How Mister Popo Became A K-Pop Reaction Star [Exclusive Interview]

Mister Popo (Michael Grant-Smith) helps to lead the pack of YouTube content creators whose channels are dedicated to K-Pop reaction videos.

K-Pop reaction videos have expanded to reach more diverse audiences thanks to YouTube artists like Mister Popo and JREKML. The significance of K-Pop reaction video creators was further substantiated during KCON 2014, which prominently featured JREKML and Mister Popo.

The key to the brilliance and popularity of the videos created by Mister Popo is wry wit, which is fueled by an intense knowledge of K-Pop. Off-camera, he is generally very astute, except when there is an opportunity to perfectly execute the dance steps from SISTAR.

I had the opportunity to interview Mister Popo during the recent MO'IM Gala at New York City's Gotham Hall. The MO'IM Gala presented several fascinating coincidences regarding Mister Popo, which were not necessarily programmed.

One of the most intriguing moments was witnessing the meeting of Mister Popo and the woman behind the internet meme “confused Black girl.” Like Mister Popo, she readily provided photos to MO'IM attendees who recognized her, providing an interesting glimpse into the concept of internet fame.

Beyond his YouTube videos, Mister Popo has become a representative of the growing population of Black K-Pop fans. Through his videos, numerous K-Pop entertainment companies have recognized his perspective. This has had Mister Popo into a unique situation where he is not only a representative of a portion of fans, but also an industry participant capable of making positive change.

How did you get involved in K-Pop?

I became involved with K-Pop when asked to do a panel cover of Girls' Generation “Gee.” I actually did not listen to it [K-Pop] at the time. I was introduced to K-Pop by my ex-girlfriend in 2009 through KARA's “Mister.” Then, I watched the K-Drama “You're Beautiful” with Park Shin Hye. K-Dramas actually really led to my interest in K-Pop. At first, I enjoyed watching Japanese dramas over Korean dramas but that has now changed.

What led to the creation of your YouTube channel Mister Popo TV?

Mister Popo TV started while I was in college in 2007 doing piano covers. In 2011, I decided to remodel my channel which initially focused on gaming. The channel was initially called Godlike. Then, I saw the reactors like JREKML do reactions and decided to make my own reaction video.

In January 2013, I made a video in reaction to Girls' Generation “I Got A Boy” and it received 70,000 views. At that point, I decided to make changes to my initial channel. I took the name Mister Popo from “Dragon Ball Z.” It was already my gaming character.

Who are some of your favorite K-Pop rookies? 

This year, my favorite female group was Kiss & Cry, but they recently disbanded. Now, I would choose Mamamoo, who was considered the rival of Kiss & Cry for vocals. Vocal girl groups aren't easy to find, other than SPICA. Unfortunately, many female K-Pop groups focus on appearance over vocal ability. In the future, it would be interesting to see a girl group which is more focused on choreography, like INFINITE.

Some of my picks for rookie male groups would be WINNER. I may not be a hardcore YG fan but I would like to see their style and the direction the group is headed into.

Can you fill our readers in on some of your future plans within the K-Pop industry?

On-record, I plan on expanding my YouTube channel as much as I can. I am looking forward to opening up my own company, Godlike Entertainment.

Many people ask me why I chose the name Godlike Entertainment. It was derived from a gaming term and is used within the gaming community. Godlike refers to one of the strongest characters. Also, the term godlike is often used for an unstoppable character in Anime.

My YouTube subscribers have become accustomed to the name, so we will be continuing with it. Godlike Entertainment will be a music company. I am a music writer but Godlike Entertainment will also focus on scripting music videos, as well.

I would also like to become involved in the creative process for artists, as well. I am a musician, a pianist of sixteen years. The focus of Godlike Entertainment may be Korean, Korean-American, and non-Korean artists.

Tags
Mister Popo
YouTube K-Pop Reactions
KCON 2014
moi'm gala
Michael Grant-Smith
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