When thinking of K-pop groups, most fans assume that in order to make it big in the States, you have to be big in Korea. BigBang, 2NE1, and Girls Generation are the groups that people imagine when thinking about k-pop entering the Western music world. What if there was another way for a musician to make it big in the States without having to be big in Korea?

Now, if you are like 83% of Americans, you drink coffee. Americans are so obsessed with coffee that there is a coffee shop on almost every block in the country. New York City has about 256 Starbucks stores with half of them in Manhattan. That equals to a lot of time spent in a coffee shop. If you’ve been in a shop, even if you don’t drink coffee, you know there’s usually music playing. There is a good chance that song you hear, is a person singing while playing the guitar. At the counter, the artist’s album is for sale and sometimes with a free song download on iTunes. You pick up the free download card because you decide you like the song and end up buying the album online. Fast forward a few months and that same artist is on TV, accepting an award for Best Acoustic Album.

Now imagine that that artist is Eddy Kim.

Eddy Kim debuted in the early part of 2014 with his first mini-album “The Manual”. He released three m/vs within a week, and has been extremely busy ever since. His music is not something most k-pop fans are used to. There are no fast pop tunes and no complicated dance steps. What Eddy Kim does have is sweet melodies and smooth vocals. His style of singing is perfect for coffee shops around the country, where people go to grab a cup of coffee and relax.

If he starts in coffee shops and does well, Eddy Kim could find himself in thousands of cafes and restaurants that follow the same musical choices. Eddy Kim could become a great success by sticking to his original format of acoustic guitar songs and take over the coffee shops. You never know. You might turn to the Grammy’s next year and see him win an award for Best Acoustic Song.

So what are your thoughts? Which idol that isn’t necessarily popular in Korea do you think would make it big in the States? Leave your comments and let us know!