BLACKSWAN in rehearsal in “K-Pop Idols”
Courtesy of AppleTV+
Raw ‘K-Pop Idols’ Apple TV+ Series: ‘This Is Some Next Level Sh–‘ (Trailer Premiere)
Written by djfrosty on August 19, 2024
The trailer for the six-part Apple TV+ documentary series K-Pop Idols has arrived, and it’s premiering exclusively on Billboard below.
Set for its global unveiling at the end of the month, the first-of-its-kind series offers an unprecedented and refreshing glimpse into the high-stakes, high-pressure world of K-pop while following the lives of Korean-American rapper-singer Jessi, chart-topping boy band CRAVITY, and global girl group BLACKSWAN navigating the intense realities of the industry.
With raw storytelling reminiscent of the honesty felt in 2012’s illuminating K-pop doc 9 Muses of Star Empire, the upcoming series follows the idols as they confront their careers’ euphoric highs and harsh lows. The K-Pop Idols trailer shows Jessi tearfully recounting her experience of being stranded outside during her European tour, while Allen of CRAVITY discusses the grueling schedules that leave K-pop idols sleep-deprived. BLACKSWAN’s Fatou shares the difficulty of not seeing her family for years and her bandmate Gabi tearfully questions her place in her girl group.
Filming took place across multiple countries, including the United States, South Korea, France, Belgium, Germany and Cambodia, capturing the global scope of the K-pop phenomenon and helping to resonate with both dedicated fans and a broader audience for a narrative that reveals the too rarely seen vulnerable sides of the stars that remain at the heart of the rapidly rising music scene.
Trending on Billboard
“With K-Pop Idols, our goal was to pull back the curtain on the highly competitive world of K-pop and reveal the human stories behind the stars,” said executive producer Elise Chung, who executive produced Bling Empire. “This series is a tribute to the relentless passion and perseverance of artists like Jessi, CRAVITY and BLACKSWAN who are shaping the future of music on a global scale. We’re excited for viewers to experience the challenges, victories and everything in between that comes with chasing a dream as big as becoming a K-pop idol.”
K-Pop Idols was produced for Apple TV+ by Matador Content, a subsidiary of Boat Rocker whose work includes shows like ABC’s Boy Band, Paramount’s Lip Sync Battle (Paramount Network) and Vice’s What Would Diplo Do? An Emmy Award-winning team contributed to the project including Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry executive producers Todd Lubin and Jay Peterson, as well as Chung, Jack Turner (Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields producer), Sue Kim (The Speed Cubers director), Bradley Cramp (Lord of War) and Eric Yujin Kim (Undoing). Fans can also look forward to famous friends of the different artists making cameos in the series too.
Apple TV+ will exclusively stream K-Pop Idols, set to premiere globally on Aug. 30. Take a look at the trailer and new photos until then.
Jessi with her family in “K-Pop Idols”
Courtesy of AppleTV+
BLACKSWAN in “K-Pop Idols”
Courtesy of AppleTV+