SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - A weeklong event blending French music with K-pop kicked off at the French Embassy in Seoul on Monday.
Under the theme of "Bridging Cultures, Shaping Futures," the event called "Atelier K-Pop" brought together music experts from France to explore ways to collaborate with K-pop industry professionals and singer-songwriters from both countries.
Jointly organized by the Cultural Department of the French Embassy in South Korea and the French National Center for Music (CNM), the event was supported by France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Institut Français. Seoul-based Leeway Music & Media also to part in collaboration with JYP Publishing and Amplified Corporation.
Included among the speakers are Sim Eun-jee, CEO of JYP Publishing, Chung Hyo-won, CEO of Amplified Corporation, and Leslie Dubest, CEO of Un Plan Simple.
In particular, four emerging French songwriters — Jean-Noël, Poppy Fusée, Robin, and Ugo — will participate in a special session later in the week at JYP Publishing Studios, where they will collaborate on songwriting and see how it goes.
"I've only been in Korea for two days, but everything already feels amazing," said Fusée. "I've been spending a lot of time just walking around, and everything looks so stylish. People dress really well and are incredibly polite and it's such a different atmosphere compared to France. I find it really inspiring."
Fusée also shared her expectations about the event. "My goal is to be a little less rigid. My music tends to follow a more classical structure, so I'm excited to learn new, more modern ways of creating here in Korea."
"I feel like every K-pop song tells a story. It always has a clear concept or idea behind it," she added. "Whenever I listen to K-pop, it feels like I'm going on a journey. Through this experience, I hope to feel that even more and come away with a fresh perspective."
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
View more comments