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Anderson .Paak is sharing insights about collaborating with his son, Soul, in his forthcoming film, K-Pops!.
The 40-year-old artist discussed the movie during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on April 6. He elaborated on the film’s development, a process that unfolded over several years. In the film, .Paak portrays a down-and-out musician who learns he has a son with the potential to rise as a K-pop sensation. This character is brought to life by his actual son, Soul, who was 11 during filming and has since reached the age of 15.
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“The film revolves around a washed-up musician, BJ, played by me, who unexpectedly discovers he has a son poised to become the next K-pop phenomenon,” .Paak explained. “Starring alongside me is my real-life son, who was 11 at the time of shooting. He’s 15 now. The entire production spanned about five years from inception to completion.”
This project also draws inspiration from .Paak’s personal heritage. With his mother hailing from South Korea, he and his sons embrace that cultural connection, which naturally weaves into the narrative he’s eager to present.
“And we’re bridging the gap between Black culture, Korean culture. [It’s a] family comedy for everyone to go see. And I’m really proud of it,” he said.
According to .Paak, the idea for the film started during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Soul became interested in creating content online.
“I didn’t know what the heck that was. And I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do it,’” he said. “And we got to making skits and little funny bits, and I realized how naturally talented he was, how funny he was.”
As they continued working together, the experience reminded him of making videos with his own family growing up, which led him to start writing a script centered around their dynamic.
“I got more into being a YouTuber than he was. And so I was in there editing stuff, and it got me back to when I was a kid making all these little movies with my family,” he said. “So I was like, ‘Son! I’m going to write a script for us. I know you know about BTS, but what do you know about BET?’”
Filming took place in South Korea, which gave .Paak a chance to return to his mother’s home country while working closely with his son.
“My mom was born in Korea. She was an adopted child in Korea,” he said. “And so it was dope to go back over there and experience the homeland and see how different crews work out there and be out there with my son and really like developing a real bond with him, seeing how he works with other people and us working together. It was awesome, and I’ll never forget it.”
.Paak shares Soul and his younger son, Shine Tariq, with his ex-wife Jaylyn Chang.