Today is the National Liberation Day of Korea in South Korea! Last year, we took a look at the Eurovision connections to the world of K-pop (check out that article here), but this year, we’re going to take a look at three individual K-pop stars who would make for amazing Eurovision performers.
BLACKPINK’s Rosé (for Australia)
“In Australia, I didn’t think that there was much of a chance for me to become a singer, especially to become a K-pop star . . . I was living so far from the country that it never really occurred to me as a possibility.”
This New Zealand-born, Australia-raised Korean pop idol is one of the world’s most famous singers, coming from K-pop’s biggest girl group, BLACKPINK.
Rosé was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to South Korean immigrant parents, and moved to Melbourne with her family in 2004 at the age of seven. Throughout her childhood, she began singing, learned to play the guitar and the piano, and performed in church choirs.
In 2012, she attended an audition for South Korean entertainment company YG Entertainment at the urging of her father, and ranked first amongst the more than 700 participants. She then dropped out of school, signed with YG Entertainment as a trainee, and moved to Seoul.
After training for four years, Rosé was announced as a member of YG’s newest girl group, BLACKPINK, alongside Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa. The group’s music videos have received billions of views on YouTube, their debut album has sold millions of copies, and their songs have topped music charts around the world.
But Rosé certainly isn’t relying on the talents of her bandmates, and is an incredible singer in her own right. She debuted her first solo work earlier this year, showcasing her talents during an online concert in January and releasing her debut single album in March. Her two music videos have been viewed more than 300 million times since they were uploaded less than six months ago.
Rosé would make for one of the stronger potential artists on this list. She has a long history of strong stage performances, and her recent solo work has shown that she can command a stage either on her own or as a member of a group.
ZE:A’s Kevin Kim (for Australia)
“I grew up listening to first generation K-pop groups like H.O.T, Shinwha, G.O.D and Sechskies. Even though I was in Australia, I wanted to experience the K-pop world because it’s the root of where I was from.”
Cosmopolitan Australia’s Bachelor of the Year 2018, Kevin Kim, was born in South Korea, but raised in Sydney, and was a member of South Korean boy group ZE:A, which debuted in 2010, and is known for being one of the popular boy groups of the ‘second generation’ of K-pop.
During his time in ZE:A, Kevin’s roles within the group were to be the lead dancer (what’s Eurovision without some dancing?), the lead vocalist (a song with strong vocals will be sure to go far), and one of the rappers (uh, maybe not – rap doesn’t do too well at Eurovision).
Kevin was also an incredibly popular member of the group, going on to debut within two of the group’s sub-units – ZE:A-Five and ZE:A J – as well as releasing solo music of his own.
Kevin could also be likely to have a greater chance of making it to ‘Eurovision – Australia Decides’ or even the Eurovision stage itself, as he has a history of working with Australian Eurovision broadcaster SBS as one of the hosts of SBS PopAsia.
Somi (for the Netherlands)
Born in Canada to a Korean mother and a Dutch father, Somi is currently a solo artist, but has previously been a member of temporary girl group I.O.I, and has triple citizenship in South Korea, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Having moved to South Korea at the age of one, Somi came to fame in South Korea during her participation in the survival show ‘Sixteen’ in 2015, where she competed against fifteen other trainees to land a role in JYP Entertainment’s new girl group Twice. Though she made it through to the final, she was eliminated and didn’t land a role in the group.
Somi then went on to compete in another survival show, ‘Produce 101’, in 2016, competing against one hundred other trainees from over forty entertainment companies. Somi finished the show in first place, landing her the coveted role of centre in the temporary girl group I.O.I.
Since I.O.I was only ever supposed to be a temporary group, following the group’s disbandment, Somi signed on with another entertainment company (YG’s subsidiary The Black Label) as a solo artist, having released three singles, ‘Birthday’, ‘What You Waiting For’, and her newest release ‘Dumb Dumb’.
Somi knows how to command a stage, both within a group and as a solo artist, and would have great presence with a bop at Eurovision were she ever chosen. Somi is also an amazing dancer, and has a knack for getting along incredibly well with both fans and media.
There are many more great artists from the South Korea who could easily make a huge impact at Eurovision.
Are there any other K-Pop artists that you would like to see make it to Eurovision? Let us know on our socials.