Author Lyla Lee on Her New Book, the Impact of K-Pop on Her Life, and the Power of Confidence8/5/2020 1) For those who have not heard about I’ll Be the One yet, could you summarize what the book is about and the broader messages you hope readers take from it?
I'll Be the One is about a bisexual Korean American teenager who competes in an internationally broadcasted K-pop competition in order to become one of the world's first plus sized K-pop stars. From my book, I hope it inspires today’s teens so they know they can achieve their dreams no matter what they look like or who they love. 2) In what ways do you think the main character’s experiences will be relatable to readers, at least in terms of the emotions she deals with? I think countless girls out there, especially those who come from an Asian or Asian American background, will relate with her experiences of being fat-shamed and/or judged for her appearance. We live in a society that constantly tells girls that they are not good enough or expect them to subscribe to a very specific beauty standard. I think a lot of questioning or closeted teens who aren't out yet will also relate to Skye's and her friends' feelings and experiences with bisexuality. 3) Do you remember how you first became a fan of K-pop? What K-pop artists did you become a fan of first? I was born in Korea when K-pop first started becoming a thing, so I guess you could say K-pop and I were meant to be. K-pop was the constant soundtrack of my life when I was growing up, whether it be on the radio back when I used to live in Korea or in YouTube videos that I saw when I was in middle school after I'd moved to the United States. The first group I was a hardcore fan of was DBSK, back when they still had five members. My friends and I were distraught when they broke apart. 4) What are the reasons why you think K-pop has gained so much success and popularity worldwide? K-pop is such a painstakingly manufactured industry in that everything has to be perfect all the time. Artists spend days working very long hours that probably aren’t heard of here to make amazing videos. Kids and teens are trained from a young age to be outstanding dancers and singers. Industry professionals are always on the lookout for the latest musical or fashion trend. YouTube definitely helped propagate K-pop around the globe, but in an industry where everyone works really hard to make the highest-quality content, I think it was only a matter of time for it to gain global recognition. 5) What was the writing process like for this book? Did you have to do a lot of research on the K-pop industry to ensure you described it correctly in your book, or was this not a concern, since your book is fictional? My research for I'll Be the One was two-fold, since it consisted of the more organic "research" I did throughout my life through being a lifelong fan and my own personal experiences and the more purposeful hours I spent researching the industry. Like I mentioned before, I grew up in Korea and the United States as K-pop was blooming into the massive industry it is today. My uncle actually won a music competition back when I was in middle school and got a record deal out of it. Unfortunately, that didn't work out for him because K-pop is a really hard industry to break out into, but when I was in college, I also had a family friend who won a K-pop competition and is active in the industry today. I was actually able to interview this family friend in Seoul when I was writing this book, and his experiences informed Skye's as I was writing her stories. The songs and dances that are mentioned in the book are all songs and dances I listened to and/or taught myself while writing this book, and I rewatched a lot of the K-pop competition shows that I grew up watching as a kid. 6) These are not questions as much as comments that I would like to hear your thoughts on: The media obviously still has a long way to go before body positivity is the norm, but the representation of bodies of all shapes and sizes does seem to have increased over the past few years. However, this change has not noticeably come to the world of K-pop. I wonder why that is and if you are optimistic that the body image standards for K-pop stars will become less stringent and less damaging towards their mental health in the future? Like I mentioned before, K-pop is a painstakingly manufactured industry. And unfortunately, that comes with very specific and often unrealistic beauty standards that lead to lots of fat-shaming and plastic surgery. I think people have definitely started speaking out against homophobia and cyberbullying, but I haven't really seen the same amount of discussion about body image [in the world of KPop]. I honestly think we have a long way to go before these standards loosen up, but hopefully good change will come sometime in the future. On my show, I frequently critique how western media talks about K-pop. Western journalists often describe all K-pop groups as a monolith, belittle their impacts on western culture, and/or say other overly critical things. I wonder, whether intentionally or not, if your book will serve as a counterpoint, showing how nuanced and varying the experiences of K-pop artists truly are. In other words, maybe K-pop-themed writing written by an actual K-pop fan will put discussions about the pros and cons of the K-pop industry in a fairer light. Honestly, I think western media is just jealous and/or sees K-pop as a threat! Which, all jokes aside, is very disheartening to see because on the other side of the globe, K-pop artists and industry professionals have nothing but profound respect towards western media. Since my book is more about the competition experience of one individual rather than the industry itself, I'm not sure if it'll serve as a direct counterpoint, but I hope it does help people understand the industry from a Korean K-pop fan perspective, rather than a Western journalist's. 7) Where can fans follow you on social media for updates on your writing, and are there any projects in the works that you can tease here?! My website is lylaleebooks.com and my Twitter and Instagram are both @literarylyla. My next YA is a sort of companion novel to I'll Be the One. It's about K-dramas and is set in Seoul, Korea. It was supposed to come out in 2021, but due to COVID-19, it's been pushed back to 2022. In the meantime, though, I have four more books for Mindy Kim, my series for younger readers, coming out next year.
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