Blackpink's list of celebrity admirers continues to grow.
British actor Hugh Grant is the latest Hollywood star to jump on the bandwagon after attending the K-pop group's London concert at Hyde Park this month. He left the big gig converted to the cause.
“Very grateful to three eleven-year-olds for taking me to see Blackpink yesterday. Am rabid Blink now,” Grant tweeted, referencing the nickname of the girl group's fans.
Grant joins a number of fellow actors and musicians who professed admiration for K-pop bands for reasons ranging from their sounds to their values.
Here are nine other big names who are fans of the genre.
1. John Cena
Who knew BTS could make former WWE champion turned Hollywood action man John Cena melt like butter?
Cena professed his love for the K-pop boy band in numerous television interviews over the years.
In a 2022 appearance on Ellen, he thanked the BTS fans for encouraging him to release two self-help books. In a 2020 interview on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Cena praised the group for the values expressed in their songs.
“I got interested in what the music stood for,” he said. “They advocate self-love, they advocate 'don't be afraid of failure and that you are enough'. They try to shatter all the stereotypical difficulties and uncomfortable situations that we go through.”
2. Taylor Swift
There is nothing but love between Taylor Swift and chart rivals BTS and Blackpink.
Swift sang the praises of BTS after celebrating their first meeting at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards with a backstage photo.
An audience camera also showed Swift dancing and singing along to Blackpink's hit Black Venom at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
3. Lizzo
The US pop star enjoys having text conversations with BTS member J-Hope.
“He's a great texter, expressive. He does not leave you on read,” she told online radio station Audacy.
“If it's been a while, he's like 'I'm so sorry'. He apologises for how long it's taken. Good people.”
4. Emma Stone
The Cruella star has been a fan of the genre since 2015.
As a guest on talk show Conan, she described K-pop as a “global phenomenon” and as “beyond excellent. It's the best thing you've ever seen”.
At the time, she cited Girls' Generation and 2NE1 as her favourite acts.
5. Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds is another Hollywood star who has been impressed by K-pop for some time.
In 2016, he showed his devotion by appearing in a magazine photoshoot with singer and rapper HyunA.
In 2019, he also spent time with boy group Exo during a visit to Seoul.
6. Shawn Mendes
The In My Blood singer is a huge fan of BTS.
In a 2018 interview with Radio Disney, he said: “I love BTS. I'm obsessed with watching the videos of them dancing.”
Mendes also said that a collaboration with the group would be a dream come true, adding: “Maybe it'll happen some day.”
7. Will Smith
It's easy to understand why Will Smith is a fan of K-pop, as the genre's exuberant hip-hop and pop hybrid recalls the days when the actor was a solo pop star.
In 2019, Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith were at Coachella to see Blackpink perform and took a picture with the group backstage.
8. Usher
Usher is an avid admirer of Blackpink after attending a US concert last year.
The RnB star told GQ he loved the effort and detail the group put into their live performances. “They were putting on a show,” he said. “Wardrobe, great sequencing, with the lighting and everything working in sync – there’s no detail spared. I loved that.”
9. Steve Aoki
Few have done more to help the dance music world embrace K-pop than Steve Aoki.
The DJ, who has been collaborating with K-pop artists for more than five years, said acts such as BTS, Monsta X and ACE represent the latest evolution of pop music.
“They can dance and sing and they have a really interesting look,” he told Hollywood Life. “They represent the future. I love being around them and the inspiration I get working around them.”
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
Global Fungi Facts
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• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
