Elise Krentzel’s fast paced memoir “Under My Skin: Drama, Trauma & Rock ‘n’ Roll” earned #1 on Amazon in new releases in all these categories: Biographies of Rock Bands, Music Business, Rock, Composers & Musicians, LGBT Travel and Jewish Life. Elise shares how she took charge of the tumultuous 1970s by making a name for herself while still a teenager as a rock journalist. As a kid, she was encouraged by her parents to sing, play music, and write, but she wasn’t allowed to be “herself.” Alienated, she hid her heart and learned to become a stranger in her own skin as the torment of early childhood taught her to mistrust everyone, especially herself.
As an adolescent traveling in Europe, she came to realize there was more to life than sex, money, and fame. With newly instilled vigor and drive, Elise set out to break her toxic cycles, determined to become someone people would notice.
At 19 years old—the youngest journalist on the KISS Japan Tour—she negotiated a plum job with one of the biggest players in the Japanese music industry, desperately trying to fill the gaping hole left by feeling unheard and unloved by those she depended on most: her family.
Spanning three continents and twenty years, Under My Skin tells the story of a street-smart, vulnerable Jewish girl from the Bronx and how she changed her life, forever.
Music is a great and powerful connector. There’s nothing quite like hearing the palpable and electric connection between musicians in an inspired performance or feeling an intrinsic connection to a song that causes your emotions to take flight. Making that connection happen on his new recording is acclaimed Canadian pianist and singer Michael Kaeshammer with live-off-the-floor performances on his joyful and inspired new album, The Warehouse Sessions set for world-wide release on October 7, 2022.
A delectable concoction of funky soul, gospel revival and rollicking boogie-woogie, The Warehouse Sessions showcases the fine-tuned prowess of a trio that has spent countless hours together on stage and off, honing their musical connection. Not wanting that connection to dissipate, Kaeshammer, bassist David Piltch and drummer Johnny Vidacovich gathered at Bryan Adams’ famed Warehouse Studio in Vancouver to capture their unique symbioses together in more permanent form.
A lost-in-the-moment capture of the multi-JUNO and WCMA winner and his hot trio, the punchy lead-off single “You’ve Got It In Your Soulness” is a lovingly reverent but progressive take on the Les McCann jazz-soul song that first appeared on McCann’s and trumpet player Eddie Harris’ 1969 Grammy nominated live album Swiss Movement.
“The concept was simple,” reflects Kaeshammer. “Let’s call a tune and then, let’s record it. These are all first takes, loose and energetic.”
That approach has made The Warehouse Sessions a collection that is imbued with an immediacy and excitement that’s apparent from the first notes of “You’ve Got It In Your Soulness”, through the trio’s engaging takes on other classics like “Ain’t She Sweet”, “Down By The Riverside” and “Bourbon Street Parade”. All songs that “show a group having so much fun it’s infectious” says JAZZ.FM91’s Brad Barker, who wrote the album liner notes. “It’s simply three friends finding joy in making music for each other and we all get to crash the party.”
A mélange of styles masterfully conveyed is a hallmark of Kaeshammer’s versatility and inclusive approach to making music. Throughout decades as a professional performer first in Germany and then Canada after making Vancouver Island his family home, the double JUNO winner has interwoven elements of classical, jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, stride, and even pop into his signature brand of music.
“When I play, I don’t worry about if it’s jazz or pop or classical or whatever; I just play what I hear and let the music decide what it wants to be,” Kaeshammer explains. “Sure, there are different styles, different eras, different approaches, but when you really look at it, it’s all just music based on 12 notes.”
Sure, you can always distill music down to those 12 simple notes but, the wondrous art you can build them into is the magic. On The Warehouse Sessions and all the music he’s released since his 1996 debut album Blue Keys, Kaeshammer displays his keen handle on creating that art for all of us to enjoy.
He’s definitely got it in his soulness.
