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Atlanta, a rising center of Kpop, is once again set to host a regional competition that will clear the path for a team to represent the United States in the premier global event focused on the Korean musical genre.
The 2021 K-pop World Festival will be held virtually this year due to the pandemic, but in years past, teams that prevailed in Atlanta have traveled to the country to perform, distinguishing themselves largely by the creativity behind their choreography and vocals as they cover popular K-pop songs. (Singing is not part of this year’s competition.)
The Consulate General of Korea in Atlanta is hosting the preliminary for the eastern U.S. July 17 at the offices of KTN in Norcross. Prospective teams sent in two- to five-minute videos for consideration by a panel of judges, who have whittled the list of competitors down to 10 finalists. Five of them will be chosen to send their videos to the semifinals for a chance to be selected for the final event. One stipulation: Participants can have a maximum of one Korean parent.
K-pop is a global phenomenon that transcends cultures, incorporating upbeat music with vibrant visuals made for the digital age. The biggest acts — like the boy group BTS and the all-girl Blackpink — attract massive fanbases and accrue huge numbers of views on social media. In recent years, they’ve begun crossing over for collaborations with mega-stars in the United States and beyond. Many American young people have adopted the form and embraced its cross-pollination with hiphop and other genres.
Last December, Global Atlanta organized a forum on “how Korea’s cultural export stole the heart of the world,” bringing in expert voices from UCLA and Emory University in partnership with the consulate to speak about K-Pop’s emergence, evolution and influence on Korea’s integration with the global economy.
Read: Examining How K-pop Helps Drive Korea’s Global Growth, or watch the video of the program here.
See the Korean consulate’s Facebook page for finalists:
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