Broadway’s ‘KPOP’ Musical Getting Official Cast Recording Album: Exclusive
Written by djfrosty on December 1, 2022
KPOP only just held its opening night on Broadway earlier this week, but the brand-new musical is ready to unveil the exciting details of its official cast recording.
Next year, listeners worldwide will be able to bring the musical into their daily lives with the release of the KPOP – Original Broadway Cast Recording album via Sony Masterworks Broadway. After being in development since premiering Off-Broadway in 2017, KPOP finally made its Broadway debut this month at the Circle in the Square Theatre shining the spotlight on Korean culture and Korean, Korean-American, and overall AAPI representation on and off the stage.
The KPOP show also features K-pop stars including Luna (of girl group f(x) in the lead role as singer MwE), Kevin Woo (from U-KISS playing the leader of KPOP boy band F8), Min (from miss A who plays Riya in girl group RTMIS) and BoHyung (a member of SPICA and the vocal duo KEEMBO who plays Tiny D in RTMIS).
While the show features music, lyrics, production and arrangements by Helen Park, as well as music and lyrics by Max Vernon, the cast recording album will feature production by Harvey Mason Jr.
On his own and as one-half of the production duo The Underdogs, Harvey Mason Jr. has been close to the K-pop scene for years. The current CEO of the Recording Academy has produced hit K-pop singles like Girls’ Generation‘s “Mr.Mr.,” EXO‘s “Overdose,” BoA‘s “CAMO” and NCT 127‘s “Limitless.”
“I am such a fan of this music and this musical,” Mason Jr. says in a press release statement. “Having worked in the K-pop music space for over a decade, finally experiencing the music live on a Broadway stage has been so exciting. With the popularity and impact of this music, it’s the perfect time for the KPOP show and the cast album.”
With the mix of celebs living the real K-pop experience alongside seasoned and fresh Broadway talent, KPOP has stood out for its genuine attempt to approach the pressure, sacrifices and joy within the industry putting South Korea on the global-music map. Directed by Teddy Bergman, KPOP also features a book written by Jason Kim (who’s written on Girls), choreographer Jennifer Weber (The Hip Hop Nutcracker and & Juliet) and associate choreographer MJ Choi (founder and director of I Love Dance studio).
The KPOP – Original Broadway Cast Recording will drop on Feb. 24, 2023, via Sony Masterworks Broadway and is available for pre-order now.
KPOP‘s full cast recently performed the number “This Is My Korea” live on Good Morning America and released the song digitally ahead of KPOP’s official opening: