TITAN CONTENT has formed a strategic partnership with Republic Records’ IMPERIAL Music to debut a new seven-member girl group this summer.
The group, called AtHeart, released their first teaser video and launched official social media channels, with plans to share a pre-debut introduction song and video on March 14.
TITAN CONTENT, which describes itself as “the world’s first premier K-pop-focused music company headquartered in the US,” initially announced AtHeart in July 2024, with members Michi, Katelyn, Seohyeon, Aurora, Bome, Arin, and Nahyun revealed individually over time.
The group is supported by an all-star creative team of industry experts from both the US and South Korea who have contributed to K-Pop’s global popularity, according to a press release last Friday (February 21).
“We are thrilled to be working with TITAN on their new girl group, AtHeart. When we first heard the music, we immediately knew it was special,” said Glenn Mendlinger, EVP of Republic Records and President of IMPERIAL Music.
“Nikki, Dom, Katie, and the TITAN leadership are a formidable team with a deep understanding of artist development. They have put a fresh lens on K-Pop and alongside IMPERIAL Music’s expertise we have tremendous aspirations and opportunity.”
Established in 2021 as a division of Republic Records, IMPERIAL Music has generated over 30 million adjusted album sales for its artists’ releases. The label has achieved 23 Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including eighteen in the Top 5 and six No. 1 albums from Stray Kids, plus No. 1 albums for TWICE and TOMORROW x TOGETHER.
“The team at IMPERIAL has an incredible track record of developing global stars, and their unparalleled expertise makes them the ideal partner for this venture,” TITAN CONTENT CEO Katie Kang said.
“Our vision for AtHeart is perfectly aligned, and we deeply respect their commitment to excellence and innovation. Together, we’re ready to break new ground and shape the future of K-Pop. Fans worldwide should prepare for something truly extraordinary.”
TITAN CONTENT is led by Nikki Semin Han, former CEO of SM Entertainment. Han launched TITAN CONTENT in November 2023, and subsequently held global auditions for the “next wave of global K-pop superstars.”
The first set of auditions took place from January to March 2024 in North America and Australia.
TITAN’s leadership team also includes CEO Katie Kang, CBO Dom Rodriguez, Chief Visual Officer Guiom Lee, and Chief Performance Officer Lia Kim.
Meanwhile, IMPERIAL Music’s roster includes established superstars and rising new talent, including Baby Gravy (Yung Gravy & bbno$), Bo Burnham, Chri$tian Gate$, G Herbo, ITZY, Jelani Aryeh, Laurel, Lovely Day, Right Or Wrong, Silverlab, Stray Kids, The Chemical Brothers, The Score, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, TWICE, and more.
The deal marks IMPERIAL Music’s latest in the K-pop scene after expanding its global strategic alliance with South Korea’s JYP Entertainment in June 2023 to further promote K-pop artists globally.
The development reflects the increasing trend of K-pop companies partnering with international entertainment companies to promote K-pop music and the K-pop talent search model worldwide.
On Friday (February 20), entertainment powerhouse HYBE announced that it has teamed up with four-time Grammy Award winner Ryan Tedder to search for and create a next-generation boy group.
The venture aims to establish a “new standard for artist development” by combining HYBE’s K-pop training infrastructure with Tedder’s expertise in hit-making and artist development, a press release said.
Separately in November 2023, SM Entertainment partnered with British production company Moon&Back Media to develop a UK-based boy band. Their collaboration aimed to blend K-pop’s training methodology with Western television production.
The initiative culminated in 2024 with the debut of DearAlice, a British boy group whose formation process was documented in the BBC One series Made in Korea: The K-pop Experience. The documentary filmed the members’ 100-day training period in South Korea, offering viewers insight into K-pop’s artist development system.
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