Charlotte Wilson Shares Her Journey As K-Pop Fan Turned Songwriter Of ITZY’s And NMIXX’s Hits
Sixteen years ago, Charlotte Wilson saw the MV of “I’m Coming” by Korean singer-actor Rain, best known for his hit song “Rainism.” The experience opened her eyes to the world of K-Pop, and she began listening to other K-Pop groups like Miss A and Super Junior.
Composing songs since she was twelve, she dreamed of having her compositions sung by K-Pop groups, feeling that K-Pop would soon be a big thing worldwide.
K-pop tunes were never boring. They were so random and exciting. I was also mesmerized by the visual aspects of music videos and fashion styles of K-Pop singers. Even back then, I felt that K-Pop was going to be a huge thing and that the whole world will love it, although I did not know why I felt like that.
— Charlotte Wilson
Back then, K-Pop was not as big as it is now. Charlotte was frustrated, unable to get information on how she could realize her dream of getting her music to K-Pop labels. She put her dream on hold and concentrated on improving her songwriting and recording skills.
After years of hard work, she finally made a breakthrough in 2019 when her song “Not Shy” was chosen as the lead single for the third mini-album of ITZY, a girl group under one of the top Korean entertainment companies, JYP Entertainment. “Not Shy,” co-written by JYP’s founder Park Jin Young, among others, performed well in music streaming charts in Korea and elsewhere, and garnered close to 197 million views on YouTube.
“Not Shy” paved the way for her to work with other K-Pop groups such as ENHYPEN, THE BOYZ, and Kai of boy group EXO. Her music projects got her so busy that she had to give up her job as an IT Project Manager to devote her full time to composing.
‘Not Shy’ opened the door for me. It showed people who I am, how I write and how I sound. When I first received the instrumental version of the song from a publisher, I already knew it was for ITZY. So I decided to put its name in the chorus so my song can catch the attention of JYP officials.
I did not hear anything from the company for two years (after submitting it), but in 2019, I finally heard that my song was chosen as ITZY’s new lead single. I just could not believe this and literally cried … JYP gave me the first chance, believing in something that I had done.
— Charlotte Wilson
Charlotte’s strength in making music was blending various musical genres ranging from jazz to trap and hip-hop. Many praised her music, but some critics thought her tracks were “too confusing and convoluted.” Unfazed by the criticism, she was hopeful that her music would eventually grow on others enough to win them over.
Recently, the songwriter shed tears while watching NMIXX perform “DICE” at YES24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul. She said, “NMIXX members are like my little sisters, and it was a dream-come-true for me to see them perform my song,”
Though she is happy with her current success, there are still some groups she dreams of working with. “In the future, I hope I get the chance to make songs for BTS, IVE, Kep1er and NCT,” she said. “I also want to expand my career to the western market.”
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