Why K-pop stars could be like Nick Jonas and Ariana Grande and use Broadway as a path to success in the US
- Luna of K-pop girl group f(x) will reportedly join the Broadway cast of KPOP, the Musical, and that may encourage other K-pop stars to follow in her footsteps
- Featuring K-pop talent would give Broadway a promising and diverse talent pool to tap, with the potential to attract new fans to its productions
For years, K-pop stars have performed in musicals in South Korea. Now some are using Broadway as an alternative route into the American music market.
Luna (Park Sun-young), known primarily for her role in girl group f(x), will reportedly be joining the Broadway cast of KPOP, the Musical, which is based on the lives of the industry’s stars and executives.
The show’s website announced it was “coming to Broadway” and described it as an “exhilarating and euphoric” musical that “takes you inside the culture-shaking K-pop universe”.
KPOP, the Musical ran off-Broadway in 2017 and plans were hatched during the coronavirus pandemic for a Broadway production, with auditions taking place virtually.
Luna, who released her most recent single, Madonna, in October, has starred in numerous South Korean musical productions, including Legally Blonde: the Musical and In the Heights. If Luna’s debut proves successful, it may encourage other K-pop stars who have appeared in musicals to follow her lead.
Stars like California-born Tiffany Young, who recently starred in a Korean version of the musical Chicago, could go down a similar route. She has spoken of her aspirations to act in Hollywood, and could jump from the stages of New York to the silver screen.
