Along with SM Entertainment’s CEO, Chris Lee, KENZIE visited Berklee for a speaking event which was held at the Red Room at Cafe 939 last March 7. During “Inside K-Pop: SM Entertainment” event, KENZIE and Chris Lee delved into various topics, including the company’s “Cultural Technology” concept, their approach to songwriting and content curation, and the future direction of the industry.

Chris Lee explained the significance of addressing Berklee during a transformative period in the K-Pop industry.

[Music] is the most important thing… If we don’t have the right music and writers, [SM] cannot survive. For me and for the company, the most important part is the song…. I feel that Berklee could be a good source [of writers and producers] for SM.
Chris Lee, SM Entertainment’s CEO

The Berklee community had a unique chance to listen to insights from one of their most successful and impactful alumni – KENZIE. Despite her noteworthy career, KENZIE has preferred to keep a low profile and has not been in the public eye much. Besides the speaking event, KENZIE held office hours on March 8 and 9, offering students her feedback on their original music pieces. Last March 10, she also held a studio session open to all students.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Ritter

I’m really glad to be back in Boston, my second home, especially my alma mater, Berklee… As a music production and engineering [MP&E] student, you have to book a studio early in the morning. It was pretty hard. [I also remember the] pizza and Dunkin’. I’m so glad Dunkin’ is still here!
KENZIE

KENZIE, who took up MP&E major at Berklee, developed her mixing and production skills in the studio and credits Berklee’s curriculum as the best in the world. She later went on to work with Lee Soo-Man at SM Entertainment, and has since contributed to defining many of K-Pop’s signature elements. HaeJoo Kim, assistant chair of the Professional Music Department, noted that KENZIE has been cited as a reason for several students to attend Berklee.

SM Entertainment is globally recognized as a giant in the world of K-Pop and in the larger context of South Korean popular culture, so to have KENZIE and Mr. Chris Lee join us for this event was a special moment for the Berklee community… There is a lot of change happening in the industry right now, and it has been a privilege to have this pair of hugely influential change-makers take the time to speak with our community. We are truly grateful to have KENZIE provide feedback to our students and engage them in conversation during office hours this week.
HaeJoo Kim

Over the course of 20 years, KENZIE has been involved in producing music records for some of the most renowned artists in the K-Pop industry, including SUPER JUNIOR, NCT, TVXQ, SHINee, SuperM, f(x), EXO, Red Velvet, TWICE, and æspa. The star producer was behind K-Pop’s biggest tracks like BoA‘s ‘My Name’ and Girls’ Generation‘s ‘Oh!’. On the other hand, Chris Lee, who previously held the leadership position in SM’s A&R department, now serves as the top executive for the agency. The two have played a crucial role in shaping K-Pop’s music and marketing distinctive hallmarks.

As for Chris Lee, his journey at SM Entertainment started when he was an intern at the entertainment agency. He later became the co-CEO of the company after working his way up from the A&R department. He has helped the company adapt to changes in the market while solidifying its position as a major force in K-Pop. Chris Lee has supervised the production of the top K-Pop artists and has created systems, styles, sounds, and aesthetics that have become defining features of the culture.

During the talk, the SM Entertainment CEO presented the future direction of SM Entertainment, called “SM 3.0,” which prioritizes the development of “Cultural Technology” and using new technology platforms to maximize K-Pop’s presence in virtual communities such as the metaverse. He highlighted the importance of helping artists and producers create great music as the company’s main focus. SM has created lifelike replicants of æspa, one of its top groups, in the metaverse.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Ritter

The essence of SM is people… There are over 600 employees. We have over 90 artists under SM. And [looking at] all the people who work with SM, all the writers and producers – we have over 3,000 people all over the world. [I]t’s not only about the money [for these people]; it’s about their obsession with the music.
Chris Lee, SM Entertainment’s CEO

At the event, Berklee students asked KENZIE and Chris Lee about various topics related to K-Pop, including necessary skills for success, the structure of SM’s songwriting camps, and industry transformations. When questioned about SM’s songwriting camp philosophy, KENZIE responded:

We invite writers from overseas because we expect [there will be] some kind of special chemistry between Eastern and Western [writers]… Writers [might] write a song in a day many times.… [But the] mix, the recordings, the lyrics, everything has to be developed in a perfect way. There are [many] other steps to [make a song] sound like [an] SM song. [In some cases], it can take six months to develop a song.
KENZIE

Chris Lee ended the event on a positive note by announcing his collaboration with the assistant chair of HaeJoo Kim, to explore potential opportunities for Berklee students at SM.