Canadian Tour Dates
November 9, 2022 deCoste Centre Pictou NS
November 10, 2022 St. Xavier University Antigonish NS
November 11, 2022 Le Moulin de la Baie Saulnierville NS
November 12, 2022 Acadia University Wolfville NS
November 13, 2022 Chester Playhouse Chester NS
November 16, 2022 Capitol Theatre Moncton NB
November 17, 2022 Playhouse Theatre Fredericton NB
November 18, 2022 Shenkman Art Centre Ottawa ON
November 19, 2022 Ctr for the Performing Arts Burlington ON
November 20, 2022 Charles W. Stockey Centre Parry Sound ON
November 22, 2022 Meaford Art Centre Meaford ON
November 23, 2022 Wolf Performance Hall London ON
November 24, 2022 Flato Markham Theatre Markham ON
November 25, 2022 Grand Theatre Kingston ON
November 26, 2022 West End Cultural Centre Winnipeg MB
November 27, 2022 The Bassment Saskatoon SK
November 28, 2022 Enmax Centre Lethbridge AB
November 30, 2022 Song Sparrow Hall Salmon Arm BC
December 1, 2022 Venables Theatre Oliver BC
December 2, 2022 Performing Arts Centre Vernon BC
December 3, 2022 Massey Centre New Westminster BC
December 4, 2022 Kay Meek Theatre Vancouver BC
December 5, 2022 Mary Winspear Centre Sidney BC
December 6, 2022 Mary Winspear Centre Sidney BC
“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for everything,” the adage goes. And this Maritimer with a song in her heart, Erika Kulnys, is calling on us all to “Stand Together” with the release of her new single — available now.
Fiercely described as an “ingenious activist zeal combined with the poetic skepticism of Leonard Cohen”, Kulnys is no stranger to embracing the vulnerability of the human condition. As a singer songwriter, she consistently uses her voice, agility in songwriting, and world-class musicianship to shine a spotlight on what is lacking today.
Continuing to be fearless in her approach to tackling what’s broken, soothing audiences with her powerful voice that calls us to action, Kulnys entreats us to rise up and tackle change as a global movement in “Stand Together.”
Hoping to raise awareness about the embargo on Cuba with the song’s video, the visual component to the track provides a slideshow of Kulnys with her loved ones — people caring for people, standing up to adversity, and standing together.
“This is a song started in Cuba, finished in Germany, recorded in the USA, and produced in Canada,” Kulnys explains. “It is about ending the torture, internment and subjugation of refugees and migrants, and creating a culture that recognizes our common humanity over national borders.”
Ultimately, “Stand Together” asks us to remember we are all members of a global family. “Let peace rise!” she coos on the melody.
The song arrives as the second single — and title track — from her recently released album; the first, her lead song “My Choice,” became a battle cry for women’s reproductive rights.
Kulnys’ passion and commitment to social change flows across each melody of the Stand Together album. Criss-crossing the globe to weave together the music, the album leans into its international roots and features Spanish songs and international players.
The world is taking notice; Kulnys was awarded the Canadian Voice of Women’s National award alongside El Jones for her cultural contribution toward peace. Rise Up found itself in the Top 10 on both Canadian and US charts, and her accolades include a $25,000 Watson Fellowship to study social justice music in seven countries.
In the dim of the night, and on the eve of despair for global inequity and generations growing up in war and adversity, Erika Kulnys’ vocal prowess and extraordinary songwriting offer solace and inspiration in a world begging for help. Never one to shy away from expressing her world justice views while singing for a better tomorrow, Erika Kulnys releases this song supporting refugees and migrants in hopes that people will take action.
Coming from a family fleeing violence and persecution in World War II, Stand Together is Erika’s personal testament to her mother and grandmother. Her grandmother was a refugee to Colombia, and her Colombian mother an immigrant to the USA, and then Canada.
Stay tuned for Erika’s upcoming singles, Other Side of the World, Sirena en la Playa, Fantasma, and Streets of Montreal by subscribing to her YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/erikakulnys
What we can do is listen and learn. And then, rise up and “Stand Together.”
Delivered with an enticingly toxic swagger that lures even the most stringent, Umbe B’s newest single “Champions” is a cut-throat declaration of success and breakthroughs.
“Champions” is a hard-hitting Latin/trap banger that pays homage to Umbe B’s Cuban heritage and musical passions. Inspired by the city of Toronto and its iconic sports teams, Umbe B aims to put his name on the list of teams who have fought for a championship – and ultimately made it.
Umbe B reflects on the voracity of his newest single; “I’m setting the stage for my own victory: to become the next champion – the King of Latin Music in Canada.”
“Champions” describes the struggle of getting to the top through hardships – and the feeling of gratification when you achieve a particular goal. Umbe B’s sharp lyricism is laced with personal struggles, conveying his ambitions to be identified as the King of the North for urban Latin music in Toronto. Piercing cadence delivers a fiery flow that compliments Umbe B’s musical goals perfectly.
