Former SM Entertainment CEO Launches New U.S.-Based K-Pop Company – Billboard

TITAN

Nikki Semin Han is back in business, leading TITAN CONTENT, a new U.S.-based K-pop specialist which has ambitions to disrupt the game.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, with studios there and in Seoul, TITAN is led by a leadership team that’s launched the likes of BoA, Girls’ Generation, SUPER JUNIOR, EXO, The Boyz, TWICE, ITZY and others.

Announced today (Nov. 28), TITAN’s founders and executive team includes K-pop luminaries Semin Han as chairman of the board; CEO Katie Kang; chief performance officer Lia Kim; chief visual officer Guiom Lee; and chief business officer Dom Rodriguez.

The soon-to-be-launched venture plans to manage artists, develop new K-pop groups, and, in time, produce a raft of music festivals. TITAN will also combine “traditional K-pop training and artist development with Web3 and metaverse innovation,” reads a statement, “ushering in a new era in music and entertainment.” First signings have not yet been revealed.

“Think of TITAN like the Avengers of the K-pop community joining forces to redefine the industry,” comments Semin Han. “With a proven record of elevating global superstars, TITAN’s founders and executives have played key roles in helping shape K-pop and making it a global lifestyle with passionate fans across the world.” Together, “we’re creating a company where artists thrive, fans come first, music takes center stage, and industry disruption reigns supreme.”

K-pop is, of course, riding a global wave. Taking into consideration ticket sales, streams and online chatter, few genres have blown-up quite like it. “It’s undeniable that the genre is having a big year in music,” declares Luminate in its Mapping Out K-Pop’s Global Dominance report. Global on-demand streams (audio and video) of K-pop music topped 90.4 billion in the year to date, up 42.2% from 2022. Japan leads the way with 9.7 billion, according to the report, followed by the U.S. at 9.2 billion.

“By connecting the East and the West, TITAN plans to lead the K-pop revolution on a global scale,” adds Kang. “Not only will we utilize our vast experience and expertise to develop and create beloved K-pop artists and brands, we will also push the industry forward through savvy Web3 disruption.”

TITAN’s initial seed round was led and closed by RW3 Ventures and Raptor Group with Dreamus Company serving as a co-lead investor. Co-investors include Animoca Ventures, Sfermion, Bell Partners AB, Heros Entertainment, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Scrum Ventures, Planetarium, and Avalanche.