In light of PSY’s impending U.S. debut, we’ve put together some of the top Korean musicians that have made their debuts in the States. Starting from 2007, Rain, BoA and Se7en all made attempts to make it big in the U.S., with the Wonder Girls and Girls’ Generation following suit. Now 2NE1 and PSY are expected to lead the third wave of “Korean Invasion” in the U.S., and with their already soaring popularity around the world, we expect to see the greater results from them.
Flip through the photos to see which K-Pop star led the early K-Pop movement in the U.S. We wish PSY good luck and we’ll keep you updated on his upcoming U.S. debut album!
Rain
Perhaps the first Korean celebrity to really make big strides at the
mainstream level, Rain had a concert in New York’s Madison Square Garden
in front of a sold out crowd, and was even cast in the 2009 Hollywood
blockbuster film “Ninja Assassin.” He also made Time Magazine’s “100
Most Influential People” in 2006 and People Magazine’s 2007 list of the
“Most Beautiful People in the World.”
Park Jin Young
Better known as JYP, Park Jin Young is one of the first true pioneers
in K-Pop to crack the U.S. pop music market. Although none of his
albums or singles was officially released in the States, he’s made his
name known more as a prominent songwriter. He wrote songs for U.S.
rapper Mase and Will Smith, and built a business network spanning from P
Diddy to R. Kelly.
Se7en
Se7en is the first Korean musician to have officially debuted in the
U.S. Despite his megahit success in Korea, Se7en took his music to the
U.S. in 2007 and finally was able to release his debut single, “Girls,”
in 2009. The song was produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, whose
previous works include Beyonce’s “Déjà vu” and Destiny’s Child’s “Say My
Name,” and featured rapper Lil’ Kim.
BoA
BoA was already one of the biggest stars in the entire Asian region
in 2008, when she decided to release “Eat You Up” in the U.S. She
followed it up with her debut album, “I Did It for Love,” in 2009, which
was produced Sean Garrett, the famed producer for Beyonce, Britney
Spears, and Chris Brown.
Wonder Girls
Girl's Generation
Last February, the Girls’ Generation made headlines with their surprise
appearances on CBS’ “The Late Show with David Letterman Show” and ABC’s
“Live! With Kelly.” They were also interviewed by NBC’s “Extra TV,”
which made them the first Korean celebrity to appear in all three major
network channels. Although they released the English version of “The
Boys,” produced by Teddy Riley of Black Street, they haven’t been able
to match the type of popularity they enjoy in Asia yet.- Source Soompi