Ultimately, “Champions” is an underdog story preaching the significance of perseverance and resolve when it comes to pulling yourself out of a bad situation – regardless of the price. The song champions that hard work leads to success – and often requires sacrifice to become the best.
Umbe B is a Latin artist who was born in Alamar, Cuba. Faced with the hardships of growing up during an embargo, Umbe B found the value of family very early on. Despite growing up in areas with high levels of crime, Umbe B never strayed from the importance of family and friends, using that to bolster him as he worked his way into a better situation.
Despite migrating to Canada in October 2019, Umbe B’s music career has been going hard since 2013, when he founded an urban Cuban music group named Los Extraterrestres. Focusing on creating subgenres of urban music while innovating around the dance scene in Cuba, the group found great success across the island.
During this time, he would work as a backstage dancer for one of the most popular Cuban music groups, Gente De Zona. He would find the courage and affirmation to pursue his music career and fulfill his dreams after receiving the personal endorsement of Jacob Forever, a member of Gente De Zona.
In 2016, Los Extraterrestres were nominated for one of Cuba’s most renowned music shows, Los Lucas, where they were spotted and hired by a European show and promotion company to perform in 3 venues during the summer festival in Ibiza and Majorca.
From there, things slowed down a bit for Umbe B until 2018 when he began his solo career, focusing his music more on the trap and hip-hop genres, which sparked some controversy among a handful of top artists and directors in Cuba. After his band mates migrated to Europe and the rising controversy surrounding Umbe B’s productions, he decided to move to Canada.
Umbe B’s music can most accurately be summed up as a mix of Latin reggaeton, dembow, and dancehall sounds – all perfectly intertwined with trap elements made popular in Western music. Umbe B uses his passion for these genres as a springboard for his love for Cuba to tell stories based on personal experiences – both in Canada and Cuba.
Umbe B is set to release his first solo studio album this year.
With the past, present, and future in full view, out of Guelph, Ontario—the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, First Nation of the Anishinabeek Peoples—comes Métis singer/songwriter Steve Neville with his most vulnerable performance yet on a song about the silent company we sometimes need on the melancholy new single “Please Don’t Say A Word” — available now.
As if the COVID pandemic wasn’t enough, Steve Neville suddenly became incredibly sick and was subsequently diagnosed with leukemia in February 2021. Neville’s emotional tale on “Please Don’t Say A Word” comes from the solemn new album “Off Track,” a record that poignantly documents his life-threatening illness and leads audiences through his perilous journey to recovery.
All the more stressful as he thinks about his partner’s future and the life of their newborn son. The feeling of leaving behind a newborn is captured on the B-side single “Forever Yours,” also off the new record.
The album “Off Track” captures the treacherous nature of Neville’s experience with chemotherapy and stem cell transplant and the uncertainty of the future.
“Throughout the album, there are moments when I slip between states of lucidity – moments where I’m awake and fully aware of my situation and other times when I feel caught between dreams and nightmares about my past, present, and future,” says Neville.
While the subject matter can seem heavy, the rhythmic composition of the record compliments the sense of hope that arises from such a harrowing experience. As Neville puts it, “Ultimately, the album is about moving on in life and accepting that maybe there’s something bright and beautiful beyond the horizon of what initially feels like an accursed departure.”
“Please Don’t Say A Word” is a song that focuses on the contemplative nature of life-altering events and the need for companionship through hard times, but more specifically, about the appreciation of silent company. “When I was going through cancer treatment, it felt burdensome at times to constantly narrate to others what I was going through. Sometimes I didn’t feel like talking and explaining how I felt or how I was coping with everything.”
Neville explains that the high-energy support of friends and family was vital to his recovery effort, but he benefited greatly from the quieter moments with loved ones. “I did a lot of personal reflection and soul searching during this time, and it helped me deal with a lot of difficult thoughts and feelings concerning my past, present, and future.”
Neville would fully recover after multiple rounds of chemotherapy before receiving a stem cell transplant in May last year from his sister, Jacquie.
Originally born in Ottawa, Neville belongs to the historic Georgian Bay Métis and Environs community, where many of his relatives still reside. The gift of music has been a part of Neville’s life, having studied both popular and classical music at the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy and the University of Ottawa. Neville would form The Balconies with his sister, a band that would bring them throughout North America and across the pond to the UK and Europe, opening for bands like City & Color, Bad Religion, Sloan, Our Lady Peace, July Talk and more.
