“There are three major entertainment companies in Korea called ‘Big 3.’ The year 2013 is the starting year for us to grow even bigger than them.”
Those are the words from FNC Entertainment CEO Han Seung Ho. He’s not just saying them either.
After raising CNBLUE, FT Island, Juniel and AOA, FNC Music recruited actors Lee Dong Gun and Yoon Jin Seo and changed the company name to FNC Entertainment. The move echoes the company’s goal to expand beyond K-Pop and into K-culture. Their new location in Chung Dam Dong* is a four-story building with three underground levels; It’s the symbol of FNC Entertainment’s energetic step into the year 2013.
T/N: *Chung Dam Dong: One of the most fancy areas in Seoul. It’s a home to the wealthy, big companies, and international and national luxury fashion boutiques.
“This year, CNBLUE and FT Island will both go on a world tour. CNBLUE had a concert in England and FT Island debuted in Europe*. We want to keep pushing that. They will be going around the world including USA, Europe and Oceania.”
T/N: FT Island has not yet debuted in Europe.
CNBLUE and FT Island introduced themselves to the US through a joint concert in LA last summer. For the American music market that thought K-POP just meant dance, CNBLUE and FT Island were a new discovery.
“It’s still not a genre that’s widely accepted in Korea. That disappoints the members and me the most. Obviously, we need to be loved in Korea before we can be known abroad. But it’s also true that we rely on other countries to make up for that. Plus, music officials abroad feel fresh about K-POP. I saw a possibility in that. And now, I am confident about world tours even to hold a super concert.”
Up until last year, CEO Han pushed for localization as a key to K-POP’s international success. But now, he emphasizes “balance.” It’s because K-POP has established itself as a brand. After BOA and TVXQ introduced K-POP through localization in Japan in early 2000, the time has come for a world star PSY to sing “Gangnam Style” in Korean. Now, FNC Entertainment artists are getting ready to diversify K-POP.
“The culture has grown and situations have changed through YouTube. It’ll become important to find a balance between showing K-POP’s original color and localization. I strongly feel that bands like FT Island and CNBLUE need to succeed in global communication through this year’s world tour for more musicians to join us.”
CEO Han Seong Ho plans to apply FNC Entertainment’s own balance to music. He means if the old K-POP has changed its style within a large frame for localization, just giving an emphasis should be enough for the new K-POP.”
“We can now attract enough audience for a super concert anywhere in the world. More people love Korean music and Korean artists. They are ready to accept us as the way we are. When we don’t disappoint them, K-POP can get upgraded. So the members should always work hard to improve themselves. “
CEO Han is a musician who performed as a college band vocalist. As a former band-member, who dealt with concerts over music 20 years ago, he understands his artists better than anyone else.
“There could be a gap between the music I want to do and the music I have to do. But when I see kids come on audition programs and play instruments, I can’t give up. I am sure that FT Island and CNBLUE are at the center of this change. Unless a band sows a path to success, a band music could never bloom.”
CEO Han is planning a family concert to solidify FNC Entertainment’s own color. He plans on opening concerts in Korea and all over the world. He is determined to showcase ‘band musician’ and build a foundation for Juniel, AOA and trainees.
“Many fans recognize FNC Entertainment’s color when they hear FT Island, CNBLUE and Juniel. They may not be able to explain it exactly, but they think us differently from other artists. I want to really show that off this year. Through family concerts, I plan to overturn the thought that band music isn’t diverse, and pull up FNC Entertainment as a brand.”
Source: Hankook Magazine
Credit|Translated by: DJ. Pri @tumblr.com
a.k.a @ChocopieK