K-Pop star Jessica Jung signs with UTA for North American market

SEOUL: K-pop singer Jessica Jung has signed up with UTA in a prelude to making a strong presence in the North American market.

The agency will represent her in North America for music, film, television and endorsements, while she will continue to be repped by South Korea’s Coridel Entertainment and US-based East West Artists.

San Francisco-born Jessica, 29, rose to international fame as a member of one of K-pop’s best-selling girl groups, Girls’ Generation, from 2007-2014. She released her first solo EP, With Love, J, in 2016, which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s World Albums chart, and then released Wonderland (No. 7 on World Albums) and last year’s My Decade (No. 5), which was led by the single Summer Storm.

“I have the utmost confidence in UTA’s abilities to help me develop and expand my career globally,” Jung said in a statement.

After her exit from Girls’ Generation, Jung, who was named Asian Fashion Icon at the 2014 Sohu Fashion Awards, also launched the fashion line Blanc & Eclare, which operates 60 stores around the world. She recently starred in China’s romantic comedy feature I Love That Crazy Little Thing and also appeared in the Stephon Marbury biopic My Other Home, which starred the former NBA player turned Chinese Basketball Association superstar as himself.

“We are excited to work with such a driven, multi-hyphenated artist and help her continue to grow her audience globally,” UTA head of Asian business development and motion picture lit agent Max Michael said of Jung.