Neville now takes his act solo with a renewed sense of life. “The music is dedicated to everyone who has been touched by cancer, be it patients, survivors, friends, family, and healthcare providers.”
Dany Horovitz provides a harrowing visual on his latest release “Downward Into The Dark.”
“This song has a different feel to a lot of my other songs. There is the subject matter, which is not my normal songwriting style. I don’t really do news-oriented or protest songs, but also, we added strings to create different effects and add emotional depth,” Horovitz says. And he delivers.
“A thousand bodies buried shallow, never deep,” he begins. It’s a line that sets the tone for the entire track. Horovitz is ready to sing the truth – no matter how uncomfortable the truth in the lyrics makes you feel.
“For more than a century, an estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were taken away from their parents and communities to isolate them from their past,” says Horovitz, adding, “Canada is a wonderful place to live for a lot of reasons, but this will forever be a great blemish on our history.”
As Canadians have reeled to accept the atrocities committed against Indigenous children from the latter of the 1800s until well into the 20th century in Catholicism-led residential schools, the country has been thrust into the international spotlight. Horovitz felt compelled to lend his voice.
“Downward Into The Dark” is an indie rock anthem – melancholy in its melody, haunting in its delivery. A shocking bridge including pieces of “The Lord’s Prayer” drives home Horovitz’s message.
“I really hope that Canadians across the country and beyond our borders can connect with this song. I’ve long wanted to work with Métis visual artist Lilly Mason, so I’m honoured she said yes. Each of the singles from the EP and the EP itself used the same image she created but with differences to give it rouse different emotional responses. For ‘Downward Into The Dark’, you can see through the window little graves, subtly visualizing how easy it is for humans to ignore the sufferings of others when that suffering is not directly in front of us. The banality of evil, as it were,” Horovitz says.
Produced at Dreamhouse Studios in Toronto by Calvin Hartwick, Horovitz is joined on guitar and bass by Sean Royle, Colanthony Humphrey on drums, strings by Mike Tompa and harmony arrangements and background vocals by Métis singer Kara MacKinley.
A long-time Toronto musician, Horovitz blends his music with eye-catching visuals. His debut album, Free Times, enjoyed radio time across Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. His single Free Tonight earned him Top 20 honours on Cashbox Radio.
“Downward Into The Dark” is a cutaway to a new chapter in songwriting from Dany Horovitz. As a musician born with the ability to tell a tale, this song is something more. It’s a prose from a third-party perspective, lending their voice to those pleading to be heard.
“I do not know if the damage can ever be repaired, but we must always remember what happened, and far from merely preventing anything like this from happening again we must make sure to actively recognize and honour the original caretakers of the land we live on.”
In the vast ocean of sound, the artists that rise to the top usually ride a wave of their own unique voice and innovation. Enter eclectic jazz duo The AltoRays, who continue to carve their own exciting improvisational path with the third groovy single from their debut album Back to the Light, “The Hop.”
With a super funky, percolating bass line, driving, snappy percussion, tasty horn and keyboard hits and improv vocal scats, “The Hop” is a total groove mood and a time trip that zooms back to the swingin’ ‘60s and forward to the future at the same time.
“It’s a groovin’ dance mixed with layered vocals, sleek guitar riffs and off-the wall improv,” describes Mitch Watkins, Austin-based guitarist, composer and producer and one-half of The AltoRays.
Once again, Watkins and his duo partner, Montréal-born and now Austin-based vocalist Dianne Donovan, have combined their hunger for exploration, experimentation and mad scientist motivation to create a fresh approach and feel to a genre with deep roots and tradition. The duo refers to the eight unconventional and highly collaborative songs on Back to the Light as creating a new genre category called ‘ChillJazz.’
“It took a pandemic!” Watkins says, giving silver-lining credit to the two-year, global health crisis for allowing him and Donovan enough time in their schedules to finally create their long-planned duo album, Back to the Light, released in November 2021.
“The music is unlike anything either of us have done before,” notes Watkins. “Instead of straight-ahead jazz, we explored every music form that has ever influenced us from Steely Dan to Weather Report, to Philip Glass to groove, R & B and pop.”
Collaborating in what they fondly call ‘Pent-Up House,’ Watkins and Donovan found the great flow of creativity to be unstoppable.
