An up-and-coming Kpop Entertainment Company has just opened its office in Seoul. UnionWave Entertainment is an International Kpop Company that focuses on the next generation of Kpop groups. It is a multinational platform that supports and promotes Kpop music in Korea as well as all across Europe. They are on a mission to develop and manage promising international artists and spread the Hallyu Wave around the world. UnionWave is a one-stop agency for international artists interested in becoming Kpop stars. They handle all the career stages of their artists. They hold world auditions to find the most promising international Kpop artists. In addition, they not only train their artists but also help them with production and career management. They recently announced their new girl group PRISMA in 2020.
New Girl Group – PRISMA
PRISMA the 5 member girl group is a diverse group, with members coming from Korea, Italy, Spain, and the United States. They have already gathered a network of fans via their activity on both UnionWave’s Instagram and their individual accounts. All the members are active on social media as they share details of their hard work and preparation since the group was first formed in February. PRISMA’s first single will be released on all major music platforms.
Leader: Gyeongmin
Visual and Lead Vocal: Nia
Main Vocal: Miriam
Rapper: Sally
Main Dancer: Eunbyeol
UnionWave Origins
UnionWave is the brainchild of Charles Fleury who after graduating from the Faculty of Business and Economics (HEC Lausanne) in Switzerland, noticed the huge rise in popularity of Kpop in Europe. Charles and his business partner joined the “Invest Korea” program set up by KOTRA and came to Korea to do market research for 5 months. His goal was to bring European talent into Korea and create the first international Kpop company.
They soon launched UnionWave Entertainment and held an online audition that attracted applicants from not just Europe but all around the world. The diverse range of applicants gave them the validation that there was a huge demand for an international Kpop group. Soon they were holding offline auditions across Europe in cities such as Paris and London. The final members were selected by a panel of judges as well as votes from the public. In 2020, they were able to launch their Seoul HQ and will be debuting PRISMA, their all-girl Kpop Group later this year.
Their office in Seoul contains rehearsal rooms and recording studios. They already work closely with multiple carefully selected Korean partners for the successful development of not only the company but also the artists.
The First True International Kpop Company
UnionWave is different from traditional Kpop Entertainment companies because they focus on bringing a multicultural touch to the Kpop industry. Therefore they are open to finding the best talent from any culture or nationality. The Kpop industry has been growing over the last decade and with the success of BLACKPINK and BTS, 2019 was Kpop’s most successful year. It is now one of the top entertainment channels in the world. It has already gathered a huge international fanbase that also continues to grow. There are now thousands of up-and-coming international artists are want to get into the Kpop industry. UnionWave Entertainment’s mission is to act as a bridge between Europe and Asia to carry the growth of Hallyu.
“We are proud to be creating a cultural link between Europe and Korea by giving young European talent the opportunity to launch their careers in the promising K-pop environment. Stars are truly being made!”
Kpop Entertainment Companies Are Only Focused on Asian Talent
If you are looking to becoming a Kpop Star and you are non-Asian, it will be almost impossible to break into the industry. The way the Kpop industry is structured is just not possible for a non-Asian. Even if you are a great singer, dancer, and can speak Korean, it is just not enough. This is mainly because Kpop stars have to not only do a lot of promotion in Korea but all across Asia, mainly China and Japan. This is why many Kpop stars are not only fluent in Korean but another Asian language. This can be extremely difficult for someone from a non-Asian background.
In addition, the cultures between Korea, Japan, and China are actually quite close. They don’t share that with other non-Asian cultures. Therefore Kpop Entertainment agencies first look for Korean talent then towards Chinese and Japanese artists. European, Russian, Middle Eastern, and South/North American artists are very low on the list.
International talent in the Kpop industry usually means they are from another Asian country. Some of the most successful foreign Kpop stars are Lisa (Tai), Tzuyu (Taiwanese), Zhang Lay (Chinese), Yuto (Japanese), Yuqi (Chinese), and Ten (Thai). Of all the artists signed to Kpop entertainment companies, 96.1% of the artists were Asian. Furthermore, 89.9% of Kpop artists were Korean. That leaves only 3.6% for non-Asian artists.
UnionWave Entertainment Supports Diversity
UnionWave Entertainment focuses a lot on bringing diversity into the Kpop industry. They hold their auditions and castings all around the world. They want to have multinational artists. This strategy is completely different from other Kpop entertainment companies. They are using social networks as their main communication channels. Therefore UnionWave’s central objective is to always keep close to its community and live up to the expectations.
