C-U-T is a “Swedish K-Pop” boy band formed by the artist Ming Wong at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, where he is professor of performance in the expanded field. Developing out of research into the characteristics that define K-pop as a music genre, this experimental project by six art students and their professor-turned-manager incorporates the mechanisms for establishing identities and virtual universes employed by K-pop acts to cultivate their fandom. The band’s initiative further aims to diversify the spectrum of K-pop by engaging with transnational and queer-friendly values that are often less represented in the industry. Exploring everything from collective song writing and producing to PR and merchandising, their collaborative initiative takes the form of a soundtrack, music video, and media interviews. As suggested by the eponymous optical instrument, C-U-T’s debut song “KALEIDOSCOPE” communicates a message of opening up new worlds by embracing conflict and collision between different beings.