“There was something truly magical about those late-night sessions,” recalls Watkins. “The spirit was uninhibited, and we’d try anything and everything.”
“The Hop” is perfectly representative of those late-night, anything and everything sessions and has a video to visually underline it all. “The psychedelic video reflects pop of the ’60’s in more innocent times.” The video, by E. Buschek, uses visualizer and analog visuals.
Donovan’s vocals on “The Hop” and all throughout Back to the Light are wordless, improvisational and melodically textured creating their own song within a song.
“This is the freest I’ve ever been as a vocalist,” says Donovan. “I got to explore the multi ranges of my voice and the textures, from an all-hummed tune to all-whispered singing, to animal sounds.”
In addition to Donovan’s vocals and the instrumentation provided by Watkins, drummer Tom Brechtlein (Wayne Shorter, Robben Ford, Al Dimeola), pianist Sean Giddings (Christopher Cross) saxophonist Rob Lockart (Arturo Sandoval, Terence Trent D’Arby, Paul Anka) and percussionist, Dr. Tom Burritt also contributed their significant talents to the recording.
As the duo at the creative core of The AltoRays, Watkins and Donovan both have deep wells of experience to draw from.
McAllen, Texas-born Watkins has performed all over the world highlighted by four tours with Leonard Cohen, including Cohen’s final tour. He was a member of Lyle Lovett’s Large Band for eleven years and has performed with Jerry Jeff Walker, Barry Wallace, and numerous others. The Austin Jazz Society Hall of Fame member has released 5 solo albums and has produced albums for the likes of Abra Moore, Bob Schneider, and Jerry Jeff Walker.
An Austinite by way of Montréal and Edmonton, Dianne Donovan started out as a background vocalist for Moe Berg’s facecrime, a precursor band to The Pursuit of Happiness, while she was studying jazz. She went on to sing at some of North America’s most prestigious venues with Gary Guthma’s Tribute to Harry James show and has been featured on numerous radio and television shows including “Tommy Banks Jazz”. Donovan’s first album Yes and No was produced by the great Canadian jazz icon, Banks. A second solo album A Musing garnered great reviews from the likes of Wayne Arthurson of Vue Weekly, saying it has “songs that are the epitome of smooth, sensuous jazz, offering solace but leaving behind a lingering simmer.” Now making Austin her home, Donovan can be heard performing with her own combos and as one third of the vocal jazz trio, The Beat Divas.
In addition to creating music, Donovan spins it on the airwaves. She’s an accomplished daily radio show host and producer of “Classical Austin” for KFMA Radio. Additionally, she currently produces a weekly vocal jazz show, “Voices in Jazz” for CKUA Radio in Edmonton, interviewing a variety of jazz greats from Bobby McFerrin to Shirley Horn.
All that varied experience adds up to enough seasoned know-how to be able to jump into the musical kitchen with all the best ingredients for The AltoRays. Now serving…their latest smooth, joyful, and danceable swig of ChillJazz.
One-person indie rock outfit Edison Rupert dazzles with an ethereal track about resilience in the face of hard times that is sure to make a cerebral connection with audiences on the contemplatively catchy new single “Vultures.”
Based out of Ottawa, Ontario, the 2022 Capital Music Award-winner for Newcomer Of The Year, emerging artist Edison Rupert delivers an indie rock tune that evokes the imagery of mental stagnation in life and how a dreadful stillness can resemble death and the subsequent pecking of vultures.
Multi-layered guitars, a swinging baseline, and uptempo percussion set the stage for a track that’s more than the sum of its parts. “Vultures is a song about staying strong in hard times,” says Edison Rupert.
The song is thematically about individual wellness and striving towards a better life one day at a time. As Rupert says, “The more dead you let yourself get, the more the vultures will pick at you.”
While musical melodies are the backbone of “Vultures,” the sentiment of internal oppression and its ease into our subconscious is captured through sobering lyrics that give audiences a sense of hope.
“Took a trip to where I didn’t know
The vultures, they don’t tell me so
Got caught again inside a wave
Of all the ways that I should behave.”
Subsequently released are the visuals for “Vultures,” which take the form of a music video shoot in the recording studio and reveal to audiences that Edison Rupert is conceived, performed, and recorded by one person.
Edison Rupert quickly garnered some local attention after his second self-produced single, “Ticket to a place.”
