HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk gives a shoutout to BTS' Jungkook's 'SEVEN,' TXT & more at the 2024 Asia Game Changer Awards

On November 18, 2024, Asia Society shared the video of HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk accepting the Asia Game Changer Award from the organization’s global trustees, Raj Rao and Duncan Clark. Although the video was released recently, the awards were originally presented on October 24, 2024. The Asia Game Changer Awards ceremony was held at Cipriani in New York.

Following the reception of the award, Bang Si-hyuk gave an acceptance speech, during which he gave a shoutout to the company’s K-pop artists and groups, including BTS’ Jungkook’s solo song SEVEN, TXT, LE SSERAFIM, and KATSEYE.

Firstly, Bang Si-hyuk spoke about BTS’ Jungkook’s collaboration with American artist Latto for SEVEN. He mentioned the BTS member while talking about how K-pop music combines elements from different genres.

“K-pop is beloved around the world not only because it tells stories that everyone can identify with but also because it combines the best elements of many different genres. For example, the song you just heard, ‘SEVEN’ by Jungkook of BTS, was inspired by UK garage music, and was a collaboration with much loved Latto of America.”

Next, he mentioned the girl group LE SSERAFIM and emphasized their collaboration with American guitarist Nile Rodgers for their track Unforgiven. This was followed by the mention of the boy band TXT and their collab with Brazilian artist Anitta for Back for More, released in September 2023.

“Our boy group, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, collaborated with the Brazilian artist, Anitta, last year in the song ‘Back for More.’ The song led to a surge of first-time listeners of TXT’s music,” he added.

Lastly, Bang Si-hyuk mentioned the newly created global girl group KATSEYE, which has achieved significant popularity ever since its debut in June 2024.

“To build on these achievements, I’m working to bring the strengths of K-pop to America and beyond to the world in collaboration with the premier American label Geffen Records of Universal Music Group. This partnership led to the successful debut of the global girl group, KATSEYE, this summer, whose songs have already performed well in charts across global music markets,” he said.

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Bang Si-hyuk was introduced on stage with a montage featuring BTS, SEVENTEEN, and more K-pop groups

Bang Si-hyuk was one of five recipients at this year's Asia Game Changer Awards, where he was welcomed with a video featuring photos and clips of HYBE musicians and groups such as BTS, SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, fromis_9, ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM, and KATSEYE.

During his speech, he also highlighted how his early-age experiences helped him understand diverse cultures and collaborations.

“From an early age, I have been fortunate to experience a variety of cultures. And since my youth till now, I’ve continued to collaborate with musicians from diverse cultures, and through my work, I’ve learned to understand and respect individuals that are different from me and cultures that are different from mine.”

The HYBE chairman shared that combining different musical styles can give unparalleled results. Towards the end, Bang Si-hyuk stated that he understands the values of Asia Society. He added that he believes in cultural diversity and encourages awareness of differences as well as a shared future with Asia and the rest of the globe. Moreover, he reaffirmed his support for Asia Society's activities.

He concluded by expressing that he would learn from a greater variety of people and cultures, and in exchange, he would offer his knowledge of Korea and Asia with the world.