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Tribune News Service

Between Las Vegas residencies, Super Bowl halftime gigs and countless collaborations, Anderson .Paak has directed the music videos of Leon Bridges, H.E.R. and Hailee Steinfeld.
Now, at 38, the California-born musician is making his feature directorial debut with K-Pops, in which he plays BJ, “the biggest undiscovered drummer frontman since Phil Collins”.
When BJ joins the house band of an idol competition series in Seoul, South Korea, he discovers that his long-lost son is one of its contestants.
The eight-time Grammy winner – who is of black and Korean heritage – co-wrote and produced the feelgood family comedy, which also stars Yvette Nicole Brown, Jonathan “Dumbfoundead” Park, Jee Young Han, Kevin Woo, Cathy Shim and .Paak’s son Soul Rasheed.

Here the first-time filmmaker talks about representing K-pop properly on-screen and sharing scenes with his son.
Where did the idea for K-Pops come from?
Since 2016, I’ve been away so much because I was constantly on tour. You leave with your kid in diapers, you come back and he’s so grown. It’s crazy how fast they grow up.
So when the pandemic hit, I got to just hang out with my kids in the house; my son and I made a bunch of funny little skits for YouTube. I saw how naturally funny and talented he was, and it was just so fun to do something together.
I’m also Korean, but I didn’t know much about my Korean culture until I met the mother of both of my children, who is fully Korean. A lot of times, I’d come in the house and everyone’s speaking Korean, eating kimchi and listening to K-pop.
Sometimes I felt like the odd man out.
Some people I met were pretty apprehensive about me directing and writing this, but that’s what I wanted to do. This whole thing was because I wanted to spend more time with my son, and I wanted to be there with him every step of the way.

A few scenes offer introductions to K-pop, like when characters outline the top groups throughout history or the elements of a hit group. Did you feel pressure to represent the genre properly?
Yes. And I realised how political it is, more political than gangsta rap music – like, you can’t have certain people working with each other!
I’m a big music history buff and my co-writer Khaila Amazan is a K-pop fanatic, and we wanted to break down some of the history and influences and tap into why these groups are so big.
He’s so versatile and agile and naturally charming; he doesn’t overthink things and just goes with his instincts
Anderson .Paak, on his son, Soul Rasheed
Every phenomenon in music comes full circle; what BTS was doing was so similar to what the Beatles and the Jackson 5 were doing.
The choreography, fashion, each member having their different personality – that’s the building blocks of a great group, from New Edition to New Kids on the Block.
I appreciate that scene at the record shop where BJ traces the roots of K-pop, and all music, to black culture – especially given the conversation about K-pop and cultural appropriation.
We had to develop that scene quite a bit and even had to reshoot it. What I wanted to get at is, if you love this genre or any genre, and especially if you’re trying to create something original, you need to go back and learn about where it comes from.
You’ll see the similarities, the derivatives, the unique takes that people all over the world put on different kinds of music.
I’m not trying to be disrespectful or anything but just to showcase that all these things are connected, and that people are able to make something new and create a phenomenon because there’s people who have done it before, they know how it works; it’s tried and true.
And what makes it so exciting is when people put their own spin on it. It’s not about tearing anyone down or saying anyone is taking from anyone; it’s just exploring the history and paying respect. And I wanted to do that in this movie in a fun way.

Your first lead acting role is opposite your now 13-year-old son, also in his first feature. How was he as a scene partner?
He’s so versatile and agile and naturally charming; he doesn’t overthink things and just goes with his instincts.
Part of why I wanted him to play this role is because I wanted the audience to feel what I felt when I was making those YouTube skits with him. But I also wanted him because he’s a real kid, not someone who’s been trained for years and all that stuff.
I was a little nervous that he might not want to do it because he’s got to wake up for these crazy call times, do choreography classes and really learn on the spot. Also, movies take so long to make.
He got older, and we had to adjust the script on certain things so it also made sense for him and could be something he could be proud of too. I didn’t want him to watch it, say it’s cringe, never want to do this again and really regret it.


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American cinema

Anderson .Paak (right) with his son Soul Rasheed at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

American musician and director Anderson .Paak at the world premiere of K-Pops, the comedy he directed, produced and acted in, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. He talks about exploring the history of K-pop, and why the project was about spending time with his son. Photo: AFP


.Paak performs in Toronto, Canada, in September 2024. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

.Paak and his son, Soul Rasheed, at the K-Pops premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

.Paak and Soul Rasheed on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival. .Paak says he wanted to star opposite his son because “he’s a real kid” without years of training. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP

How Hong Kong’s Albert Leung (Lin Xi) became one of Cantopop’s most loved lyricists

Albert Leung thanks the crowd for their support during the annual Ultimate Song Chart awards organised by Commercial Radio, in January 1999. Photo: SCMP

Cantopop lyricist Albert Leung (Lin Xi) at an interview with the Post in 2007. Leung has written lyrics for stars from Anita Mui to Leslie Cheung and Jacky Cheung. Photo: SCMP

Albert Leung (in grey shirt) photographed with other students in the annual Chinese Society meeting, in a photo from 1981/1982. Photo: Facebook

Leung receives the best original film song award from Cantonese opera superstar Hung Sin-nui (centre) at the 14th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Leung during an interview with the Post, at the Commercial Radio offices, in 1997. Photo: SCMP

Leung thanks the crowd for their support during the annual Ultimate Song Chart awards organised by Commercial Radio, in January 1999. Photo: SCMP

Leung (pictured here in 2020) moved to Taiwan in 2015. Photo: Facebook

Who is Kim Young-dae, the rising K-drama star of No Gain No Love and Perfect Family?

Kim Young-dae in a still from No Gain No Love.

Korean actor Kim Young-dae cemented his acting status in K-dramas Extraordinary You and The Penthouse. Now he stars in No Gain No Love, and Perfect Family, and has more projects in the works. Photo: Instagram/@youngdae0302

Kim in a still from No Gain No Love.

Kim in a still from Perfect Family.

Kim in a still from Extraordinary You (2018).

Kim in a still from Sh**ting Stars (2022).

Kim as King Lee Heon in a still from The Forbidden Marriage (2022).

Kim in a still from The Penthouse (2020).

Katseye, multinational K-pop girl group based in US, talk diversity and first Asia tour

K-pop group Katseye was formed through the TV audition programme The Debut: Dream Academy. Photo: Instagram/@katseyeworld

US-based Katseye, a K-pop girl group formed through reality-TV show The Debut: Dream Academy, are a multnational outfit with only one Korean member. Photo: Instagram/@katseyeworld

The members of Katseye are from the US, Switzerland, the Philippines and South Korea. Photo: Instagram / @katseyeworld

Katseye are embarking on an Asian tour. Photo: Instagram/@katseyeworld

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

The musician shares what he learned about his Korean roots directing his first film, and how his son’s YouTube skits earned him a role in it


The musician shares what he learned about his Korean roots directing his first film, and how his son’s YouTube skits earned him a role in it.


K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop

South Korea

Cinema