SM Entertainment unveiled its first British K-pop boy band, Dear Alice, at a press conference in London on Thursday, in collaboration with London-based entertainment company Moon&Back Media.
The new British boy band consists of five members: 19-year-old Blaise Noon, 22-year-old Dexter Greenwood, 23-year-old James Sharp and 20-year-old Oliver Quinn and Reese Carter.
The band members trained in Korea, learning to become K-pop artists under SM Entertainment. Their 100-day journey in Seoul will be aired in a six-part TV series called “Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience” on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this August.
The specific dates of the TV series’ release will be disclosed in the near future.
“Training at SM has been an incredible journey for all of us,” Greenwood said during the press conference. “Everyone at SM and in Korea has been so supportive and it was a new experience for all of us.”
“My aunt is a huge K-pop fan and actually runs a fan page, so she provided me with a lot of information,” said Sharp, the eldest among the members. He also revealed that his favorite band is Riize.
Carter, who performed on cruise ships, also expressed his thoughts on the K-pop industry.
“I visited Korea last year and traveled to various cities around the world while working as a dancer on a cruise ship,” he said. “Through these experiences, I realized that the K-pop industry has a massive infrastructure. I could feel the influence of K-pop everywhere I went.”
Dear Alice will begin its activities as a band, starting with the series’ release. It plans to target not only Britain but also the global music market, according to the agency.
The two entertainment companies had separate roles in making the band, with Moon&Back Media casting the band members and SM Entertainment providing K-pop-related tips such as producing music, music videos and choreography.
Moon&Back Media was established by producer Nigel Hall, known for TV shows including “The X Factor” (2004-18) and “Britain’s Got Talent” (2007-), James Grant Media Group co-founder Russ Lindsay and TV content expert and former CEO of Getty Images Dawn Airey.
BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]
