One of the figures spearheading a path for the K-Wave is The K-Way, also known as Shai, alongside Nilza - the creators of HallyuCon.
If you're a UK connoisseur of culture you’ve probably attended HallyuCon, or seen the fantastic work they continue to put out and the beauty of how they bridge Korean culture with the world - while also making it a humanised experience for the idols involved. Not to mention their aim to restructure the stereotypes that are often placed onto K-Pop fans. Nilza and Shai are determined to create events that strike a delicate balance – honouring both the fan experience and the artists themselves. As they celebrate their fifth year of HallyuCon, it stands as a testament to showcasing all areas of Korean culture.
Performances and calligraphy aside, what many may don't realise is how much goes on behind the scenes. From talking to politicians to collaborating with companies, they ensure that global fans are catered to. As you can see from our interview, it’s clear both Nilza and Shai have a strong determination to keep pushing forward in changing the narrative and creating authentic connections with brands, companies and of course, the audience. Both are clearly passionate and ambitious individuals who are nothing short of inspiring. We talk about the power of fandoms, the beauty of Korean culture, what goes into creating events and much more!
Let's start from the beginning. How did the two of you meet, and what sparked your interest in Korean culture?
Shai: For me, what took me on this journey was that I come from quite a multicultural background, and I've always loved learning languages and exploring different cultures. Since the age of about 11, I've worked in the international business space. I was exposed to a lot of different cultures but really took to Korean culture, K-Pop, and K-Dramas in secondary school after some friends introduced me to them. I found it really interesting because I would notice parallels between my own culture and Korean culture. So it felt like a home outside of home.
In terms of how we connected - I’ve run my own K-Platform “The K-Way” for just shy of 10 years now, and in the early stages I started going to events at the Korean Cultural Centre (KCC). They were aware of my platform and invited me to get involved in some of the other work they were doing. One project is the K-Pop Academy, which is a 10-week, all-immersive course that teaches you about different areas and aspects of Korean culture. I became part of the team at KCC, and then the next cohort that came on after my year in the group was the Nilza cohort. So that's how we connected, and we began putting on events together.
Nilza: I'm from Portugal originally, and in Portugal any child that was born between the late 80s and early 2000s was exposed to Japanese pop culture. It's pushed onto you because about 80% of the children's TV shows and all the cartoons that we watched mostly came from Japan. It was the early 2000s when YouTube became a thing (laughs). I was watching those fan-made edits for Sailor Moon with Boa’s “Number one” as the backtrack.
That's when I discovered Korea. I started listening to a lot of SM artists at the time and it progressed when SHINee came out, then of course, Big Bang. It was wonderful. Then Wonder Girls came out and I got into JYP and other companies. Then I was in the UK for uni in 2012, and that's when we met. In the beginning, we did a lot of K-Pop, especially with the boom of Gangnam Style at the time and K-Pop was growing, but it wasn't a thing, so to say. And obviously you were still the odd one out for liking that “weird” stuff (laughs).
How did you create HallyuCon?
NIlza: So when we met at the KCC, it became like our safe space, and we wanted to reach out because obviously we knew there were more of us. Just a place where we could all get together and connect. So we started making small events. The first one we did was when BTS became the face of UNICEF and had a Love Yourself campaign. We were inspired by that, so we created our first official event for Love Myself.
I think it was just before COVID or during COVID; we obviously couldn't organise small events here and there. But then we decided to make something official out of it. That's when we decided to create HallyuCon.
The marketing manager of the KCC recommended a few programmes that the Korean government had on at the time that we could apply to, to get grants to be able to promote Korean culture outside. Because obviously, none of us had the money to invest in it. Obviously, they had to be online because of the COVID situation. But then when we were off the second lockdown we organised our first hybrid event, and now it's our fifth-year anniversary this year. Obviously there were lots of similarities between K-Pop and the inspiration that kind of built it off the back of the Motown and the Black American music genres and so on. But J-Pop was also a big influence.
Photography by @k_waiyee_After all these years, what title would you give yourselves?
