Singer Park Jin-young greets attendees at a pre-press conference for CJ ENM's LA MAMA Awards, held at a hotel near the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, Thursday. / Courtesy of CJ ENM

Singer and producer Park Jin-young emphasized the need for continued efforts to promote K-pop in the U.S., saying, “K-pop is spreading in the U.S., but to be honest, it hasn't yet reached the mainstream. That's why we need to keep holding events like this to appeal to the general public.”

Park, who is better known as J.Y. Park, made the remarks during a press conference for the 2024 MAMA Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 21 (local time).

The MAMA Awards, which will begin at 7 p.m. local time, marks a historic moment as the first-ever K-pop awards show to be held on U.S. soil. Taking place at the iconic Dolby Theatre, the event is also the first time the MAMA Awards has ventured outside Asia since its inception 25 years ago.

Park, who celebrates his 30th anniversary in the music industry this year, is set to perform a special collaborative performance on-stage with Grammy-winning artist Anderson .Paak at the awards. Reflecting on the significance of the event, he described performing on a K-pop stage in the heart of the U.S. as "incredibly special."

He recalled the early 2000s when attempts to break into the U.S. market were still in their infancy. "At the time, there was only a small chance of success, but I met many people with seemingly impossible dreams of spreading Korean culture globally," Park said, mentioning Lee Mi-kyung, vice chairwoman of CJ Group and a longtime friend of 30 years.

"Twenty years later, she won an Academy Award for the CJ ENM-backed film "Parasite" (2019), and our artists (from JYP Entertainment) topped the Billboard charts. Our dreams became a reality," Park said. "For me to now perform at a show created by her, here in Los Angeles, is incredibly meaningful."

Park Jin-young, left, and Park Chan-wook, head of CJ ENM's Convention Business Division, pose at a pre-press conference for CJ ENM's LA MAMA Awards, Thursday. Courtesy of CJ ENM

K-pop's ongoing journey in US

Park said that K-pop is still in the process of establishing itself in the U.S. market. "K-pop has evolved for years to break into overseas markets, and many artists have worked hard in this space. But this is the first year that the MAMA Awards is truly rooting itself in the U.S. market," he said, describing the event as a "complex, challenging and bold undertaking."

Park highlighted the importance of hosting K-pop award shows in the U.S. to raise awareness among the general public. "The average American still doesn't fully understand what K-pop is or its true beauty," he said. "K-pop isn't yet a familiar name here, but our ultimate goal is to diversify our audience base to include everyday Americans."

CJ ENM's Convention Business Division head Park Chan-wook also expressed pride in the event's significance. "The MAMA Awards' first U.S. venue is the Dolby Theatre, where the Academy Awards are held every year," he said. "By being the first-ever K-pop awards show to enter the U.S., the world's largest music market, we're writing a new chapter in the 25-year history of MAMA."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.