Looks like Jaden Smith is going to be the latest artist to jump into K-Pop.
And Yes I Will Be Dropping A K Pop Single In The Next 4 Months.
— Jaden (@jaden) April 20, 2017
And Yes I Have 2 Videos Dropping In The Next Month. #Syre #Batman #WatchMe
— Jaden (@jaden) April 20, 2017
The hugely popular style, which originated in South Korea in the early-90s, is typified by its use of electronic instruments and audio-visual elements in videos and performances.
The man credited with getting the scene started is South Korean pop impresario Lee Soo-man. Rather than hosting talent shows like Western counterpart Simon Cowell, Lee’s system relies on recruiting very young singers and dancers who are then put through years of rigorous training before being forged into groups.
His first major successes were late Nineties boy group H.O.T. and girl group S.E.S., who are credited with sparking the ‘Idol craze’ for manufactured pop groups. H.O.T. had a hit back in 1997 with the presciently titled ‘We Are The Future’:
Read NME’s Beginner’s Guide to K-Pop
It’s not the first time Smith has expressed an interest in K-Pop. Posting on Twitter last December, he said he wanted to conquer the genre in 2017, and declared bona-fide K-Pop superstar G-Dragon was his inspiration after meeting in Paris last year.
I Just Wanna Be A K Pop Star
— Jaden (@jaden) December 20, 2016
I'm Serious I Actually Wanna Be A K Pop Star.
— Jaden (@jaden) December 21, 2016
People See Me And Ask Me If I Wanna Be A K Pop Star As If I Haven't Made My Goals For 2017 Clear.
— Jaden (@jaden) December 29, 2016
Earlier this year, he ranted on social media after failing his driving test.
The actor and sometime-rapper posted a live video to Instagram (which also made it briefly onto the Auc Hot Spot YouTube channel), where he shared his reaction to failing the test while still in a car at a Department of Motor Vehicles centre in LA.
“It’s going to be so funny to tell my dad that I’ve failed straight up,” he said, referring to his father Will Smith. Jaden then revealed that he was looking to move away from Los Angeles, claiming that “there’s a lot of bad things here.”
“Create the life that you want for yourself. Everybody follow your heart, you know what I’m saying? Do exactly what you want to do, be who you want to be. Don’t try to be somebody else. It’s hard these days to really create the life you want for yourself because there’s nobody really here that’s like supporting the youth or the youth’s creativity.”
Smith is currently filming Life In A Year with Cara Delevingne.