Nilza: Technically we are Korean culture ambassadors. The agency likes to think that everyone that attends the K-Pop Academy becomes a Korean cultural ambassador, but also we were awarded a special award by the previous director of the KCC.
[Reaching for the award] it says "UK Distinguished Korean Wave Representative, Korean Cultural Centre." We also have a lovely team that helps where we're lacking and expands all of the collaborative side of things as well.
You have other people who like writing for you as well, right? Those that contribute content such as show reviews and up-to-date news in Korea.
Nilza: Yeah, we do. So, the way HallyuCon works at the moment is we have about five departments. Obviously there are the websites, general PR, events, and logistics, to name a few. We also have some people that show an interest in joining the team, and then we all come together for the wider things.
We do have people that we work with on and off basis as well. For instance, with articles, we do have people that have reached out to us. So we kind of give them that platform to be able to do this. So the articles go onto the website; it's a mix of people we work with, and a lot of them are actually professionals in their own area as well. All of that knowledge and depth of skill are applied; it plays out quite nicely for everybody.
Each year the event gets more successful. Did you ever think it would become so big on the scale from the first year back in 2020 to today?
Shai: Honestly, we knew there would be organic growth because the intention was to create a safe space with a huge focus on us showcasing and celebrating Korean culture. We knew that it would become almost this environment that would promote cultural exchange and connectivity because some of our team members are from South Korea, some are expats, and some are from other locations. Nilza and I have different backgrounds. So we knew that this is the thing that would bring everyone together, and there's so much more that will come.
So did we anticipate that it would grow? Could we ever have imagined what sort it would have evolved into? Absolutely not, because that just kind of happened. I'm sure Nilza would echo this as well. Every year, although we have a phenomenal team that helps plan these events and activities, it happens on its own, and it turns into its own thing or responds to the needs and interests of the growing community. To be honest, sometimes it just feels like a fever dream, and we always seem to forget things that happen on the day. So we go back and look at recordings or things that people tell us we're like “Wait, this happened? Does anyone have any videos?” (laughs)
Planning such a big event like that - what would you say is the biggest challenge or the biggest curve that’s been thrown your way?Nilza: I think we went through waves. At first we were mostly reliant on government funds and grants. The first step of having to apply for them was already a big struggle because it's a lengthy process and it's all in Korean. There's a lot of admin behind it, so coordinating with the teams that are managing those grants was already a draining process on its own. Then we have to liaise with people we want to be a part of. And then people's replies, people who don’t reply and finding the middle ground when things don't go as we want. I would say for me, those are the hardest ones.
Shai: Anything government affiliated, we have to do huge reports back to them. I would say that's the hardest part. It will be like an overview of how the event went from both an internal and external perspective. So every year, you may have heard that sometimes we prompt people to leave feedback or to fill out our survey, and that is so we can improve the event year on year. But also so the government can track the growth. For example, about two weeks ago, Nilza and I had to go to a meeting with some Korean politicians to talk about the growth showing the stats and numbers. So yes, it's tedious and difficult, but we understand why it's needed.
Nilza: When we have to write reports they can end up being sometimes 50 - 100 pages long, depending on how much we have to put in. Because you also have to submit evidence. So it's not just the people's feedback. You also have to mention the stats and all the engagement we've done. So before the event starts, all that we're planning. So what all of the stats really are, in the nitty-gritty sense, involve what we said we were going to do against what we actually did. If things changed even a little bit we need to tell them why. When we first started it was online, and we weren't sure how long it was going to stay online because of things being so uncertain. So it was “HallyuCon Live in London”. And then when we did our first hybrid one, which obviously had a physical side to it, we changed to “HallyuCon Live from London”. It was a minor change in the name but because in the proposal it was still supposed to be fully online we had to prove why we changed it.
Shai: Because it's on a government level, and because it's connected to taxpayer money and the government budget. There's an annual report that's put out every year that covers international growth and I think Hallyu plays a huge part of it, but they even look at technology, medicine and all the different areas. Because although this is on a governmental level, it also affects Korean companies. So the kind of artists that will come over here, Korea may be striking up certain deals with the UK depending on interest.
