[INTERVIEW]

K-pop has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade — and Kim Hye-im, CEO of Beat Interactive, has not only watched but also lived through it all from the inside.

As one of the few female idol producers in the industry when she founded Beat Interactive in 2016, Kim has navigated the challenges of the traditionally male-dominated field while leading the careers of the rookie boy band Newbeat and previously A.C.E.

“On one hand, being a woman helped me stand out among many male producers,” Kim said in a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at Beat Interactive’s headquarters in southern Seoul. “But it is also true that I sometimes felt lonely.”

Kim, who left CJ ENM in her twenties to start Beat Interactive, reflected on the numerous ups and downs she faced over the past nine years with a laugh, saying, “I was brave because I didn’t know what I was getting into.”

“There were definitely elements of the culture that I didn’t participate in, such as bonding over drinks [for business deals] and such,” she said. “And there were doubts whether a young woman would be able to ‘control’ male idols.”

Much of the culture, however, has changed since then — and not just from within.

“The biggest driver of change has been the consumer,” Kim said. “Consumers, I believe, guided the industry intelligently toward a better balance.”

Blurring boundaries between rigid gender roles and the growing diversity of girl group concepts are two of many signs of such shifts, Kim noted.

Now, the CEO is focused on writing a new chapter for the company with Newbeat, which just launched in March as Beat Interactive’s first boy band in eight years.

Describing the band as “a team that is figuring out what it means to be uniquely Newbeat,” Kim believes that the septet is well-positioned to show that it’s okay to be different.

“In Korean society, it’s really difficult to be just different,” she said.

“I hope Newbeat’s journey will be able to show the world that even with a humble start, a steady step forward can indeed bring you to somewhere [meaningful].”

The journey has already taken Newbeat across borders, as the band famously held street performances in the United States, Mexico and also in Korea. The band’s grassroots approach reflects Kim’s belief in perseverance, as she finds significance in the journey itself.

Newbeat’s message is especially unique in the sense that the industry landscape has become even more challenging for smaller agencies to hit breakout success, as production costs have surged sharply in recent years.

But Kim believes Beat Interactive has an edge: its agility and flexibility.

“Being a small company means that we can move quickly,” said Kim, adding that it also gives it greater freedom to take on bold new challenges.

She is confident that Newbeat will have its chance at a breakthrough to wider recognition within three years.

“And when that moment comes, we’ll be ready.”

Newbeat, like many rookies, faces another unique challenge: an increasingly crowded field of established acts, as the lifespan of third- and fourth-generation boy bands like BTS, Seventeen and Stray Kids has gotten significantly longer.

It is a good thing, Kim said, as “younger idols now have role models they can look up to.”

“What a small company like Beat Interactive can do is to present something truly different — in visuals, music and such — to cultivate a core fandom that will someday be able to also draw in the wider public.”

As CEO, Kim said her job is to provide hope and vision in the face of uncertainty.

“For my artists and staff members, I try to ease their anxiety and nervousness, to encourage them,” she said. “Then, I do my best to turn that hope into reality.”

Beat Interactive was recently acquired by Hanchang, a broadcasting equipment manufacturer, as a wholly-owned subsidiary, in a bid to accelerate its global expansion.

Beat Interactive will be able to benefit from Hanchang’s overseas business network, Kim said, to reach international markets.

Despite recent concerns over the sustainability of K-pop’s explosive growth, Kim remains optimistic, suggesting that last year’s sharp fall in physical album sales signals the exhaustion of marketing strategies that aggressively drove up consumption.

“We’ve hit a ceiling,” Kim said. “And now the industry needs to evolve beyond that.”

That evolution, according to Kim, will depend on qualitative growth rather than quantitative.

“K-pop became more accessible than ever, but if the quality [of the production] drops, consumers will naturally walk away,” she said.

BTS’s comeback could be a potential catalyst, she said, adding, “New, high-quality content will drive the growth anew.”


BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]