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| Kublai Kwon, founder of Joy Ruckus Club / Courtesy of Kublai Kwon |
By Dong Sun-hwa
The late singer-songwriter, Shin Hae-chul (1968-2014), famed for his creativity and eclectic music covering assorted genres including rock and techno, was one of the pioneers of Korea's modern pop music. In the U.S., his Korean American cousin, Kublai Kwon, is now walking in his footsteps, blazing a trail in the Asian American music industry.
During his 20-year career as a concert promoter, Kwon's ultimate goal has always been to make the voices of Asian American artists heard in the country. In 2020, he launched the Joy Ruckus Club, which later grew into the world's largest Asian American virtual music festival, and began providing a platform for musicians to perform and speak. The "I Hate Being Hated" show, among many others, is one of Kwon's latest events that brought together artists of Asian descent, such as Tim Chantarangsu and Maliibu Miitch, to collect the proceeds to support "Stand With Asian Americans," a coalition of Asian Americans in culture and business.
"Asian Americans in the U.S. do not have enough voices or cultures," Kwon said during a recent interview with The Korea Times, answering why he decided to work for Asian Americans. "We feel we do not have anything of our own. To date, we mostly have been trying to fit into white and Black cultures by imitating them. But I believe now it is the time for us to be more visionary and strive to create our own culture ― otherwise, it would take another hundreds of years for us to have our unique things."
The toughest part of this job is the lack of support and funding, he says.
"For the last three to four months, there were a lot of fundraising campaigns for the Asian American movement to combat hate crimes ― triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic ― but it seems not even one dollar is going to Asian American artists," he said. "It appears to me that nobody actually wants to support them. In my case, I am planning to invite some 130 Asian artists for a music festival in August, but I am uncertain if I will be able to do so, given all the financial problems."
The global ascent of K-pop is helping him to some extent. If he overlaps with "bankable" K-pop when organizing a festival, he said he can get at least some funding from sponsors, who know that K-pop's huge global fan base will loosen their purse strings for the concerts. In fact, on June 19, Kwon is slated to present the K-POP SUPERFEST, featuring K-pop headliners including Rain, Jessi, The Boyz and Lovelyz. The event will be livestreamed in 194 countries.
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| K-pop stars including Ailee and AleXa are set to appear at K-POP SUPERFEST, June 19. Courtesy of the Joy Ruckus Club |
"The U.S. is more receptive these days, given that K-pop behemoth BTS is hitting high notes in the country," he said. "So I feel more hopeful now."
There are more reasons why he cannot give up pursuing his goal ― he feels a strong sense of responsibility for the people who have long been marginalized.
"If I stop here, what would the future of younger Asian Americans look like?" he asked. "Most Asian Americans could not enjoy the freedom or contribute to creating the new culture (as they were too busy making a living). But I was lucky to get a chance. This is why I feel like I have to give back, although numerous people are still telling me that I am wasting my time."
The greatest influence in his music career was his cousin Shin Hae-chul. Shin, dubbed the "Demon Lord" for his charismatic presence on stage, debuted in 1988 at the MBC Campus Music Festival and unleashed his talent by making hit songs in various genres, ranging from rock and jazz to traditional music. The singer of "What Do You Really Want" (1999) was also known for writing philosophical lyrics and expressing his voice for social justice.
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| Singer-songwriter Shin Hae-chul / Courtesy of KCA Entertainment |
"At first, I did not know he was an influence. But when I got older, I belatedly realized it could not be a coincidence that I have been doing a business in music and walking a path that very few Asian Americans have taken. Now, I am pretty sure that Shin is the main influence on why I am going in this direction," he said.
Kwon recalled that Shin could be a "difficult" person at times.
"Of all family members, I was like the only one who got along with him," he said. "Shin was like the head of his family who made the business decisions and I think that led him to face some conflicts with others. He often tried to skip family meetings."
But Kwon was the exception. To him, Shin was kind and caring.
"We were already close even before I started my career in music," Kwon said. "When I was younger, I visited Shin's house in Korea, but cried all day because I encountered a lot of problems as a non-Korean speaker. At that time, Shin took me aside and tried to comfort me using English. He was the only relative of my mine who reached out to me more personally and tried to understand why I was upset. From that time, we got closer."
After a few years, the two began interacting through music. In 2009, Kwon threw Shin's concert in Los Angeles. They were about to form a company together as well, but Shin's sudden death ― caused by medical malpractice ― put an end to everything. In 2014, Shin died five days after falling into a coma following a stomach reduction surgery. The doctor who carried out the operation was put behind bars for one year.
"I was supposed to meet him on the day he headed for the hospital due to a stomachache," Kwon said. "When I was first told that he was going to the hospital, I did not think it very seriously and that still bothers me… If I had taken it more seriously, I should have gone to the hospital. Maybe at the hospital, I could have stopped whatever happened.
"At the end of Shin's life, a lot of people abandoned him. I am not saying he did not deserve it ― he could be a difficult person. But singers like Yoon Do-hyun and PSY were around him until his end."
Wrapping up the interview, Kwon revealed why he decided to talk about Shin at this point. He said he wanted to defend the musician's legacy.
"Last year, I watched a news report that the singers under the roof of Big Hit Labels (HYBE), the management company behind BTS, paid tribute to Shin during a concert," he said, referring to a concert that took place on Dec. 31, 2020. During the gig, Big Hit's singers performed Shin's songs, such as "To You" (1991), with a lifelike hologram of Shin appearing in the background. But Kwon said he did not like the way how Shin was portrayed by the media.
"Many called him a legendary rock artist, but to me, that was not what he was," Kwon pointed out. "He did rock music, but he also pulled off many other genres. To me, he was the beginning of K-pop. I feel that before him, there was no K-pop. That is why he is such an important figure and possibly why BTS and the other K-pop stars paid tribute to him during the show last year. I hope people do not downplay Shin's significance and his contribution."
