The upcoming one-of-a-kind documentary, K-Pop Generation, features some of the world’s biggest K-pop artists, presenting them in a new light to viewers. The TVING original docu-series will feature a wide array of narratives about the K-pop business, with topics spanning from the creation of female idol groups to self-produced musicians.
These narratives will be presented in a number of interesting formats. By incorporating archival footage and dramatic reenactments into a documentary, the show is set to pioneer a new genre of programming known as "factual entertainment."
What makes this docu-series even more promising is the star-studded cast it is set to feature. Some of the idols who are going to appear in the upcoming show are 1st Generation K-Pop legend H.O.T’s Kangta, Super Junior’s Leeteuk, SHINee’s Minho, soloist Sunmi, K-Pop powerhouse 2PM, and EXO’s idol Suho.
They will be joined by Mamamoo's Hwasa, fourth-generation K-Pop stars Stray Kids, TXT, ENHYPHEN, and rookie K-Pop bands LE SSERAFIM and IVE, among others. Besides the native K-pop artists, K-pop Generation will also feature several foreign artists such as JO1, NiziU, SB19, and AleXa.
K-Pop Generation’s latest teaser features snippets of interviews with K-Pop stars
The latest teaser of K-Pop Generation, which follows the publication of the show's official poster, provides viewers a glimpse of what's to come in the new documentary series by displaying brief clips from interviews with the guest stars as they share their honest opinions on various issues.
Super Junior’s idol Leeteuk can be seen sharing his experience with songs, noting that the metrics for success vary, and popularity cannot be assessed on the basis of just the music charts. He further explains in the K-Pop Generation teaser:
“A song that’s No. 1 on the charts might not be the No. 1 song on a music show.”
Echoing this, MV director Song Won-mo and CEO of RBW Kim Do-hoon continue to elaborate on how the number of K-pop fans has continued to climb despite the music produced in the K-pop business becoming less focused on appealing to people and more concerned with targeting a specific demographic.
Meanwhile, An Yu-jin of IVE begins by defining K-pop as extremely diverse, while Beomgyu of TXT confesses that there are aspects of K-pop that still feel a bit missing.
The CEO of SM Entertainment, Lee Sung-soo, discusses how certain things in the K-pop industry don't always translate to success. However, he adds that this uncertainty and lack of guaranteed success could be considered new challenges and points of growth rather than a cause for inhibition.
SHINee's Minho, on the other hand, empathizes with Lee Sung-soo and adds his personal experience to this by stating how he always tries to take on new challenges. Adding to this, LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chaewon remarks:
“The more criticism you receive, the more you refuse to give up.”
On a similar line, NCT’s idol Doyoung also asks the rhetorical question:
“Is popular appeal something that should be discussed when it comes to K-pop?”
With so many interesting voices in the mix, it is clear why fans are anticipating the docu-series to be an intriguing and informative watch. K-Pop Generation is set to premiere on January 26 on TVING.