Ever wonder what iconic hits like Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” or Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” would sound like with a K-pop spin? Look no further than Apple TV+‘s latest series, “KPOPPED”. This collaborative music competition show stars global K-pop sensation PSY and three-time Grammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion. “KPOPPED” brings together Western artists and K-pop idols for a reinterpretation of notable songs.
The Movie Couple spoke with “KPOPPED” executive producers Moira Ross and Jake Hong about bringing the artists together, the effort that went into coordinating a show of this calibre, and its unique song battle format.
The Process of Pairing Western Artists with K-pop Groups
With over 13 Western artists and 8 K-pop groups, coordinating everyone’s busy schedules was no small task. Executive producers Moira Ross and Jake Hong expand on pairing the artists and the show’s filming process.
The Movie Couple: Can you talk about the process of choosing and pairing the right Western artist with K-pop artists?
Moira Ross: It’s a big old process with many factors that we had to consider at all points, and as you can imagine, for such a successful cast, we had to navigate many complicated diaries and calendars. But our job was made simple at times when certain people would request to be together and would have a history in terms of hoping to collaborate. For example, Jay Balvin and ATEEZ were great mates from Coachella. Then other factors came into consideration as well.
Jake Hong: There were many different factors. Some wanted more dance and choreo pairings, some wanted more vocal pairings, and well, for instance, Kesha dances. So, it made sense for the pairing with J1. So, all of these factors and elements were something that we had to consider.
The Filming Process and the Show’s Unique Format
MC: I also want to ask you both about the filming process for this because it seems like in every episode when they meet, you split the K-pop group, and they had 48 hours each to practice before they hit the stage.
MR: I mean, what you see is truly as it was. So, it’s absolutely authentic. There is no heavy hand of the producer. So time was not on our side because it was, well, 48 hours was a generous amount of time, that you know, those artists would arrive. They’d meet with their K-pop counterparts. They’d get straight to work, and they’d also enjoy their own downtime and cultural experiences, and then have to have rehearsal on stage, obviously, before we actually went in front of the live audience. And in the case of some artists, Miss Patty Labelle had less than 48 hours. She was just over 24 hours, which really is quite phenomenal. So that was an important element to the show, and a logistical challenge.
JH: As Moira said, it was amazing to see professional musicians come together and really pull it off in such a short rehearsal time. That’s where we really got to see, “Oh, this is why they are professionals in the first place, and they can actually do it.” Also, the 48 hours is a huge challenge not for the artist themselves but also for the entire production team as well, with the language barrier that we had to overcome.
On Which Episodes Are They Excited For The Fans To See?
MC: Out of all eight episodes, for you personally, what is an episode that you’re most excited for the viewers to watch?
MR: Gosh, I’m excited for people to really enjoy the whole series as a whole and to be able to reflect on the fun and the joy. But I mean, look, I got to say our opening episode is pretty spectacular with the lady of the moment, you know, Megan the Stallion, and also is very important because she was an executive producer on the show as well. So, I personally am very excited for people to enjoy the concept in terms of that opening episode.
JH: Well, the music is the biggest element of the show, but I’m also excited for everyone to see Korea shown in a beautiful way.
In each episode, the artists got to explore South Korea ahead of rehearsing for their song battle performance. Experience included sightseeing, shopping, trying Korean dishes, and traditional Korean performances.
“KPOPPED” premieres exclusively on Apple TV+ on August 29.
“KOPPED” Episodes:
- Megan Thee Stallion, Patti LaBelle, Billie
- Mel B. and Emma Bunton (Spice Girls), ITZY
- Vanilla Ice, Taylor Dayne, Kep1er
- Kesha, Eve, JO1
- J Balvin, Kylie Minogue, ATEEZ
- TLC, Boy George, STAYC
- Jess Glynne, Ava Max, Kiss of Life
- Boyz II Men, Blackswan
About “KPOPPED”
The series is executive produced by Moira Ross, Lionel Richie, Miky Lee, Megan Thee Stallion and Greg Foster, alongside Harry H.K. Shin and Jake Hong, with producer Ki-woong Kim for CJ ENM Co., Ltd., with its unparalleled expertise in music variety shows and content production. Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Wes Dening and David Tibballs executive produce for Eureka Productions (a Fremantle company), alongside Bruce Eskowitz.
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