All-Student K-Pop Bands Debut at K-Pop & Beyond Summit The diversity of the artists involved in the collaborative K-Pop Idol project, which developed the two groups, reveals the growth of the Hallyu community at Berklee.
By
Daniel Pesquera
October 9, 2024
Students from X-change and B-Girls, two groups formed out of the K-Pop Idol Project, pose at Berklees 2024 fall K-Pop & Beyond Summit.
Dave Green
In a packed David Friend Recital Hall, with top-level industry professionals in attendance, two student K-pop groups took the stage for the first time. Berklee's 2024 fall K-Pop & Beyond marked the debut of X-Change and B-Girls, who each gave electric performances representing the culmination of the student-driven K-Pop Idol Project.
The K-Pop Idol Project was conceived by students under the guidance of Dr. Ray Seol, assistant professor of professional music and organizer of K-Pop & Beyond. It brings together artists of different cultural and musical backgrounds to envision and create a K-pop band from scratch. Students lead every aspect of the group's formation and development-from auditions, songwriting, and video production to choreography, marketing, and social media management-with the goal of making a K-pop group that reflects the values of today's aspiring industry professionals.
X-Change is a mixed-gender group featuring Dasom Chung, Chrisen Yang, Mingxin Li, and Dolly Zhang as performing members and Kyra Clark and Madi Cores Sailer as directors. Their distinctive original music and choreography celebrates Gen Z culture and lifestyle while embracing foundational elements of the new wave of K-pop.
I am so honored to be a part of something so unique. This project holds a lot of personal meaning to me as it had always been a long time dream to be a K-pop idol, said Chung, who is the casting team lead, choreographer, and performer for X-Change. As I aged out with not many opportunities to pursue this in the States, this project is the closest I've ever gotten to something like it. It immensely aligns with my future job prospects as I am very much into dance and choreography, and getting to choreograph for this group is a great continuing step towards roles.
From left to right: Chrisen Yang, Dolly Zhang, Dasom Chung, and Mingxin Li of the K-pop Idol group X-change make their debut performance at Berklees 2024 fall K-Pop & Beyond.
Dave Green
B-Girls (Berklee Girls) is a dynamic K-pop trio that takes inspiration from the trailblazing K-pop girl groups of the '90s like S.E.S. and Fin.K.L. Made up of vocalists Bronwyn Shae Zoppelt, Veronica Leong, and Sofia Shkidchenko and directed by Christine Lee and Hyeri Han, the group's electrifying remixes and original tracks blend nostalgic vibes with a modern Gen Z flair to create a fresh sound. Guest rapper Samad Grays joined the B-Girls for their K-Pop & Beyond performance.
Im a Ukrainian singer-songwriter and I love exploring different genres of music, said Shkidchenko. I got into K-pop when I was around 12. Before that I hated taking dance classes, but after watching K-pop choreographies I started appreciating dance. The songs also helped me widen my musical interests.
With students from the two teams representing South Korea, China, Ukraine, Germany, Canada, Macau, and the United States, the cultural and artistic diversity within the Idol project is a powerful reflection of the rapid growth of the Hallyu community at Berklee over the last several years.
K-pop is one of the best examples of how a once-peripheral culture can be celebrated globally, said Seol. Understanding the significance of local culture is key to arts education, and K-pop offers everything you'd want to learn at a music college-from music production to technology and business. In my K-pop course, only one or two students are Korean, yet the non-Korean students demonstrate a deep passion for K-pop and Korean culture. I believe this is a very positive phenomenon that can catalyze the discovery of other local cultures with the potential to become the next global icons.
From left to right: Bronwyn Zoppelt, Sofia Shkidchenko, and Veronica Leong, known as B-Girls (Berklee Girls), making their debut performance at K-Pop & Beyond.
Dave Green
2024 fall K-Pop & Beyond is the latest in a series of events that have brought major artists and industry professionals to Berklee. This year's summit featured accomplished K-pop producer and artist Jae Chong, who was a member of the '90s K-pop group Solid and the first Korean-American nominated for producer of the year at the Golden Melody Awards. Previous events have welcomed songwriter and producer KENZIE '99, SM Entertainment CEO Chris Lee, and Nuel Always Cho, chief creative officer of Muzlive and a former executive at Sony, Universal, and Warner Music.
We are thrilled to witness young artists from diverse backgrounds embracing and contributing to the Hallyu wave, said representatives of the CJ Cultural Foundation, a key educational partner and cosponsor of the annual K-pop summit at Berklee since 2022. This collaboration not only highlights the universal appeal of Korean culture but also underscores the significant role the K-pop industry plays in the global music landscape. It is through these shared cultural experiences that we hope to inspire a new generation of artists to innovate and transcend boundaries.
Jae Chong from the 90sK-pop group Solid was the featured guest at the 2024 fall K-Pop & Beyond event.
Dave Green
The K-pop influence at Berklee has stretched well beyond the Boston campus. With the support of CJ Cultural Foundation and CJ ENM, students from Boston Conservatory at Berklee's contemporary and commercial dance programs have performed at KCON LA, the world's largest convention for Korean culture and music, since 2022.
I wasnt at all prepared
North America Stories
26/03/2026
Nationals.TV, the Washington Nationals' local broadcast channel, is now avai...
26/03/2026
Starting Thursday, March 26, MLB.TV will be available on the ESPN App, giving fans access to more than 2,000 out-of-market regular season games. Fans can also r...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
25/03/2026
Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony features in top 10 programmes of the month...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Providing wide view timing visibility across the entire production chain...
25/03/2026
Continuing development drives advances in security, availability, access and connectivity...
25/03/2026
Caudalie, the renowned French cosmetics brand, has unveiled a state-of-the-art 200-seat auditorium at its new headquarters in the historic Marais district of ce...
25/03/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced expanded integration with Adobe Premiere, Adobe Media Encoder (AME), and Frame.io, d...
25/03/2026
Marshall Electronics is expanding its lineup of high-performance POV cameras designed for broadcast, live production and professional AV applications with the d...
25/03/2026
OOONA, a global provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, announced today that it has been awarded the TPN G...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
All-Student K-Pop Bands Debut at K-Pop & Beyond Summit The diversity of the artists involved in the collaborative K-Pop Idol project, which developed the two groups, reveals the growth of the Hallyu community at Berklee.
