*Anderson .Paak has taken a major step into filmmaking with the release of “K-Pops!,” a family comedy that pairs him with his real-life son, Soul Rasheed.
The story follows BJ (.Paak), a struggling Los Angeles musician who journeys to Seoul and discovers his long-lost teen son competing on a K-pop talent show, leading to unexpected adventures and heartwarming family moments.
The concept for the film emerged during the pandemic when .Paak was home with his eight-year-old son. Soul’s enthusiasm for YouTube and K-pop inspired his father. “It brought me back to being a kid, making skits with my family and friends,” .Paak told Variety, explaining how the experience sparked the idea for a full-length movie.
Directing was both exhilarating and demanding for .Paak. “It was creative bliss, but it was also the hardest thing — I got my ass kicked,” he admitted. “So much work. I said it’d be the first and last one, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
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Representation and family themes were central to the project. .Paak wanted audiences to see joy and happiness within Black families while exploring the dynamics of raising biracial children, drawing from his own heritage as Black and Korean.
“My mom is half-black and half-Korean, so I’m a quarter Korean, but I never knew much about my Korean culture until when I was married to my wife, who is fully Korean,” the superstar said in a 2023 interview with Hypebeast, noting that his two sons “pretty much see themselves as Korean.”
He added, “Raising [biracial] kids, there’s a dynamic of, ‘Alright, you got this side and you got this side,’ and teaching ‘em about both.”
Anderson .Paak also credited his Silk Sonic bandmate Bruno Mars for inspiring his hands-on, DIY approach to filmmaking. “I saw how hands-on Bruno [Mars] was with all his visuals, and I was like, ‘Dude, I need to do my own stuff,’” .Paak previously said, per Complex.
His DIY approach flourished as his son got into creating content for YouTube. “I was staying up all late, editing his videos. It just got me wanting to write a script,” the proud father explained.
“And pretty much that was the genesis of the whole movie. By then I was making more music videos, and I was telling everybody, ‘I want to really dive into this, get better at it.’ He kind of really brought me back to that passion,” he added.
“K-Pops!” arrived in theaters on February 27. Fans can expect a soundtrack featuring K-pop collaborations.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Anderson .Paak Created ‘K-Pops!’ Movie with His Son, Inspired by Bruno Mars’ DIY Approach
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