[Kulture Issue] Song camps become common practice in creating hit K-pop songs

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요즘 케이팝 히트곡은 어떻게 탄생할까? 작곡.작사 협업이 대세된 이유

All for one, one for all or all for one K-pop song. BLACKPINK Rosé's hit song APT. feat. Bruno Mars took the world by storm back in October last year. Did you know that eleven people contributed to writing and composing this hit song and four producers took part? In the K-pop industry it has become common that a whole group of people collaborate on one single song. Let’s talk about this interesting trend with our K-pop expert Jeff Benjamin, who is now connected with us. Welcome back Jeff!


1) Jeff, before we delve into today’s main topic, could you give us a rundown of the latest K-pop trends based on your recent contribution to Billboard’s 'The 25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2025 (So Far): Critic’s Picks'.
What are some notable K-pop groups or songs so far this year?


2) Now, let’s talk about an interesting way of creating super hits like the ones you just mentioned. It’s become the norm for a group of artists, songwriters, composers and producers to get together for a so-called “song camp” to make a great song. Please, tell us about this process.



3) Major Korean entertainment agencies such as HYBE, SM, JYP, YG and STARSHIP regularly hold song camps.
Why is that? What are the benefits?


3-1) I heard that these song camps create a positive environment for rookie songwriters or composers making their debut.
What are your thoughts on this?


3-2) Can plagiarism be avoided when multiple people are involved in producing a song?


4) It's noticeable that the nationalities of those involved in K-pop production have also become more diverse.
Recent efforts have included song makers from the U.S., UK, Japan, Sweden, Norway, and many other countries.


Right, but Jeff, do you think that songs created in this way still have enough of a “K-pop feel” to them? What makes K-pop sound like K-pop, even when it’s not entirely made by Koreans?



5) What about K-pop artists who themselves get involved in making the songs, like Rosé for APT.?
Is this becoming more common than in the past and what significance does it hold?


6) As the number of songwriters increases, doesn’t it become more difficult to earn income from royalties? There will also be more and more cases where AI is used in songwriting. Based on this, how do you see the future of collaborations in making songs and the future of song camps?


Thank you Jeff for your insights and have a great rest of the week.
Thank you Bella, we'll see again soon.

#KpopSongCamp #KpopProduction #KpopTrends #KpopGlobalization #케이팝작곡캠프 #협업작곡 #K팝글로벌화 #arirangnews

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2025-08-07, 14.00 (KST)