Megan Thee Stallion. Patti LaBelle. Kylie Minogue. Two-fifths of the Spice Girls. These are just a smattering of the multiplatinum sellers in the all-singing, all-dancing trailer for KPOPPED, which, honestly, looked epic. If I had been reviewing this new Lionel Richie-produced singing contest based on those 109 seconds alone – complete with roaring stage pyrotechnics and Megan performing a K-pop version of her smash hit Savage – it would have been an easy five stars.
Sadly, the series that follows isn’t quite as irresistible. Each of the eight episodes sticks tightly to the same format: an established Korean boy or girlband is split in two, with each half paired with a different “western” solo artist to reimagine one of the guest’s hits. They then perform said cover together, along with military-precision dance moves. At the end of each episode, a studio audience decides which song was “kpopped” the most effectively (exact metrics aren’t provided, but it essentially boils down to “which is the most up-tempo, and maybe a little menacing to boot”). Where bands like Boyz II Men are involved, the show forgoes having two guest artists, and each group just performs twice (once with each half of the Korean outfit), effectively competing against itself. I know, I know, it doesn’t make sense. Take that up with Apple.
