SEOUL, September 19, 2023 – Kakao Entertainment, which announced the launch of its North American integrated corporation with SM Entertainment, has unveiled a series of creative music projects that have captivated the global audience with a new taste of K-pop.

In addition to managing popular K-pop artists such as IVE, Monsta X, and The Boyz, Kakao Entertainment is initiating fresh collaboration projects to bring various talents together as well as launching a series of song remake projects with specific themes.

The superb quality of the titles was made possible by Kakao Entertainment’s prowess in conceiving and producing K-pop content, coupled with the participation of top-notch vocalists, well-known composers, and arrangers.

These projects led to the debut of various K-pop titles including: “It’ll Pass,” a duet sung by Heize, a sing-songwriter with a captivating voice, and Jung Seung Hwan, one of South Korea’s most loved ballad singers; “Such a Thing,” a cover version of Park Hwayobi’s original song by hip hop artist Paul Blanco; and “Time Spent Walking Through Memories,” a remake of rock band Nell’s song by Sion, a newly debuted artist and the youngest runner-up contestant of season 10 of The Voice Germany, and the popular singer-songwriter 10CM.

“Time Spent Walking Through Memories” is the inaugural track of Project Memory, a part of Kakao Entertainment’s song remake series. This project takes masterpieces themed around memory and artists from various genres reimagine timeless melodies into new styles of songs. Sion, recognized for his solid vocal skills and distinctive emotional appeal kicked off the project. Sion successfully breathes new life into Nell’s song and features 10CM, who is amassing a growing fandom around the world. Last September 11^th, the YouTube channel of 1theK Live, a popular K-pop conduit for the global audience, streamed the live performance by the two artists.

The song “It’ll Pass” also kicked off Project Colors, a collaboration project that brings together a host of artists and allows them to create music infused with their one-of-a-kind styles. The song features a duet by Heize and Jung Seung Hwan and was produced by hit songwriters Noheul and minGtion. Upon its launch, “It’ll Pass” generated buzz as the synergy created by the two artists’ captivating voices enchanted fans.

The song “Such a Thing” opens Project Change, where artists delve into new genres and reinterpret songs with their own touch. For example, this track received considerable spotlight due to the fact that a male hip-hop artist covered a song originally performed by a female balled singer Park Hwayobi, and that a viral live performance on a TV show led to the official release of the song. Furthermore, the arrangement by Jeong Donghwan of MeloMance enhanced the song’s compelling emotional depth and lyrical quality.

In addition to these projects designed to amuse global music fans with diversity of the K-pop genre, Kakao Entertainment has leveraged its integrated corporation in North America to strengthen the presence of artists such as IVE and aespa in the global music scene. One such example is IVE’s partnership with Columbia Records, a Sony Music affiliate, to accelerate the group’s inroads into the North American market. Riize, SM Entertainment’s latest boy band, drew much anticipation as they signed a contract with the top U.S. label RCA Records even before their official debut.