There has been a lot of hype around Hallyu Wave, especially with a lot of Korean acts trying to cross-over in various ways, whether it be through an album release, concert tour and/or both. And while it’s very interesting to keep up with what SM, YG, JYP and other big entertainment companies are attempting to do, we cannot deny that the spread of the Hallyu Wave has been primarily one-sided.
Although there are those one or two foreign members in every group that try to represent some sort of international flare in K-pop, one cannot deny that these foreign members are just an extension of the Korean entertainment system. Yes, they may speak another language and they may have other appeals, but to make it, it appears that how well you assimilate to the Korean entertainment system and its shenanigans are crucial in determining the members’ success.
However, it appears that some are attempting mix in the international flavor within the Hallyu Wave by actually training non-Koreans to become a Korean pop star. The training system in Korea has been praised and criticized (depending on who you talk to), so I’m interested in seeing what kind of impact the Hallyu Training Service called “HITSNY” will make in the industry.
The premise is rather simple — Hallyu is gaining popularity and it’s influencing not only Korean American individuals who want to be stars but also non-Koreans, so why not enable those individuals by setting up a training system. I’ve heard some horror stories of various training academies in Korea — where the academies are just money schemes or they don’t teach you properly — but the folks behind HITSNY seem to care about the trainees they are about to bring on board. And one thing I wholeheartedly agree with them is that they emphasize education. Everybody going to the academy are required to be home schooled so that if this stardom track didn’t work out — they have other options.
The importance of education have been discussed many times on Seoulbeats as we have seen certain idols choose their careers over education and that’s a completely different choice from those who are training to become idol stars and not obtaining the proper education to excel in other areas, so I’m glad to see that education is encouraged and enforced.
It’s early to say what kind of influence HITSNY will have in the Hallyu landscape, but I’ll be keep my eye on it to access its impact. If THE TRAX’s support says anything about this organization, they may not be biggest but they are something to keep tabs on because you never know who will change the future of Hallyu Wave.
