Yang Hyun Suk Has High Hopes For CL's US Debut

"There hasn't been a female Asian artist that did well in America lately, especially a rapper."

Apr 28, 2015 01:04 PM BST

TAGㆍYang Hyun Sukㆍ CLㆍ Lee Hi

In his latest interview with Ilgan Sports, YG Entertainment's Yang Hyun Suk talked about his future plans for some of his artists including Lee Hi, Akdong Musician, and CL.

On Lee Hi, Yang Hyun Suk commented that the singer has grown more maturely. "I really adore her. She's grown much more mature now that she's already 20 years old. Thus, when it comes to her music, I want to try out something different. She was joined with Katie Kim on stage on 'K-Pop Star', and I saw that they had different colors so I made the decision not to put them together in a duo group. I think going solo fits both of them very well," Yang Hyun Suk said.

Yang Hyun Suk also revealed that Lee Hi and Akdong Musician might be able to drop new music this autumn. "Things have been hectic for me because of Big Bang's [preparations], but I told I promised Lee Hi that I will do the best I can with her music. She's really happy with it. We've already prepared a lot of music for her," Yang Hyun Suk revealed.

As for Katie Kim, he debut track will be released soon.

Yang Hyun Suk also commented on the ever popular CL, who's currently making waves in the US with her looming solo debut. While fans may think that CL's overseas preparations is sailing smoothly, Yang Hyun Suk revealed that things aren't so easy-peasy. Yang Hyun Suk said, "It's not going well, but Scooter Braun, who's also PSY's manager in the US, is very fond of CL and is helping us out. It looks like things will get bigger once proper promotions are rolling. Americans' view on Koreans and Koreans' view on fellow Koreans is very different, particularly with women. There hasn't been a female Asian artist that did well in America lately, especially a rapper."

Despite this margin, Yang Hyun Suk is hopeful that CL will meet success in the US, "There's a new paradigm shift in America. If you look at the successful singers in the market, a lot of them are from overseas. Scooter Braun is quick [to adapt to this trend] that's why he immediately tapped into Asia. He discovered that CL raps and dresses well. Looking at appearances alone, girl group members in Korea are prettier [compared to those in other countries], but America prefers cool women. CL's success in the US is an either-or, but we believe she has potential, and we're doing our best to maximize that."

TagㆍYang Hyun Sukㆍ CLㆍ Lee Hi