SM Entertainment is Creating a New ‘British Boy Group’

SM Entertainment announces plans for a new ‘British boy group’ in a strategic agreement with English entertainment producer Moon&Back.

K-pop agency SM Entertainment has teamed up with UK television production company Moon&Back for a new collaboration to create and debut a new “British boy group.” In a first-of-its-kind partnership between the UK and South Korea, the two companies will launch a TV show produced by Moon&Back to combine K-pop and international television to find “the next worldwide boy band sensation.”

Led by an executive team featuring industry figures like Ben Karter (Westlife, Taylor Swift), James McKinlay (X Factor, America’s Got Talent), and David Hall (Deal or No Deal, The Chase), the series will document the journey of a budding boy band across six months, beginning in London in early 2024. Pre-production has started, with the series to be shot in the UK and South Korea.

SM Entertainment has launched over a dozen globally successful pop acts, including aespa, Red Velvet, RIIZE, and many more. Moon&Back is the work of producer Nigel Hall (Britain’s Got Talent, One Direction), media exec Dawn Airey (Sky, ITV, Getty Images), and talent manager Russ Lindsay (Simon Cowell, Ant & Dec), having launched talent and producing shows worldwide for over 30 years.

“This collaboration signifies our first footprint in Europe. Our expansion blueprint will continue to span across North and South America, Europe, and other pivotal markets, leveraging SM Entertainment’s vast artist roster and extensive networks for unprecedented synergies ahead,” says Joseph Chang, CEO of SM and Kakao Entertainment America. “We are thrilled to partner with power players who were critical in the creation and success of One Direction, and together we are aiming to find that next global sensation.”

“Take one of the world’s best entertainment producers and combine it with the world’s best K-pop producer and watch the magic unfold,” adds Dawn Airey, CO-Founder of Moon&Back. “This is a global first, creating a British boy band and exposing them to the wonders and rigors of the premier K-pop process with SM Entertainment. This alchemy will create compelling television and a boy band that will entertain the world.”

Forming K-pop groups via TV shows is a common tactic in South Korea, with many idol survival shows leading to groups that gain significant popularity, including NCT Dream, Pentagon, Seventeen, Twice, Momoland, and Monsta X.