Along with SM Entertainment’s CEO, Chris Lee, KENZIE visited Berklee for a speaking event which was held at the Red Room at Cafe 939 last March 7. During “Inside K-Pop: SM Entertainment” event, KENZIE and Chris Lee delved into various topics, including the company’s “Cultural Technology” concept, their approach to songwriting and content curation, and the future direction of the industry.

Chris Lee explained the significance of addressing Berklee during a transformative period in the K-Pop industry.

[Music] is the most important thing… If we don’t have the right music and writers, [SM] cannot survive. For me and for the company, the most important part is the song…. I feel that Berklee could be a good source [of writers and producers] for SM.
Chris Lee, SM Entertainment’s CEO

The Berklee community had a unique chance to listen to insights from one of their most successful and impactful alumni – KENZIE. Despite her noteworthy career, KENZIE has preferred to keep a low profile and has not been in the public eye much. Besides the speaking event, KENZIE held office hours on March 8 and 9, offering students her feedback on their original music pieces. Last March 10, she also held a studio session open to all students.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Ritter

I’m really glad to be back in Boston, my second home, especially my alma mater, Berklee… As a music production and engineering [MP&E] student, you have to book a studio early in the morning. It was pretty hard. [I also remember the] pizza and Dunkin’. I’m so glad Dunkin’ is still here!
KENZIE

KENZIE, who took up MP&E major at Berklee, developed her mixing and production skills in the studio and credits Berklee’s curriculum as the best in the world. She later went on to work with Lee Soo-Man at SM Entertainment, and has since contributed to defining many of K-Pop’s signature elements. HaeJoo Kim, assistant chair of the Professional Music Department, noted that KENZIE has been cited as a reason for several students to attend Berklee.

SM Entertainment is globally recognized as a giant in the world of K-Pop and in the larger context of South Korean popular culture, so to have KENZIE and Mr. Chris Lee join us for this event was a special moment for the Berklee community… There is a lot of change happening in the industry right now, and it has been a privilege to have this pair of hugely influential change-makers take the time to speak with our community. We are truly grateful to have KENZIE provide feedback to our students and engage them in conversation during office hours this week.
HaeJoo Kim

Over the course of 20 years, KENZIE has been involved in producing music records for some of the most renowned artists in the K-Pop industry, including SUPER JUNIOR, NCT, TVXQ, SHINee, SuperM, f(x), EXO, Red Velvet, TWICE, and æspa. The star producer was behind K-Pop’s biggest tracks like BoA‘s ‘My Name’ and Girls’ Generation‘s ‘Oh!’. On the other hand, Chris Lee, who previously held the leadership position in SM’s A&R department, now serves as the top executive for the agency. The two have played a crucial role in shaping K-Pop’s music and marketing distinctive hallmarks.

As for Chris Lee, his journey at SM Entertainment started when he was an intern at the entertainment agency. He later became the co-CEO of the company after working his way up from the A&R department. He has helped the company adapt to changes in the market while solidifying its position as a major force in K-Pop. Chris Lee has supervised the production of the top K-Pop artists and has created systems, styles, sounds, and aesthetics that have become defining features of the culture.

During the talk, the SM Entertainment CEO presented the future direction of SM Entertainment, called “SM 3.0,” which prioritizes the development of “Cultural Technology” and using new technology platforms to maximize K-Pop’s presence in virtual communities such as the metaverse. He highlighted the importance of helping artists and producers create great music as the company’s main focus. SM has created lifelike replicants of æspa, one of its top groups, in the metaverse.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Ritter

The essence of SM is people… There are over 600 employees. We have over 90 artists under SM. And [looking at] all the people who work with SM, all the writers and producers – we have over 3,000 people all over the world. [I]t’s not only about the money [for these people]; it’s about their obsession with the music.
Chris Lee, SM Entertainment’s CEO

At the event, Berklee students asked KENZIE and Chris Lee about various topics related to K-Pop, including necessary skills for success, the structure of SM’s songwriting camps, and industry transformations. When questioned about SM’s songwriting camp philosophy, KENZIE responded:

We invite writers from overseas because we expect [there will be] some kind of special chemistry between Eastern and Western [writers]… Writers [might] write a song in a day many times.… [But the] mix, the recordings, the lyrics, everything has to be developed in a perfect way. There are [many] other steps to [make a song] sound like [an] SM song. [In some cases], it can take six months to develop a song.
KENZIE

Chris Lee ended the event on a positive note by announcing his collaboration with the assistant chair of HaeJoo Kim, to explore potential opportunities for Berklee students at SM.