These Art Students Are Making A K-Pop Group As A Project

It’s not easy to make your work stand out in a world full of aspiring artists and musicians, but three creatives have figured out a way to create their own lane: last October, Bora Kim decided to put together the “1st+only NYC born K-Pop band” help from Karin Kuroda and Samantha Shao. They auditioned and handpicked members of the 6 man group, EXP.

According to the project’s Kickstarter page, the “make a boy band” idea grew from a desire to merge a love for K-Pop with an interest in “how gender is performed in pop culture.” EXP has raised $30,000 to date for recording and making videos. They’ve also got a debut single, “Luv / Wrong,” purchasable on iTunes, and an Instagram account with a couple thousand followers. “The name of EXP came from ‘experiment,’ to emphasize the importance of innovation, risk taking and challenges,” the band’s Kickstarter declares. “More specifically, EXP is influenced by talented K-pop idol groups like EXO, BIG BANG and BTS.”

The similarity between the name EXP and the names of some other K-pop groups has actually been a source of some tension. Koreaboo.com pointed out that some people have been leaving disapproving Instagram comments.

Stay tuned—a mini-album is supposedly in the works. Watch a video about the project, and check out EXP in sharp purple suits below.