Unlocking India's Music Potential: Why K-pop Companies Are Betting Big

Veteran songwriter Alex Karlsson believes India has the potential to become one of the world's five largest music markets within a decade. The Swedish-American producer, known for his work on BTS' "We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal" and other top K-pop hits, shares his insights on why India is such an attractive market for K-pop companies.

In a recent interview, Karlsson emphasized that India is not just an immediately lucrative market, but rather a long-term opportunity for K-pop companies. "It's really a conversation about the current market viability versus its potential," he said. "We've seen other high-growth markets have (an) incredible impact on K-pop."

Karlsson acknowledged that significant obstacles remain, including the lack of centralized reporting, low trust with local actors, and limited buying power. However, he argued that similar concerns once surrounded China, which has since emerged as one of the music industry's most important markets.

The Swedish songwriter pointed to the gradual improvement of India's underlying infrastructure as a key factor in its potential growth. "Buying power is going up, centralized reporting is looking to become more efficient and reliable, while there is more and more push to update copyright law to keep local players accountable," he said.

Karlsson believes that K-pop's global success stems from a unique production system that was designed for international expansion. "K-pop is the methodology of launching the artist," he said. "Artists under the K-pop umbrella may perform vastly different styles of music, from hip-hop and R&B to electropop and dance."

The Swedish American producer highlighted the importance of K-pop's ability to combine different styles and influences within a structured artist-development model. "Clearly, they use different sounds, but another thing that I think is very much defined by K-pop is specifically the genre-bending," he said.

Karlsson also praised India's own music scene, which he believes has the potential to become a major player on the global stage. "I think India could have a huge impact on the global music scene, not just as a consumer market, but also as a producer of music," he said.

When asked which K-pop song best balances artistic ambition and commercial success, Karlsson pointed to NewJeans' 2023 hit "Super Shy." "Right now, in my mind, I think the best K-pop song for Korea is probably 'Super Shy' by NewJeans," he said.

The song, which has been praised for its ability to blend sophisticated musical ideas with mainstream accessibility, draws comparisons to the songwriting philosophy of Max Martin, a Swedish record producer and songwriter known for hits like Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" and the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way."

Karlsson highlighted the track's clever use of repetition, a hallmark of effective pop songwriting. "That song has so much repetition, but it still feels like it has the complexity of K-pop, and that is why I think it is so brilliant," he said.

Karlsson's comments come at a time when K-pop companies are increasingly turning their attention to India. Hybe and JYP Entertainment have both recently established local operations in the country, seeking to replicate K-pop's artist-development model in one of the world's largest and fastest-growing consumer markets.