Songwriting conference aims to bring French flavors to K-pop

As K-pop continues its ascent as a global music powerhouse with international collaborations with American producers — such as Rosé’s “Apt.” (2024) and Seventeen’s “Love, Money, Fame” (2024) — industry leaders are setting their sights on France, the world’s fourth-largest music market, in search of new creative partnerships.

On Monday, Korean and French producers, artists and executives gathered at the French Embassy in western Seoul to mark the launch of “Atelier K-pop,” a weeklong songwriting camp designed to foster cross-cultural collaboration between the two countries.

“K-pop producers have mostly worked with American, British and Swedish talent,” said Chung Hyo-won, CEO and producer of Amplified Corporation. “But we’re always looking for new sounds and styles. We’re definitely keen on finding new partners who can add different colors to our music.”

Sim Eun-jee, CEO of JYP Publishing, echoed the sentiment.

“We all have our own strengths and unique details because we grew up listening to different songs,” she said. “There’s always something to learn from each other.”

French music professionals agreed. Poppy Fusée, a songwriter, and Leslie Dubest, CEO of the French music label Un Plan Simple, both praised K-pop’s ability to blend artistic elements from across genres, languages and media.

“K-pop is one of the few industries that integrates technology with music well,” said Dubest. “In Europe, we haven’t seen the same level of innovation — especially with AI and other digital tools that enhance not just the music but the overall experience.”

The songwriting camp, which began on Tuesday and runs through Saturday, brings together producers and artists from both countries to explore linguistic and musical fusion.

Language, in particular, is a key focus. While K-pop’s global success has long been fueled by its strategic use of English, producers say they are now looking toward French.

“French is a beautiful language with an attractive pronunciation,” said Sim. “It could be perfect for a song’s ‘killing part.’ We’ve already explored most of the hooks in English and Korean — French might be next.”

The collaboration also aims to offer French music a platform in Asia, where it has traditionally lacked visibility in the region.

“French music is still relatively unknown in Korea and much of Asia,” said Dubest. “But opportunities like this help us take a step forward. We hope this is just the beginning.”

As global interest in Korean culture continues to grow, producers say the key lies in staying curious.

“Every time we work with artists from other countries, we discover new ideas,” said Chung. “That’s what keeps K-pop evolving.”

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]