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How an Independent K-Pop Producer Built a Successful Music Career
No Big Agency, No Limits: How This Producer Profits from K-Pop
Klab Insight
March 20, 2025
Hello, this is Klab Insight.
For this feature, we’re introducing AZODi, a K-pop producer, songwriter, and content creator who has built a unique space in the industry through music and his online community.
AZODi’s journey into K-pop wasn’t immediate. After years of trial and error, his breakthrough came in 2018 when he landed his first publishing deal. Now, with over 20 years of experience, he has written for artists like Kim Woojin, won an award from SM Entertainment, collaborated with brands like Gatorade and Cubase, and built a YouTube channel with over 25,000 subscribers, helping aspiring producers learn about K-pop production.
Beyond making music, AZODi has built a global network of producers and songwriters through his Discord community, where creatives connect, collaborate, and land major industry placements. His expertise in production, branding, and career-building makes him a key figure for those looking to enter the K-pop industry.
Through his story, we’ll explore the realities of K-pop production, the importance of perseverance and networking, and how independent creators can thrive. Whether you’re a producer, songwriter, or just interested in the behind-the-scenes of K-pop, his insights offer valuable lessons.
* Placement: A placement refers to when a song is successfully sold and assigned to an artist, label, or project. It is often used interchangeably with "cut," but placements also include sync placements in TV, film, and ads.
Building a Global Network to Unlock Career Opportunities in K-Pop
Leveraging Online Platforms Like YouTube and Discord for Growth
The Role of Persistence in Breaking Into the K-Pop Industry
AZODi
Q. Can you introduce yourself?
My name is AZODi, and I am a K-pop music producer, songwriter, and creator. And for the last 20 years, I have been writing and producing songs.
Q. What first sparked your interest in music production, and how did that passion evolve into a career in K-Pop?
In 2005, I went to study commercial songwriting at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. It was one of the most exciting years of my life, fully immersing myself in music. After graduating in 2006, I started a pop-rock band called MiMi Soya as a way to showcase my songs.
I wasn’t technically proficient as a guitarist and I had no desire to improve my guitar playing skills. So I decided to learn music production as a way to record demos for the band.
Over time, I realized playing guitar wasn’t enough to bring my ideas to life, so I started learning music production. At the time, Japanese pop culture had a big influence in the UK, and I was a fan of J-pop, J-rock, video games, and Studio Ghibli films. It wasn’t until Gangnam Style blew up in 2012 that I even heard the word ‘K-pop.’
A Norwegian producer friend, who was busy with his boy band project, passed me some leads from Korean publishers looking for Western writers. I fell in love with the process but failed consistently. I wasn’t landing any *cuts with K, J, or C-pop groups, so I would quit and try again a year later. This cycle repeated for about six years.
In 2018, I decided to give K-pop one last shot. I wrote a song, recorded it poorly on my iPhone, and uploaded it to Facebook. Everything I had built over the years came together at the right time, and by September 2018, I signed my first *publishing deal for Korea, Japan, and China. Since then, I’ve been consistently writing, pitching songs, and growing my YouTube channel to help others learn about K-pop production.
Signing his first publishing deal for Korea, Japan and China
* Cut: In the music industry, a "cut" refers to when a songwriter's or producer’s song is officially chosen and recorded by an artist or group. It means the song has made it onto an album or a single release.
* Publishing deal: A publishing deal is an agreement between a songwriter (or producer) and a music publisher, where the publisher helps promote and license the songwriter's music in exchange for a share of the royalties.
Q. You’ve been involved in writing and producing K-Pop songs for many years. Could you share what inspired you to enter this field?
I’ve always loved Asian music and saw K-pop as a way to break into the industry. Back then, the world wasn’t as connected as it is now, so it was much harder.
I was fascinated by how K-pop blended multiple genres into one song, and the high-quality MVs and choreography stood out. I remember being blown away by the production in EXO’s Wolf—the groove, the energy, everything. That hooked me immediately.
Q. Your YouTube channel has a significant following. How has this platform contributed to your career as a K-Pop music producer?
It contributed in unexpected ways. I started my channel because I loved making videos and had a ‘Screw it, let’s see what happens’ mentality. Even before I recorded demos, I was filming and editing videos for my band.
Now, I have a Discord community with over 1,600 producers focused on K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop. People in the community have landed writing partnerships and *cuts with groups like The Boyz and JO1.
AZODi K-Pop UK Songwriting Camp
While social media often pushes creators to chase numbers, I took the opposite approach—I wanted quality engagement over quantity. The result? A highly engaged community that led to real-life meetups and even the AZODi K-pop songwriting camp.
The Documentary of the K-Pop UK Songwriting Camp
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