Nilza: So they use all of the aspects they can to quantify soft power which can actually be commodified into something that is obviously much bigger. It's very rewarding. People assume that we just have someone that gives us money and it gets done. But no, we have to raise it. And as Shai mentioned, because a lot of the government grants come from taxpayers money back in Korea, it needs to be thorough. It's like when you're working in a company and you're using a company card, and then you have to submit an expense form. We have to send in clippings if there have been articles written about events, screenshots with links, and the expenses etc.
The written report with all of the stats and numbers will be let's say, 100 pages. There will be another document with another 100 pages where we'll have to submit all of the receipts as an account for everything, and we're talking about the team's lunch, travel expenses, and anything we purchase for the most tedious thing you can think of.
Shai: For the most part, it looks like a lot for just a one-day event. I guess the bigger picture is outside of the flagship HallyuCon annual event, there are other projects that we work with Korean government organisations on. And I guess what's keeping us sane is that we're hoping that we're creating a cultural shift in awareness around fan culture and connectivity and different opportunities for fans. Because off the back end of this, and because the government has observed it to be so successful year on year, sometimes we have other Korean government entities that match-fund us because they're seeing the growth. We work with so many music companies and entertainment companies that now are consulting with us to give fans what they actually want.
Photography by @k_waiyee_What's your secret recipe to organising such a massive event? (laughs)
Nilza: Secret recipe? (laughs) I’d say it’s our focus because we're fans ourselves and have attended events in the past. I remember one of my worst-case event experiences was a concert back in 2000 when I was 12 or 13 where a lot of things were overlooked. So that's where our passion for HallyuCon comes from - because we want organisers to understand that fans are not just a quick cash grab; they’re passionate people. We’ve had the privilege of speaking with politicians and CEOs of companies that put on a lot of the events that we see here in the UK and across the globe, and we've brought to their attention things like how we don't get the same level of experience that Korean fans have or the fact we're paying extra.
Having reached over 7.5 million Hallyu fans on your platform, what do you think has contributed to the Hallyu wave's popularity? Why do you think your events and platform have become so popular?
Nilza: We know what it feels like. Most of our events were free to begin with because we had the funding. But then we got to a point where we had to keep it all sustainable since obviously, the people that we get involved with need to be reimbursed for all of their time and effort.
When ticketing for it we still consider what people can afford for what they're getting. We’re trying to find a balance between obviously providing a good experience as well as making sure that everything's sustainable and everyone's happy. In the end, it's not always possible, because there will always be the one thing that will stop it from being perfect but we try our best. I think that's where we stand out. We're on the forums; we're speaking to people, our team, fans etc. We have people that manage the fandom experience. One of our main designers actually started the TXT fandom here in the UK. So everyone knows when people have complaints, or what people's expectations are. We are aware of those things.
How do you decide what to feature and who to invite and how do you create timetables for the day, and work out what panels to feature?
Shai: At most of our events, you’ll often see calligraphy experiences, or opportunities to try on Hanbok, and being able to eat Korean food - those are the integral pieces of the experience. But outside of that, we aim to be very adaptable, constantly asking ourselves “What do we want and what do you want?” Because I think that's important.
Nilza: Fandoms and community are so much more than a screaming-fan archetype. That’s why we actually like to use the term enthusiast. Especially when communicating with companies, as it creates a better and respectful idea of fans. It's not just a K-Pop problem - it's a reflection of society as a whole.
KW: No, because they forget that men with sports can be passionate but if women or young girls like something to do with music we’re labelled crazy etc.
Nilza: Exactly! I think it was recently - an NBA player had been swapped to another team when he wasn't even aware of it, and the internet went crazy. I'm like, if this was a K-pop group, or girl's reaction to a member leaving the group or disbanded people would dismiss it saying of these crazy girls overreacting. So yes, it’s most definitely a global society issue.
2024 was another successful year with regards to the event. What is your favourite moment of the day, and how long does it take for you to start planning for the following year?