This unique multicultural spin on Kpop is bringing a lot of attention to UnionWave as now non-Asian Kpop artists have an avenue to break into the industry. UnionWave will look to open doors for many foreign artists interested in becoming Kpop stars. UnionWave is a Switzerland-founded company, therefore the team behind UnionWave is truly international. Their Seoul office is now open and is aggressively partnering up with Korean companies in the entertainment space.
“This is a very exciting time to see our passion for K-Pop blend with our business interests and manifest in such a remarkable way,” said the co-founder of UnionWave, Charles Fleury.
Global Kpop Audition Tour
UnionWave’s Global Audition Tour ended in December of 2019. You can see some of the trainees at UnionWave Entertainment as they do a dance cover of PSYCHO by Red Velvet.
Its my dream to become an k-pop idol as I’m Indian I just love everything about Koreans I’ll try my best to dill up my dream I know a little bit Chinese and korean.
I also want become a k pop idol. I am also an Indian. But I want to become a kpop idol with my other 3 friends… I really want to but they don’t know they just know that I want to become a singer with them but they don’t know that I want to become a kpop idol with them.
Hello,
So basically Music is my whole life.
I always wanted to become an Kpop idol but i’m not hen asian which means it’s probably impossible for me.
Im bulgarian which means i’m white (European).
I will fight for my goal and i will see how far i get…
Hi everyone my name is peyton. I’m 17yrs old and I’m half-white and Colombian an I just want to say that I will also love to become an Kpop idol because, I just cannot go without a day of singing and dancing cause those two is the only thing that keeps me going everyday of my life. I would definitely love to get to know all you girls that wants to be part of a group and talk about future plans if we do decide to do this but, I just know if we all work together on this we can overcome any obstacle. One last thing before I summit this comment, I realized everyday when I sing different songs from hip-hop, R&B, slowjams, jazz, old school songs and even different group bands from like boyz ll men, BTS, The jackson 5 also solo artist like usher, alica keys, Beyoncé, Anthony Hamilton, brandy, faith evans, Frank ocean, heather headley, Mexican singer Selena and etc. I realized that every time I sing their songs that my voice is low and I do want to improve my vocals so that I could sing the same vocal range as some of these artist that I have named here. But not only that but the love we can share through music to help people and tell them that, not everyone is perfect at everything but you’re creative and unique in your own way and you are not alone. But this is something I want to do, I want to show people that I care about what there going though and say something like this to my bandmates and our fans “Altbough the road and life is tough, it has its ups and downs we’re one in all if we stay together we can conquer all, were United and standing strong and still today we’re are one big family” to me this means that no matter how hard and tough life might be, don’t give up on your dreams cause I know you’re capable of doing greater things later on in life and you wouldn’t even notice until you experience it yourself but if we come together as one we can make that change for you for me and the whole world. I hope you guys pick me to be part of your group as your loving, kind, caring and supportive person/friend.
Hi I’m imani I’m 14 I want to be an idol I am Caribbean but I live in the United States I’m kinda scared to audition but you’ll be hearing from me soon! I speak a bit of Korean but I’m still learning. So I just need time when I do audition I hope I can add to your company! I’ll work hard PROMISE
Hello My name is mov Srey Pich I’m 18year old . I’m from Cambodia.I want to be kpop Idol because I want my dream come true and this is my mom dream to . As you say, there is no one in my country who has not yet become a kpop star, so I will apply to achieve my goals and promote my culture and let other countries know that Cambodia can also Yes, if I am afraid of being in your company, I will do my best.
hi my name is Mara i’m 13 year old. I’m from Quebec city. i want to become a Kpop idol because i love dancing and i love music, i almost listening to music everyday. I’m i little bit young for doing a auditions right now but as soon as i reach my gaols to be good at dancing, singing, and speaking korean i will do my best for being in your compagny. I hope I will have the skills to join your company.
Hello, my name is Angie and I am 15 years old. I am Mexican but I was born in the USA. I speak Chinese and am currently learning Japanese and Korean. I also speak Spanish and of course English. Ever since I was young I’ve wanted to participate in the music industry. I love singing and I even went to school for it. I love music and would love to see where I could go with this dream. I sometimes write my own lyrics and sing. I listen to music from morning to night. I am currently in a choir as well. To add, I’ve also admired the Asian culture ever since I was young. I am open to learning more about Asian culture, traditions, and everything else that comes. Lastly, I am however afraid of doing this since It is a big step. I will not say I won’t give up because I know there will be times when I will want to give up but I will work hard and try my best! Thank you.