HIGHLIGHTS: The Panels & Workshops of #KCON16NY

It’s the start of a KPOP Summer with KCON 2016 NY Presented by Toyota (kconusa.com)!

[Note: Yes, we know it is in Newark, NJ, but you know, KPOPmaps.]

Teri & I have been to almost all the KCONs in the Los Angeles area. For us, the panels were always something we took a strong interest in. We are both long time fans of Korean entertainment and it’s nice to see another perspective of just a concert. We enlisted Lorenny & Jacqueline to be a part of Team KK and sit in on a few panels and give us some highlights.

Day 1, Friday

[PANEL] Boy Meets Girl Meets Fate: Romance In K-Dramas

Speakers: Dramabeans – javabeans, girlfriday, HeadNo2, gummimochi

Topic: How KDrama is different today vs 10 years ago

10-years ago: Missed chances; there were always physical illnesses involved. There was always love tension and a lot of 1-sides loves.
Today: There’s a lot of love stories that start with hate which eventually becomes love. There aren’t as much physical illnesses, but still a lot of missed hits in terms of both love interests just passing each other without realizing.

[WORKSHOP] Korean Celebrity No Make-Up Make-Up Tips with Glow Recipe

Tips and Trends

No makeup makeup look
Spray mist Z formation to hydrate skin evenly
Skin care strobing
Tightlining is more in trend in Korea, not so much cat eye
Draw the line going down instead to get the puppy dog look
Gloss on your eyelid for a fresh look
On lips, just tab lip tint to the center of lip for a gradient look
For sensitive skin use cleansers that are SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) free for less drying and irritation

[Panel] From Kpop Fan to Kpop Professional

Speakers: Angie Mills (KpopStarz), Jeff Benjamin (Billboard/Fuse TV) and more…

Angie Mills started as a photographer for Kpopstarz on a volunteer basis and then got asked to work for them.
Jeff Benjamin interned at Billboard and stressed how KPOP was an up and coming genre of music. He was asked to cover it. Once he did, it took off and it gave him the opportunity to interview KPOP stars when they came overseas for Billboard and FuseTV.

It’s good to note that they took something they had a real interest in and it came through with their work and gave them opportunities.

[Panel] Meet the producers and cast of Bad Rap.

Speakers: Artists Reksteezy & Lyricks; Producers Salima Koroma (also director) & Jaeki Cho

Salima is also a part of “The One Shots” KPOP blog, which we love. She did the documentary as a part of her college project. She went out and interviewed the rappers she wanted to feature in Bad Rap. It turned out to be something bigger with a successful Indiegogo campaign and enough hype to market it to a wider audience.

The experience from the rappers:

At first they thought they were all just going to get pho to eat but then was surprised when they were getting interviewed for this documentary.
The rappers showed sides of them that are part of their everyday lives. From showing friends and family to sharing stories of how they became rappers.
Overall it was a surreal experience and they hope everyone takes time to watch it. They show a lot of vulnerability and realness in this documentary.

[Panel] Evolution of Kpop Music

Team KK caught the tail end of this.

They spoke about how companies are always looking toward the future.
For example, before idols serve the army, there’s already albums made for when they come back and even during the time they may have on short breaks during service. They release a single so the artist still remains relevant.
Not surprising if full albums are also created before they are done with army service so when they come back from service they can hit the ground running.

Day 2, Saturday

[Panel] Behind the Scenes with the Producers of SM Entertainment

Speakers: Denzil “DR” Remedios & Ryan Jhun

So much info in this panel! hard to really convey it all.

Constantly coming up with new concepts and listening to the fans to see what the next trend is. At the same time, try to be the trendsetters for the music industry. Listen to all kinds of music trends: house, trap, etc.
Always wondering if fans don’t like it.
Royalties – 4 million copies sold, but a lot of money earned goes back into marketing and producing.
Writing for # members – Maximum 13 members
- verse, prelude, chorus, rap
- 2-3 in each section broken out
Song – always thinking of movie ideas for the music videos and songs they create
“Mystery Lover” by Taemin
Ryan Jhun: Taemin requested for a new song. He does whatever he wants to do because he’s very creative and does it on his own.
Sometimes SM artists don’t have a say on what comes out.
There are artists that want to give off a certain artistic energy/vibe (Eric Nam – he’s writes, cuts and wants be involved in the music).
Case by case basis. Sometimes you have to consider the fans, not just for themselves.
Favorite concept to write – fun concepts (fun vibe). Also, rapper writes the rap section; the music is written by the team.
The artists can write the parts out first so they get the vibe for it first, but it’s ultimately the writers and producers who make the song. Crafting the music, the artists get a bit of a say on it, but not really.
Kinda like a factory system: first training just to dance, second just to sing and third just to cut vocals.
EXO – “Peter Pan”
- Ripped it on top of a Bruno Mars track (DR)
Demographic (how to reach a large audience)
- DR “All I did was write songs for chicks”
- When you’re writing for a male group, you’re writing songs for girls
- Thinking of concepts that will remember universally and it’s not just about the girls/guys

[NOTE: Team KK seems to really like this panel. Lots of info and interesting stories.]

We will have a full photo post of the convention and a review of the M Countdown concert soon. Overall, Team KK had fun, enjoyed the panels and saw all different facets of the hallyu fandom come together.

And that’s really why we love it.