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The veteran music executive, instrumental in the formation of some of the biggest K-Pop acts, talks to The Hollywood Reporter about her decades-long career, how the industry has changed and why she wants to be a good role model for the next generation: “I’m determined to go on full throttle for the next 10 to 20 more years.”
By Nicole Fell
Katie Kang, CEO of the relatively new U.S.-based Titan Content, is arguably one of the most influential figures in the K-Pop ecosystem — even if fans of the genre might not realize it.
Kang has been involved in the industry since 2000, having impactful stints at multiple companies including K-Pop giant SM Entertainment, where she pioneered their testing and training process that would become an industry standard. “When I first started in early 2000, there were no testing and training systems at K-Pop companies,” Kang says to The Hollywood Reporter on a Zoom from South Korea.
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“At that time, if you remember, [the industry] was dominated more by J-Pop and Japanese artists, so when I joined and started at SM, at first I was curious whether the system of testing and training — finding the talent, training them and producing — whether it was really going to work out,” she continues. “Obviously since then K-Pop took off and has been expanding rapidly, and I’m proud to see that happen. Everyone who worked with me previously at SM and at IST, I’m happy to see them doing well.”
The importance of the artists Kang worked to cast and develop, particularly in her early years at SM Entertainment, and what those artists have contributed to continued growth and globalization of the genre, can’t be overstated. Girls Generation — once dubbed the nation’s girl group in Korea — along with SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet and NCT were among the groups Kang helped cast and train at SM before heading to what would become IST Entertainment to form boy group The Boyz.
The continued globalization and popularity of K-Pop, as Kang sees it, has changed the way the industry operates. Largely due to the pandemic, companies have gone digital, offering virtual fansigns (minutes-long meet and greets won by a limited number of fans) and social media-like communication apps where fans can connect directly with their favorite performer (for a price, usually).
Kang says she’s noticed that not only have people around the world started to follow the K-Pop ecosystem but that more and more fans are auditioning to become idols. That has lead to another change she’s seen — K-Pop companies training and debuting non-Korean members.
As CEO of Titan — which recently announced a strategic partnership with Imperial Music, an imprint of Republic Records — Kang has worked to form a new girl group, AtHeart. The seven-member outfit — made up of members Michi, Katelyn, Seohyeon, Aurora, Bome, Arin and Nahyun — released their first pre-debut video Friday for the infectiously catchy electro-meets-bubblegum pop track “Good Girl (AtHeart).” The members of the group hail from from Korea, Japan, the Philippines and the U.S.
When Titan was founded by former SM CEO Nikki Semin Han, who serves as chairman, Kang and Co. immediately decided on global auditions, spanning five cities in the U.S., including Hawaii, where she and her team met the first member of AtHeart, Michi. Kangs says the singer was talented and had a great attitude. “When I saw her, I had that feeling that she was the one, and I can now finally start putting together a group around her,” Kang explains, emphasizing the importance of the group being multi-cultural and blending these members together to become something of a family.
“They all grew up loving K-Pop music, and also singing and dancing, so they were ready when we first found them, to a certain level,” she says. “What I focused on when they all joined the company was training them [in] singing and dancing as a seven-member group.”
She adds that they, of course, worked to develop each members’ individual skill, as well: “We try to make sure we give them the necessary education, not necessarily on singing and dancing but also on the mental training and all of the outside of performance elements that I feel is necessary for K-pop acts.”
AtHeart is set to make their official debut this summer. “One thing that I wanted to emphasize, and one of my beliefs, is training doesn’t have to be long term. Long training doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good because it can come with other side effects, as well,” Kang explains when asked about training timelines and the company’s decision to debut the group this year. “With all these interesting groups coming out recently, I thought this was the perfect time, the right time, to debut this girl group.”
Looking back, when Kang began her career, the K-Pop industry was predominately male. Climbing to the level she has, now as CEO of Titan, has made her a role model for those women in the industry who have come after her. She notes the amount of women in the industry has certainly risen from her point of view. “Coming back to Titan, right now, I see about 70 percent are actually female, young female employees,” she says.
“I went through a lot, and I experienced a lot,” Kang adds. “I understand that there are many women in the workforce that looked up to me, so I want to be a better example for a leader — a better leader to lead them to a better place. I’m determined to go on full throttle for the next 10 to 20 more years.”
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