Apple TV+’s KPOPPED executive producers Moira Ross & Jake Hong discuss the show’s inspiration, unique format, and how they created the perfect artist pairings.
Apple TV+ is diving headfirst into the vibrant world of K-Pop with its exciting new series, KPOPPED. This groundbreaking show brings together legendary Western music icons with some of today’s hottest K-Pop acts for electrifying collaborations and surprising stage performances.
Forget simple covers; KPOPPED throws these artists into the creative deep end, tasking them with reimagining each other’s iconic hits in spectacular fashion. With dazzling visuals, unexpected pairings, and a palpable sense of musical camaraderie, KPOPPED promises to be a must-watch for fans of all genres.
Mama’s Geeky had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the executive producers behind this innovative series, Moira Ross and Jake Hong. We delve into the inspiration behind the show’s unique format, the challenges and triumphs of bringing together such diverse talent, and gain some intriguing insights into the creative process that shaped the unforgettable musical moments. Plus, they reveal this is only the beginning.
The Inspiration Behind KPOPPED
Mama’s Geeky: Can you talk about the initial inspiration behind KPOPPED?
Jake Hong: 2021, November. CJ, Vice Chairman, Ms. Vickie Lee, sat around the table with the legend, Mr. Lionel Richie. They were talking about the great, well, Lionel Richie spoke about how impressed he was with the young K-Pop talents and what they’re showing to the world. And they shared a common belief in the global power of music, where the music crosses cultures, languages, and generations. And then they came to an idea, would it be possible to make a TV show to show the world how great the young K-Pop talents meet, collaborate with the original legendary Western pop artist? And then we eventually learned that Apple TV+ was interested in a big K-Pop show with big artists, and the goals aligned. And that’s when we started to creatively develop this format with Apple TV+ and our great production partner, Eureka, to make this show happen.
Showcasing Individual Talent
Mama’s Geeky: I loved how you get to see the groups out of their element in a way where they’re split up. Because you don’t get to see that very often, and I feel like you get to showcase a little bit more of their individual skills.
Moira Ross: It is. And Jake will testify this. It is authentic to these K-Pop groups in terms of they do divide up and go into their units and show their individual talents. So in terms of the format, we do authentically lean into what is a very big K-Pop experience in itself. Isn’t that right, Jake?
Jake Hong: You’re exactly right. On our end, we wanted to make sure we captured the essence of both K-Pop and global pop culture. So we really leveraged our three decades of K-Pop expertise to come up with the idea of splitting K-Pop groups into groups for competition. Since unit groups are a big concept in K-Pop, we just knew it would be a fun television moment for the same K-Pop group to go head-to-head in a friendly competition.
Mama’s Geeky: Were these episodes filmed in the order that we see them, or did you guys arrange the order of release, and what factors went into that?
Moira Ross: We changed the order in terms of the filming schedule. I can’t remember how much we’d moved it around, but lots of different factors play into that, and in terms of post-production and delivering the episodes technically, et cetera. So we played around with some of the record, but yeah, everybody gets their moment.
Collaborating With ATEEZ
Mama’s Geeky: As a big ATEEZ fan, I have to know what it was like bringing them on and working with them.
Moira Ross: Yeah, I mean, they were incredible to work with. It was a great privilege and there was a lot of learning in terms of for us from the West and seeing how they so professionally execute. So I’d say that in terms of our production side of things. And then, you know, look, it’s an interesting thing, isn’t it? Jake could talk a little bit more about it in terms of the mix with Kylie, the gender mix was an interesting experiment, wasn’t it, in terms of Kylie and ATEEZ?
Jake Hong: Yes, very much. I think the ATEEZ episode was very special. I believe the ATEEZ & J Balvin performance was our first recording. It was such an epic moment across cultures, both Latin and Korean, as you saw. They danced with Korean fans, and it was such an iconic snapshot.
The Art of Perfect Pairing
Mama’s Geeky: How did you decide who you were going to pair with whom, or was it mostly just about schedules?
Moira Ross: Oh, no, you cynic, Tessa. It was a very complicated process that touched on lots of different elements. Yes, schedules, obviously, because these are all global superstars with massive world tours and recording schedules and all of those things. That played a part. But also, there would come requests. So, for instance, J Balvin and ATEEZ had a history anyway from Coachella, and a friendship. So that’s very natural. And Kylie is a huge fan of ATEEZ. That’s all perfect, and the dates worked and everything aligned. In other things, there were considerations in terms of Kep1er having two rappers and Vanilla Ice being a rapper. Brilliant synergy. So lots of different elements come into play.
What’s Next For KPOPPED?
Mama’s Geeky: I love this show. I’m hoping there’s more. Stray Kids would be cool. MONSTA X would be fun. Can I just give you a list of great groups to bring in? No, but seriously, would you want to do more?
Moira Ross: Yeah, definitely. I think it’s just the beginning. That’s definitely how we feel. There’s many more great collaborations to come. It’s endless. You can come to the next records.
Mama’s Geeky: Oh, my God. Absolutely.
KPOPPED Episode List:
- Megan Thee Stallion. Patti LaBelle. Billlie.
- Spice Girls (Emma & Mel B). ITZY.
- Vanilla Ice. Taylor Dayne. Kep1er.
- Eve. Kesha. JO1.
- Kylie Minogue. J Balvin. ATEEZ.
- Boy George. TLC. STAYC.
- Ava Max. Jess Glynne. KISS OF LIFE.
- Boyz II Men. BLACKSWAN.
KPOPPED will premiere globally on Friday, August 29, exclusively on Apple TV+.
NEXT: ATEEZ Rocks The Stage In LA Two Nights In A Row With In Your Fantasy 2025 Tour
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.