Although Rupert has been making music for over 15 years, he is just starting to put it out into the world. The entire musical endeavor of writing, performing, engineering, mixing and mastering is executed by Edison Rupert himself, who insists on sincerity and heart to drive his music. Edison Rupert is a compelling act with a clear vision and no intentions of slowing down any time soon.
The Scotland-born, Puslinch, ON-based songstress and entertainer, Apricity, is captivating audiences once again with her cover of the Scorpions 1990 classic, “Wind Of Change.”
Teaming with former Canadian Tenor, Joey Niceforo, Apricity breathes new life into “Wind Of Change”, while remaining pure to its original structure transforming it into a lush and beautiful duet.
In true Apricity fashion, the song is accompanied by a stunning music video – shot in sepia, and captivating from the opening of an ominous phone call. Apricity and Niceforo are thrust into a new mission – complete with action, drama, and suspense.
“Bringing this spy themed video to life with Apricity and Joey was an absolute pleasure. I don’t think there are many artists that could do a classic song like “Wind of Change” justice, but they were certainly able to do just that! Shooting the video was a blast and using locations like Rosedale United Church and Dundas Square was surreal, Joey and Apricity brought a very James Bond-esque feeling to modern day Toronto and I’m proud of what we were able to create,” says Jesse Read. Director. Dropout Entertainment.
The rock and roll vocalist has become synonymous with Canada’s music community. Having been “bitten by the entertainment bug” as a child, Apricity has dedicated her life to music, and entertainment. Hailing inspiration from female leads like Shirley Manson and Amy Lee, Apricity has nestled into her own groove as a songstress; singing songs that inherently move her.
Apricity’s debut single, “All My Lies” set the precedent for her tenure in music back in February 2021. Teaming with producer Thomas McKay, Apricity is at the cusp of a turning point in her career – finding her voice, her style, and her groove.
“I feel so fortunate with respect to the way things have played out for me,” she says. “It’s been incredibly tough in some respects, but if it wasn’t for the pandemic, I might not have had the chance to work with Vic and Tom and this great team I’ve found myself with. So many people spend countless days and hours dreaming of what they want to do with their lives but then determine it’s not realistic. So for me, this whole experience just seems surreal. It is something I’ve been dreaming of for such a long time.”
Now Apricity’s release with Joey Niceforo is steadily racking up views on YouTube with their interpretation of “Wind Of Change” and its Bond-esque cinematic music video. Whether in the studio or watching her online – Apricity is sending fans on a wild ride with this stunning cover – through spy-scape, with a heavy dose of nostalgia. It’s the “Wind Of Change” you didn’t know you were waiting for, but grateful it decided to show up.
CT Investments, a subsidiary of Contents Technologies, announced today that it is launching the KPOP and Korean Entertainment ETF on the NYSE Arca exchange on September 1, 2022. With the launch of the KPOP and Korean Entertainment ETF, investors now have the ability to access Korea Exchange-listed companies in the entertainment and interactive media industries that have exposure to the potential growth in K-pop and the broader Korean content industry.
The KPOP and Korean Entertainment ETF begins trading on Thursday, September 1, 2022 on the NYSE Arca exchange under the ticker KPOP.
The KPOP and Korean Entertainment ETF (NYSE Arca: KPOP) seeks to provide results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of the KPOP Index, which is designed to provide exposure to the Korea Exchange-listed entertainment and interactive media & services companies engaged in K-pop businesses. The KPOP and Korean Entertainment ETF targets weights between 70% and 80% in the entertainment industry and between 20% and 30% in the interactive media & services industry and the index is quarterly rebalanced.
Jangwon Lee, the CEO of CT Investments and Contents Technologies, stated that “K-pop, which has become a global keyword, has become part of mainstream culture for fans in Korea as well as around the world.” He added, “We are launching this ETF to provide an opportunity for global fans who love K-pop to participate in the potential growth and development of the K-pop industry as well as investors access to Korea-listed companies that are driving the future of global content industry forward.”
International sales of music records from Korean entertainment companies topped $221 million in 2021 from $24 million in 2012, with significant growth coming from some of the world’s largest music markets in North America and Europe, reinforcing the trend of K-pop resonating with mainstream culture.1 “The global market for K-pop is still at an early stage of growth and the KPOP and Korean Entertainment ETF will offer thematic exposure to key companies in the Korean entertainment and media industry that stand to benefit from this secular trend,” said Jangwon Lee.