Nilza: Let me see if I can even remember what happened (laughs).
Shai:It's like having a baby (laughs) we planned for almost like nine months. (laughs)
Nilza: Since KCC and the government entities are often involved, we make sure to put them on their radar as early as possible. Obviously being a small team, we don't want things to get missed easily. We often start planning sometimes as early as January. After wrapping the previous year's events, we’ll look at what went positively and could be improved for the following year. From there, we brainstorm ideas, and our team members pitch their concepts. We think of questions like “What kind of brands would we like to collaborate with? How much money do we need to raise? What kind of support will the team need?”
Once we have a rough plan we begin to reach out to potential partners. As we receive responses, we begin to adapt and tweak our ideas. We normally aim to have everything fully penciled in and confirmed by early spring. Then by summer we can actually start focusing on doing it all. But getting it all agreed with all the relevant entities and stakeholders - that is the hardest part and what can take a lot of time. No matter how much preparation we do, something unexpected comes up closer to the event. Last minute changes are just part of event planning.
The little things get me the most happy. For instance last year our dancer did a sword dance. Not many people have seen that in real life, so seeing people happy about that makes me happy.
Shai: I think for me from last year's event, perhaps because it was a slightly different addition to the overall program, I really enjoyed watching people be so excited by the “Working in Hallyu” segment. Because whilst a lot of people are fans or enthusiasts or people that just want to educate themselves and explore a little bit, there are people that are genuinely interested in working in these fields. So I think that was really exciting for me to observe.
If you were to dream big, where no budget or time was an issue, what would be your ultimate goal? Whether it's unrestrained, Mega HallyuCon or something else?
Nilza: For me, my long time ambitious goal would be to hold [HallyuCon] in a place like Olympia. You can have food stalls with onsite cooking demonstrations. You can have activities happening at different levels. I've also got a list for the artists I would invite. Give me £500,000 and I could make that happen.
Shai: I think it's very similar to Nilza’s. I think just us scaling up in terms of space because we just realised that capacity wise, the previous venues are slowly becoming too small. So somewhere like Olympia or even the ExCel would be amazing. I think our goal is, yes, to replicate the things that work really well in Korea that provide that unique immersive experience but also to connect.
I feel like between COVID and there now being this boom and interest in Korean culture and music, a lot of companies have perceived it as just an opportunity to cash grab and neglect the actual humanness. So even doing things like seminar talks with artists where they're actually able to talk outside of just emoting or smiling or just interacting and maybe talking about their experience or their journey. We're inspired by a lot of different platforms such as Hello82 or some of the things that DIVE does where you're giving artists the space and opportunity to connect on a human level. I think the quicker we move away from “This is my idol. Emote for me and entertain me!” you know the fan culture will naturally take strides to become a lot healthier as well.
We also have a separate organisation parent organization called “Ouri Insights” and through that we want ro bridge the gap between international and UK companies and really foster more cultural exchange. Because if I like your food and you like my food, or you like my music and I like something about you, it allows us to feel a bit more connected and understand each other a little bit better.
Photography by @k_waiyee_Speaking of Korean companies, you recently partnered up with SM for the upcoming SMTOWN event in London this June, how did the collaboration come together?
Shai: Yes. So we're supporting everything with FrontRow and SMTOWN live in London, which has been exciting. I think one thing that's been really refreshing for us is how open they've been for listening to us, and whilst we're not responsible for everything that's happening, we do appreciate that we're seeing a shift in companies wanting to listen a bit more and figuring out what works and what doesn't work.
Since you began, is this one of the several pinch me moments either personally or professionally?
Shai: I think in terms of a pinch me moment that is one for both of us there's definitely the loveliness of meeting artists and people, and I think Nilza might enjoy that more than I do because I have a terrible memory.
Nilza: I think that's why we shouldn't hate on people or especially celebrities in general, because there will be shared experiences. Even though you share the same experience, we will remember it completely differently.
