KPOPPED debuts on Apple TV as cross-cultural music competition

Apple TV premiered KPOPPED on Aug. 29, an eight-episode music competition that pairs Western pop icons with leading Kpop and Jpop acts for reimagined, high-energy performances staged and judged before a live audience in Seoul. Executive produced by Lionel Richie and Megan Thee Stallion and hosted by comedian Soojeong Son, the series aims to fuse distinct musical traditions in a series of head-to-head song battles that test choreography, vocal reinvention and cross-cultural chemistry.

Each episode teams a Western artist with an Eastern group to transform a familiar hit into a Kpop-flavored performance, often under tight rehearsal schedules and across linguistic and stylistic differences. Featured pairings include Megan Thee Stallion with Billlie on a Kpopped version of Savage, ATEEZ with Kylie Minogue tackling Cant Get You Out of My Head, Patti LaBelle and Billlie, Spice Girls members Mel B and Emma Bunton with ITZY, Vanilla Ice with Kep1er and Boyz II Men with BLACKSWAN. Solo numbers by Kpop acts are also interspersed with collaborative pieces, and Seoul audiences determine episode winners.

Richie and Megan, who also appear on screen alongside occasional appearances by PSY,...