K-pop Forms Partnership with France to Expand Global Collaboration Through “Atelier K-pop” Creative Camp

The K-pop industry is expanding its global influence through international collaborations. What results emerge when Korean precision meets French creativity in a music studio? The answer was found in Seoul. The first “Atelier K-pop” songwriting camp brought together music experts from both countries for six days of collaborative creation. Held from March 24 to 29, this event marked a rare partnership between the French government and K-pop publishing companies such as LEEway Music & Media, Amplified Corporation, and JYP Publishing. Co-organized by the French Embassy and the Centre National de la Musique (CNM), the initiative invited four French composers—Poppy Fusée, Jean-Noël, Robin Perrier, and Hugo—to Seoul to deeply explore K-pop’s unique production process. “It was more than just sharing music,” said Jake Lee, CEO of LEEway Music & Media, one of the main organizers, in an interview with The Korea Times on April 4. “Our goal was to bring fresh perspectives to K-pop and create songs with global appeal.” While countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands have long been regular sources of international songwriting talent for Korea, France had remained outside this scope until now. Jeong Hye-won, CEO of Amplified Corporation, said, “France has a very vibrant and distinctive pop scene. Although K-pop has traditionally collaborated heavily with Swedish and American songwriters, we saw untapped potential in France as well.” Over the course of the week, the four visiting composers teamed up with 25 Korean artists to conduct high-energy sessions, producing K-pop demo tracks across genres such as pop, hip-hop, and R&B. The two executives openly discussed initial concerns about cultural differences between Korea and France. Jeong Hye-won said, “In such songwriting camps, there is always a risk of withdrawing midway due to creative clashes or disagreements. In this case, those differences extended to cultural aspects as well. People naturally expect a gap between K-pop and French music styles. On top of that, there is a sense of cultural pride because France is a global cultural powerhouse.” Surprisingly, however, the French composers quickly adapted to K-pop’s fast-paced production culture, and what could have been conflicts ended up enriching the music. Jeong Hye-won explained, “Their chord progressions and harmonious melodies have a certain charm that is rarely seen in K-pop. We call it the ‘French touch.’ It’s not exactly a chanson vibe, but... it’s different. It’s hard to find words to describe that feeling.” By the end of the camp, the teams had created about 15 tracks featuring this “French touch,” some of which included French lyrics and titles. Meanwhile, HYBE, a major K-pop agency, is actively pursuing its global expansion strategy. Taeho Kim, HYBE’s Chief Operating Officer and president of BELIFT LAB, leads the K-pop groups ENHYPEN and ILLIT. FORMED THROUGH I-LAND AND DEBUTING UNDER BELIFT LAB IN 2020, ENHYPEN HAS ALREADY REACHED NOTABLE MILESTONES. THEY BECAME THE FIRST K-pop boy group to exceed 3 billion Spotify streams. DEBUTING WITHIN FIVE YEARS DURING THE PANDEMIC, ENHYPEN BECAME A GLOBAL PHENOMENON, REACHING APPROXIMATELY 10 MILLION MONTHLY LISTENERS ON SPOTIFY AND OVER 25 MILLION TIKTOK FOLLOWERS, MAKING THEM “THE THIRD MOST INFLUENTIAL” K-pop artist on social media. THEY ARE ALSO THE SIXTH MOST VIEWED GLOBAL ARTIST ON TIKTOK AND THIRD IN THE K-pop CATEGORY. ENHYPEN’S ALBUM SALES PERFORMANCE IS IMPRESSIVE AS WELL. THEIR 2023 ALBUM “ORANGE BLOOD” REACHED POSITION 4 ON THE BILLBOARD 200 WITH 1.87 MILLION UNIT SALES, WHILE THEIR 2024 ALBUM “ROMANCE : UNTOLD” REACHED POSITION 2 WITH 2.34 MILLION UNIT SALES. FAN ENGAGEMENT IS ALSO NOTABLE; LAST YEAR, HYBE’S FAN PLATFORM WEVERSE HOSTED 220 LIVESTREAMS, RECORDING 87 MILLION LIVE VIEWS AND 137 MILLION TOTAL VIEWS, THE HIGHEST AMOUNT AMONG ALL ARTISTS ON THE PLATFORM. THEY WERE ALSO THE ARTIST WITH THE MOST COMMENTS ON WEVERSE LAST YEAR. ENHYPEN’S DEBUT AT COCHISELA THIS WEEKEND IS THEIR LATEST MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT. FOR Taeho Kim, a performance at Coachella represents the pinnacle for testing his artist development philosophy. “ENHYPEN has grown continuously since their debut in late 2020, gradually expanding their global album sales and tour scale,” he said. “I believe Coachella will be a defining moment that shows just how far they have come over the past four years and how amazing artists they have become.”