Shai: We become friends with a lot of the artists and talent that we get to work with. And I don't think that's a prerequisite for working in this space, but just bonding over being human. And liking similar things. So that's been really nice. But a moment for me would be more impact based. I think a lot of the time when we receive inbound emails from organisations that we look up to come to us to want to listen. I think that's really humbling to know that the work that we’ve done is creating a change. I think that kind of shocks me a little bit and although we have the same inbox, our team will send each other screenshots.
Nilza: For me it and it's not even the people that reach out, it's the people that refer them to us because word of mouth has been preceding us. Sometimes I’ll get shocked because people actually do recommend us both to Korean Government entities and brands.
What do you think the future of Hallyu will look like in the UK or globally from your perspective?
Nilza: Not necessarily everything that happens is the most positive, but what is important is the humanising aspect of it with how things are happening. Obviously not just seeing groups in western spaces being used for views and clicks the same way they had in the past. One of my hopes is that companies will come to understand that if they want to cater to a global audience they need to be prepared to accept how those audiences view them. That goes on to idols just being human and all of the expectations that companies sometimes allow fans to place on them. So I think if companies want to reach out to and push their content globally, but don't adapt to different perspectives, that will never work out. I just hope as it grows we have things that are sensible, sustainable and human, and not just another way to easily sell a fan a £100 poster or photo card that you could literally print yourself.
We're in the process of getting there. Now we have access to K-Dramas on major streaming platforms. I remember when I first started watching dramas – it was on YouTube or, in many parts, on DailyMotion. It was hard back then. I hope that with this increased accessibility it also comes with a lot more sensitivity and obviously sustainability across the industries that benefit everyone involved.
Do you both ever just sit back and reflect and take time to see how much has been achieved over the past few years?
Nilza: Shai is much better at that than I am (laughs). I never take time to look at it because there's always something that needs to be done – it's always on to the next thing. Shai’s the one to remind me to sit, reflect and see what we've achieved.
Shai: Yeah, somewhat. Once again, I have a terrible memory. The only reason I remember things is because I post them on LinkedIn (laughs). The other day, someone reached out to me and said something like, “Oh, I loved your TEDx talk!” and I was genuinely confused thinking “Whose TEDx Talk?” So I think a lot of the time, it’s not even about the pressure of thinking “What do we have to achieve next?” There's always so much more to be done. We do reflect a little bit, but it’s not until we sit down and have conversations like this for us to pause and go, "Oh, yeah, we’ve accomplished a lot."
Nilza: When we look at the last three years – when we consider how many people we’ve spoken to, how many have attended our events. When companies reach out to us and we need to send them an intro deck or a proposal. That’s when we actually have to go through everything and think, "Oh, we did this, this, and that." It’s a reminder to stop selling ourselves short. It’s definitely a learning experience.
Shai: It’s really funny because in this space — at events or in a familiar environment — being called Shai feels natural since that’s what everyone here calls me. But when I’m outside and someone calls out Shai like it’s my actual name, I just stand there confused thinking, "Wait, who are they talking to?"
So, finally, the last question. What’s next for you girls? What else can we expect from you?
Nilza: We have a few projects in the works beyond the events. One of the major ones is a travel package in collaboration with Dragon Trip. We’re curating a 14-day travel experience across different cities i.e. Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan etc. which will kick off in the Spring.
Obviously, for the 2025 events, we do have a few projects we're prepping at the moment. We're always open to new opportunities, and things often come our way – like the collaboration with SM Town & Front Row. They reached out to us after we helped organise the Dynamic Duo tour, having worked with them in the past. As for HallyuCon, we don't have a date yet, but we tend to keep it around the same time each year.
Shai: Typically on the back end of Chuseok.
Nilza: The format will remain similar, but we're aiming to shift things a bit and obviously hold a small celebration since this will be our fifth anniversary.
Shai: As much as we love our current venue, we’re considering other locations just because of spatial constraints and how many people can be in there.
Photography by @k_waiyee_Thank you to Shai and Nilza for this interview. Written and interviewed by May S & Kirsty Bright.
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