoon Mi-rae pose for a photo during Tuesday‘s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Members of girl group Red Velvet speak during Tuesday’s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Members of girl group Red Velvet speak during Tuesday’s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Korean artists pose for a photo during Tuesday’s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Last year’s line-up consisted of Epik High, Crayon Pop, Asian Chairshot, EE, Eastern sidekick, Hitchhiker and the Barberettes.

This year‘s lineup boasts more starpower than usual, with popular girl group Red Velvet along with star rapper couple Tiger JK and Yoon Mi-rae on the stage. Hyolyn of girl group Sistar will make an appearance, Big Phony will also make their SXSW debut, while No Brain and Galaxy Express return for the second time.

“I think it’s important to show off our own colors (as an artist). Some Asian artists tend to get timid in a foreign country, but the music is a language in itself,” said Lee Sung-woo, the leader and vocalist for No Brain, a punk rock band.

Tiger JK, considered one of the pioneers of Korean hip-hop, advised fellow musicians not to blindly mimic other musicians and to establish their own unique styles of music.

“There’s no exact answer (on how to be successful overseas), but I think trying your best to make your own kind of music would give you the best shot,” he said.

SXSW is an annual festival in Austin, Texas which showcases films, interactive media, music festivals and conferences. This year’s event will be held from March 10 to March 19.

In addition to the state-funded concert, other Korea-based artists including Kim Ban-jang and Windy City, Glen Check, Luna Lee, Neon Bunny, and XXX have been invited by the SXSW’s organizers to take part in the festival.

The K-pop showcase for TGE in Britain will feature bands Sultan of the Disco, the Barberettes, the Monotones and rapper MC Sniper.

The band Sultan of the Disco said that they became confident that they could succeed overseas during their two past performances in Britain when they noticed many of the same fans made repeat appearances at their show.

TGE, a three-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, UK, hosts around 300 bands from various genres throughout the city. This year’s event will be held from May 18 to May 20.

Hyolyn has become the first K-pop singer to sign with the company, the agency said in a statement.

“Her collaboration with Justin Oh will be released globally in March,” Starship Entertainment said. Oh is a Korean DJ and producer who has garnered international fame and is also signed to Spinnin’ Records.

Hyolyn will be featured in Oh’s debut single “Jekyll & Hyde,” set for release on March 10.

Hyolyn (Starship Entertainment)

The singer previously announced she will be participating in the music festival South by Southwest in Texas, US this March, and also tour clubs in the LA and New York areas.

The singer has been participating in various high-profile international collaborations, working with hiphop team Far East Movement and Italian DJ Giorgio Moroder.

Lim is well acknowledged worldwide for his unquestionable talent as a popera singer as he was revered as the first ever Korean for several accomplishments such as winning a UN peace medal, performed in all three honorable stages at New York’s Carnegie Hall, and have a record deal with the top 4 worldwide record labels (Universal Music, Sony Music, EMI, Warner Music). He sung original soundtracks for popular Korean dramas such as “Delightful Girl Choon Hyang”, “The King and I”, “Dongyi”, and “Gyebaek”. Lim also re-released his version of a Japanese song, “Sen no Kaze ni Natte”, into “A Thousand Words” in Korean as a requiem of the recent tragedy of the Ferry Disaster in S. Korea.

Being the forefront as S. Korea’s popera singer, Lim had performed in numerous places worldwide and recently held a successful solo concert in Los Angeles on Sept. 27 at the historic LA Orpheum Theatre. With a standing ovation and an encore, Lim happily ended with 4 encore songs and claimed it was a fantastic way to not only celebrate his solo concert in LA, but to honor his 16th anniversary of his debut. See the interview we did with Lim Hyung-joo before his concert with K-pop bloggers, Nutty Nomads, conducting the interview:

Interview:

Nutty Nomads: How would you describe the “popera” genre?
Lim Hyung Joo: Some people call it operatic pop where pop and opera is a mixed, new genre. In 1985, South Korean soprano singer, Kimera, made headlines in the UK newspaper Daily Express as she was the forefront singer of popera. Many opera and musicians were introduced and discovered popera after that such as Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, and Josh Groban. I discovered popera at a young age and first debuted at 12 years old.

NN: What top three songs do you like to sing?
LHJ: My third favorite is the song “Memory”, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber from the musical, “Cats”. My second favorite song is “The Rose” by Bette Midler. My number one favorite is the song I sang for the Korean drama “Delightful Girl Choon Hyang” and it’s called “I Hope You Will Be Happy”.

NN: We heard that you studied at Julliard School in New York City. What was that experience like for you?
LHJ: I attended the school of Julliard for prep school and Julliard is really a world renowned, wonderful school with great musicians and artists who attended there. It was a very good experience for me and gave me great inspiration.

NN: When studying in NYC, did you get to see any Broadway shows? If so, what was your favorite?
LHJ: Yes! Many, many times. I’d have to say “The Phantom of the Opera” is my favorite.

NN: Do you have any specific habits or rituals before performing on stage like saying a prayer or eat something?
LHJ: I only eat a banana before I perform. When I sing, I have to be careful and control my abdominal breathing so I can’t eat or drink too much before I go on stage. After the performance, I can eat anything I want! (laughs)

NN: Do you have a favorite K-pop artist?
LHJ: I like the Wonder Girls, EXO, and SISTAR.

NN: If you could collaborate with any K-pop artist, who would it be?
LHJ: I want to collaborate with IU. I love her voice and she has a very natural voice. I wish I can do more collaborations with K-pop idols.

Yuna Hwang
K-Herald