‘K-pop group without Koreans’.

It doesn‘t seem like an unfamiliar combination anymore. It has now become a keyword for the real K-pop trend. Cats Eye, Dear Alice, XG, and NiziU, all of which have mostly or all members of foreign nationalities, were born based on the so-called ‘K-pop methodology’, and are causing a sensation with their all-out activities.

The success of these groups, coupled with the fact that K-pop has established itself as a genre on the global stage and is enjoying stable popularity, has caught the attention of large entertainment companies at home and abroad, and attempts at ‘K-pop localization’ are expected to continue this year.

The multinational girl group Cats Eye and the British boy group Dear Alice, which were introduced by Hive and SM Entertainment (SM) last year respectively, are actively promoting in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The six-member Cats Eye has one Korean member, and the five-member Dear Alice is all British, but thanks to their having gone through the K-pop training system, they are called ‘K-pop-based groups’. The selection of members and local group activities are also gathering attention as a joint group of ‘entertainment big shots’, with the US’s Geffen Records and the UK‘s Moon & Bag joining forces.

The K-pop production method that has been incorporated into them has even drawn rave reviews from local media outlets such as the US’s Billboard and the UK‘s NME. Cat’s Eye‘s song ‘Touch’ was named one of NME’s ‘50 Best Songs of 2024’. Ahead of the release of their debut single ‘Ariana’ in February, Dear Alice also appeared on the ‘SM Town Live 2025’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome recently and the music show ‘M Countdown’ on the 16th, leaving a strong impression on Korean fans.

In Japan, the ‘localization of K-pop’ seems to be accelerating. In 2020, girl group NiziU, launched by JYP Entertainment under a local label, and boy group J.O.ONE, created by CJ ENM and Japan‘s Yoshimoto Kogyo through a collaboration with Laphone Entertainment, are rising to the top tier in the local market.

Girl groups XG and Cosmosy, which were created with the participation of a large number of K-pop producers and creative directors, are also noteworthy. After shining on the Billboard charts last year, XG also succeeded in entering the ‘Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’, the largest music festival in the US, to be held in April.

Cosmosy, which attracted attention as a challenge for the music industry by Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo, also introduced K-pop elements and released its debut single on the 31st of last month.


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com