Nowadays It's Not That Hard To See K-Pop Idols In Their Own Album Credits. However, the process of including their songs in the official playlist is not as easy as previously thought.
Nowadays it's not hard to see K-Pop idols in their own album credits. BLACKPINK (Black Pink) with "The Album", MONSTA X with "One of a Kind", BTS (Bangtan Boys) with "Map of the Soul: 7", (G)I-DLE with "I Burn", and many again has members who are credited as songwriters on several songs.
However, the process of getting their songs into the official playlist is not as easy as previously thought. Michelle Cho, a K-Pop songwriter who works as an international A&R (Artist & Repertoire) specialist at SM Entertainment, discussed this in detail during an interview with ReacttotheK.
He revealed that contrary to what some might expect, K-Pop idols have to take the long route when giving song suggestions. "Artists also have to submit demos if they want to include their songs on the album. It's a fair process," said Michelle Cho.
Several SM Entertainment artists are ready to join the music section with the company's selected producers, namely BoA, Henry Lau, SHINee's Jonghyun, and Amber. He praised the latter, saying, “Amber often joins as well because she is also a great writer”.
Many K-Pop idols want to share their creations with the company's music team. They got a chance to do so when they were invited to the section to process and discover hit songs.
"For songwriting sessions and camps, we'll test it too. Sometimes we get demos. They write for a long time, obviously they have demos they want to play," continued Michelle Cho.
If they don't have a demo ready to check, employees will help them realize their vision. "Even if they don't have (demo), the staff is always helpful if they come and talk about their vision. And then that's how we ease them into the session."
Michelle stresses the importance of coming with preparation. If artists know what route they want to take, it's easier to come up with a song that works for them.
“They don't have to participate in the whole process, to do everything, but just talk about what they want to do. And as they get easier and also get used to songwriting, they can take on a more active role in writing."
In his experience, K-Pop idols start out with a small group of songwriting friends and eventually form their circle over time. This directly affects their musical style.
"I've noticed that a lot of artists start with their friends. Then expand their circle of writer friends and producer friends, broaden their musical boundaries as well (so they can) try more things and try new different styles and genres," he concluded. (wk/putr)
