Music producer helps Korean boy band BTS top The Beatles
By Andrew French Reporter
@OxMailAndyF
A FORMER student from an Oxford media college has helped a Korean boy band claim a record previously set by The Beatles. SAE Oxford audio alumnus James Cunningham was part of the production team who helped BTS beat The Beatles’ Billboard Chart record for the highest number of number one records in a year. BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a seven-member South Korean boy band formed in Seoul in 2013
IN less than 12 months the band has landed a third number one album on the US Billboard 200 chart with Map of the Soul: Persona, which was released last month. Mr Cunningham, 25, has also been working with TMS – the producers who had a number one with Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved. He said: “I still can’t believe that I was even a small part of this team that have managed to break this world-record.
“The experience has shown me that anything is possible if you just believe in yourself. I can’t blow my own trumpet too much as I was honestly one of the smaller members of this team, compared to the Mastering, Mix engineer, producers and songwriters. “However, to say you have had a small creative input in a number one album across 85 countries and over seven million sales is quite an overwhelming statement in itself.
“I’m looking forward to having my first ever double platinum disc on the wall!”
Mr Cunningham said when he joined SAE Institute in Littlemore, from 2014 to 2016, he wanted to learn new skills and develop himself as a person and student more than needing or wanting a degree. He added: “The degree was a plan B in case music didn’t work out for me.
“However, being able to spend two years somewhere where you can talk, express, debate and just be a part of music everyday instead of having to work a full time job and find the spare time to do music as a hobby was amazing and very fulfilling. “It brings a new level to the audio world as it suddenly becomes your life, rather than a dream.”
Mr Cunningham, who has also worked at Blackfrog Studios in Thame, said he has had to work ‘Korean hours’
“The Korean music labels are so different to the Western World in the way they work and run,” he said.
“They are super hard-working – not that our Western labels aren’t,but I have been in contact with the Korean label Big Hit Entertainment throughout all hours of the day!
“They seem to work 24/7, and not just within office hours. Their hard work and dedication to the band really show that they have a strong team on all fronts.
“The language barrier can sometimes be an issue, but luckily the label in Korea have some great English speakers.”
BTS is the first group since The Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than a year. This achievement last happened between December 1995 to November 1996, when the iconic band released their archive tracks through the albums Anthology 1, Anthology 2, and Anthology 3. The Beatles’ record spanned 11 months and a week while BTS broke the record in just under 11 months.
Tobtok & PS1 Join Forces For Debut Collaboration “Drive” (ft. Georgia Meek) – BusyBoys, Written & Co-Produced
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Published on February 10, 2024 By Thorsten Benders
UK independent dance label, Perfect Havoc shows once again why it is a force to be reckoned with. February welcomes a label first as influential electronic Swedish talent, Tobtok, joins forces with NYC native, PS1. In their debut collaboration “Drive” they combine their multi-platinum selling talents into a captivating vocal-led cut and feature the voice of fast-rising alt-pop star, Georgia Meek.
Perfectly encapsulating the hooking qualities of many previous tracks to skyrocket out of Perfect Havoc’s A&R listening sessions into club and radio fame, Tobtok & PS1’s “Drive” is the complete package. Accompanying its foundation of pulsating, dancefloor-focused beats and evocative, uplifting musicality, the addition of Georgia’s vocal topline and cleverly syncopated vox chops bring the whole mix together, culminating in an undeniably memorable and refreshingly up-to-date dance record. “Drive” is out now on all streaming platforms. UK independent dance label, Perfect Havoc, isn’t slowing down in 2024. With tracks also coming on Perfect Havoc in 2024 from Ros T, Matthias x Alfie Cridland, Taim and Stephani B, expect a bigger sound and bigger energy than ever before. Now in its 9th year, Perfect Havoc continues to push the envelope of crossover house music and to build on over 10 billion global streams, six UK Top 20 singles and multiple platinum, gold, and silver awards.
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