“Manufactured” was once the ultimate insult to a pop band. Authenticity was king and any group put together by record label suits was not taken seriously. But with the rise of K-pop, that’s all changed. South Korea’s wannabes are put through performing boot camps before the brightest stars are assembled into the bands that might make them international superstars. You only have to look at the success of the likes of BTS and BlackPink to know that it’s a formula that works.
BBC One’s new series, Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience, plops five British teens into the highest-pressure programme of them all at SM Entertainment, the largest entertainment company in the country. Can just 100 days of intense singing and dancing training turn them into tight performers worthy of the K-pop crown? I’ll spare you having to watch this dross – the answer is no.
In tonight’s opening episode we met Blaise, Dexter, James, Oliver and Reese – all performance college graduates with the bare bones of what it takes to be a pop star. They’re all good-looking, can hold a note and they don’t mind looking silly while popping and locking. Introductions were very brief and we were given no time to really get to know the boys, giving the impression that these five lads could be easily swapped out for any other theatre school kid who fancies being on the TV.
The dance lessons got under way as soon as they landed in Seoul. Well, after they gave us a very excited yet entirely unnecessary tour of their very normal hotel rooms and we were made to watch them play a game of “Bunny Bunny” without being told the rules (I’ve still no idea). In rehearsals, we were given a first listen to their pre-written single. Made in Korea might be detritus television, but there’s no denying that SM Entertainment knows its pop music – the repeated refrain of “can you feel the vibe” has been stuck in my head for days.
Doesn’t matter. It’s not about the music, it’s about the boys’ performance and SM Entertainment boss – the terrifying yet impressive Hee Jun Yoon – was utterly furious with their first presentation. Not that it really mattered, after a few stern words and a very obviously pre-orchestrated “emergency meeting” with the programme’s producers, all five boys were told to come back next week harder, better, faster, stronger.
In the right hands, Made in Korea could have been something great. A serious explanation of how K-pop superstars are made is in order – it might not be new to Gen Z, but the phenomenon still eludes the rest of us, and the cultural differences between Korean and British teenagers are fascinating (mandatory military service starts at 18, for example). Failing that, an accidental Office-esque documentary about five British lads trying to get to grips with the uber-strict world of pop school would be hilarious.
But, with SM Entertainment as “partners” with the production company, rather than just a subject, it was always going to be deferential – and, more distinctly, promotional – to the boyband project.
As such, the programme took itself incredibly seriously – along with earnest, often self-flagellating interviews with the wannabes, we watched cinematic rehearsals that appeared to be filmed through a strangely kaleidoscopic lens. I presume the effect was to mimic a generic K-pop music video, but the whole thing gave me a headache.
For all the flaws and fakery of talent shows like The X Factor and Pop Idol, there was at least an element of anticipation for how a singer might perform when the big moment comes. But I couldn’t have cared less about what the SM Entertainment bosses thought of these poor boys – if anything, I wanted them to flop so hard that they would all be sent on the next flight to Heathrow so they wouldn’t have to go through any more humiliation. They’re nothing but the stars of a six-week-long K-pop advert.
‘Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience‘ continues next Saturday at 5.15pm on BBC One.
