SM's new British boy band compared to One Direction

Korean media reported that the leading K-pop entertainment company SM Entertainment has just introduced the first British K-pop boy band named “Dear Alice”. The group’s debut event was held at the Soho Hotel in London, England on August 1.

The group Dear Alice is the result of a collaboration between SM Entertainment, North American conglomerate Kakao Entertainment, and British entertainment company Moon & Back.

The British company is in charge of casting members in the UK, while SM provides Kpop expertise in music , vocals and choreography.

"Training at SM was an incredible journey for all of us. With the great support from SM staff and Korean staff, we were able to have new experiences. This process helped create a great TV show and shaped our group," member Dexter Greenwood said during the press conference.

Dear Alice consists of five members: Dexter Greenwood, James Sharp, Blaise Noon, Oliver Quinn and Reese Carter. All are British citizens between the ages of 19 and 23.

The boy band will begin their promotions with the release of a six-part TV series "Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience" on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in August. The series chronicles the journey of the five members as they undergo K-pop training in Seoul, South Korea for 100 days.

According to SM, this new native Kpop group will be active in the global music market, including the UK.

The news that SM will debut its first British boy band has caught the attention of the Korean public.

Under a post that attracted nearly 40,000 reads on the online community theqoo, many comments said that SM's Dear Alice group's overall lineup looks like the disbanded British-Irish boy band One Direction.

SM's Dear Alice is being compared to the lineup of One Direction (which disbanded in 2016). Photo: Twitter

Netizens said that Dear Alice has "the typical style of a Western boy band". The members' appearance also received positive reactions.

Some other opinions are concerned about whether a group trained in the Kpop style but made up entirely of British people can build a strong, devoted fan community like regular Kpop groups.

Source: https://laodong.vn/giai-tri/nhom-nhac-anh-moi-cua-sm-duoc-so-sanh-voi-one-direction-1375417.ldo