'Combines mass appeal and artistic value': K-pop goes classical

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'Combines mass appeal and artistic value': K-pop goes classical

Published: 22 Oct. 2025, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Nexon’s “Blue Archive” orchestral concert series, held in five cities across Korea since May [NEXON]

From viral children’s jingles to K-pop chart-toppers and game soundtracks, Korea’s pop culture hits are making a grand entrance onto the classical stage — and it’s not just a novelty. Orchestras are now playing “Baby Shark” (2015), and the future of entertainment branding may be listening.

The Pinkfong Company marked the 10th anniversary of its beloved character Baby Shark on Sept. 19 by releasing an orchestral version of the “Baby Shark” song, performed by the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra. The track and accompanying LP were unveiled simultaneously, while a video of the performance uploaded to YouTube has garnered 360,000 views as of Oct. 16, drawing significant attention.

SM Entertainment’s classical and jazz label SM Classics is also ramping up its efforts, planning a concert with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in Austria in February next year, following a performance in Tokyo last month. The concert will feature classical renditions of about 20 songs by SM artists.

Game developer Nexon, meanwhile, held 10 orchestral concerts featuring the soundtrack of its role-playing game Blue Archive across five cities between May and Sept. 28, drawing a cumulative audience of 12,000.

While classical arrangements of pop or game music are not new, such performances were traditionally one-off events. Recently, however, the trend has evolved into full-fledged productions, including album releases, digital tracks and recurring concerts. It is also notable that companies owning the intellectual property (IP) are increasingly involved in all stages of classical adaptations — from planning and arrangement to production and promotion — under their own brands.

“This project was a major global collaboration between our headquarters in Korea and our U.S. subsidiary, carried out over a year since August 2022,” said Joo Hye-min, the chief business officer of Pinkfong. “To produce this three-minute video, we coordinated everything from hiring the London Symphony Orchestra and arranger Kyle Gordon to recording at LSO St. Luke’s, as well as overseeing on-site sound engineering and mixing.”

The Pinkfong Company released a video on Sept. 19 featuring the London Symphony Orchestra performing the “Baby Shark” (2015) song to mark the 10th anniversary of the character’s creation. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“The songs selected for the Vienna Symphony performance are part of a repertoire we’ve been arranging since 2021,” said Moon Jung-jae, the CEO of SM Classics. Given the audience’s familiarity with the original tracks, the pressure to reinterpret them was significant.

“Our team even studied orchestral scores like Stravinsky’s ‘The Firebird’ to guide arrangers with specific requests. In the first two years, we only managed to complete three or four arrangements,” Moon said. “We’ve also applied K-pop’s group-based songwriting model to orchestral arrangements — four arrangers worked together on Girls’ Generation’s ‘Into the New World,’ for instance.”

Nexon’s publishing marketing director Na Dong-jin, who oversaw the Blue Archive concerts, said, “We focused on delivering a new and immersive experience to concertgoers. For example, when arranging a three-minute track, we extended it and introduced a variety of performers including the haegeum [two-string zither], saxophone and a choir.”

The performances were also carefully staged.

“We remotely connected to the London Symphony Orchestra session for real-time monitoring,” Joo said. “Even the slightest mismatch in sound or timing could disrupt the entire performance, so our conductors, music directors and lighting teams in both Korea and the U.K. worked in perfect sync.”

“To maximize audience engagement, we played game visuals throughout the concert,” Na added. “Staff were deployed at each performance to check synchronization and implement improvements at subsequent shows.”

In February, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performed orchestral arrangements of songs by SM Entertainment artists, arranged by SM Classics. In this image, girl group Red Velvet’s Wendy sings as a featured soloist. [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

Super Junior members Leeteuk, left, and Ryeowook perform at the “SM Classics Live” concert held in Tokyo in September. [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

Why are content companies investing so heavily in classical performances? Rather than short-term profit, the aim appears to be long-term strategic branding.

“In Japan, game shows often feature DJ festivals with remixed soundtracks where users dance and enjoy themselves,” Na said. “We want to offer an elevated experience that sets us apart from other game developers.”

“Following this collaboration, we saw the video being shared across diverse platforms and new audiences posting reaction videos to the original clip,” Joo said. “This naturally expanded our fan base. We see this as an opportunity for Pinkfong to evolve beyond kids and family content into a globally recognized cultural heritage brand that combines mass appeal and artistic value.”

Industry leaders are optimistic that these orchestral performances could grow into other formats.

“Our goal is to expand into IP licensing for full concert packages and sheet music to be performed by international ensembles,” Moon said. Joo added, “We’re also considering global expansions into concert tours and musical theater.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]