K-pop Panel with Singing Beetle, 1VERSE, and Dr. Dafna Zur

This interactive forum on K-pop fandom culture offers insights into issues of diversity and sustainability in the K-pop industry. Hear from Michelle Cho, CEO of music publishing company Singing Beetle; members of emerging K-pop group 1VERSE; and Stanford professor Dr. Dafna Zur about some of the challenges facing the industry, as well as future directions of Korean popular music in general. Audience members are invited to share their thoughts on building a healthier environment for both fandoms and artists.  

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  Michelle Cho

  Michelle Cho is co-founder and CEO of Singing Beetle, a music publishing company aiming to create a healthy community for artists to fill the world with great music. Michelle joined SM Entertainment after studying Education policy at Harvard University. As an international A&R, she facilitated global partnerships and introduced industry-defining producers and songwriters to K-pop, including LDN Noise, Adrian McKinnon, Louise Frick Sveen, and more. After SM, she became a songwriter herself, writing songs for artists like Baekhyun, Kai, Queendom Puzzle, and more. She also continues to provide creative A&R service to artists and songwriters. She is currently developing her own K-pop band with a strong inclusivity and diversity theme, 1VERSE. 

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  Nathan

  Nathan is the first K-pop idol to come from the state of Arkansas. He is a self-taught dancer and  songwriter who accumulated more than 400K social media followers before joining 1VERSE. He is passionate about Marvel movies, Roblox games, and graphic design. 

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  Dr. Dafna Zur

  Dafna Zur is an associate professor of Korean literature and culture in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University. Her first book, Figuring Korean Futures: Children’s Literature in Modern Korea, explores the contradictory political and social visions made possible by children’s literature in colonial and postcolonial Korea. She has published widely on North Korean popular science, science fiction, literature, cinema, children’s poetry and music, and popular culture. Her upcoming book explores the relationship between literary forms and content in the transition from colonial to postwar divided Korea. Every summer, Prof. Zur directs The Korean Language Village, a K-12 immersion program in Minnesota for Korean language learners of all backgrounds and levels.