Anderson .Paak, widely recognized for chart-topping hits like "Come Home" (feat. André 3000) and “Bubblin,” which won him back-to-back Grammys, has consistently pushed creative boundaries. Then there’s Silk Sonic, the iconic duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, whose nostalgic, funky tunes are timeless crowd-pleasers. After dominating the music world, Anderson .Paak is venturing for the first time into filmmaking. His directorial debut happened at this year’s Toronto Film Festival where he and his team premiered K-POPS.
While it is very much a lighthearted family comedy on the surface, K-POPS is also layered with a deeper exploration of Anderson .Paak’s own cultural identity being both Black and Korean—a facet of his life not widely known. In this interview, we dive into the origins of the film, the personal journey behind it, and how his son, Soul Rasheed, became the driving force behind bringing this story to life.
Keshia Hannam:
Could you tell us a little bit about what's been the best part of making this film? What has been the most fulfilling?
Anderson .Paak:
The whole process was amazing because it started as YouTube skits with my son, where I was just figuring out how I could bond with him during quarantine. That was the inspiration for this entire era of getting into filmmaking and wanting to direct. Seeing how talented and natural he [Soul Rasheed] was in front of the camera, and how funny he was, made me want to write a story.
Saying I wanted to do it was one thing, but actually following through—putting in the time, completing it, and being able to present it at such a prestigious film festival—was a whole other experience. I had no idea how hard it would be, and it was definitely one of the hardest things I've ever done, but also the most fulfilling thing I've ever done creatively.
Keshia Hannam:
Calling it one the most fulfilling creative projects you've done is quite an achievement given your career. Can you tell me a little bit about the origin of this film? Is it something that's been living inside of you for a while? Or did someone come to you with the idea and it felt right?
Anderson .Paak:
I grew up with 3 sisters and when we were younger, I used to make home videos all the time with my family. I got into video editing and I would edit videos for all of our gatherings. When I was in high school, I took editing class and was making all these little short films with my friends. We loved television and movies and I was always trying to entertain and be on the screen or on stage in some form. When Covid and quarantine happened, we weren't doing any touring. I've been touring since 2016 nonstop, and I got a chance to finally slow down and just be in the house with my family.
I got to see what my son was interested in, and at the time, he was really into YouTube. I was bummed out because I was like “I got you this drum set. I have put you in dancing classes since you were 6.”
He was doing video game tutorials on Youtube. I didn't understand it. He told me he wanted to do Youtube, and he wanted to get subscribers. I looked at his page, and I said “I can help you get subscribers. I got some followers on Instagram.”
It started with some dance skits with a song that I had, and that made me want to do a whole little viral video for it. And then we started making little goofy skits about his obsession with BTS.
My whole household was obsessed with BTS and I was the only guy that didn't know about the group at the time. And I was like, “Okay, I know you know BTS, but what do you know about BET?” And I was trying to push this Black side and we started making so many different skits. And that's when I realized this kid's so good.
I want to start making a script. I wanted to make a movie for us where we can get this kind of same story out, and I can use comedy as a vehicle. I can use K-POPS as a vehicle to tell a little bit of my story in these two cultures coming together. Because that's very much what it was in my household. With Soul’s mom being very traditional Korean and all his friends and relatives being in the house, there was always both cultures coming together with my side and his side.
Keshia Hannam:
Can we talk a little bit about your identity? People are more familiar with your Black side, but a lot of folks don’t know that you are part Korean.
Anderson .Paak:
I grew up in a Black household. My mom was born in Korea, but didn't know anything about her Korean heritage and I didn't know anything about it either until I met my son’s mother.
I didn't know the film would take as long as it did, but I had the idea and I took it around, and I think people were a little apprehensive about me directing it. They probably didn’t trust that I could handle it.
I took it to my buddy, Dumbfoundead, who was a producer on it, and he introduced me to Stampede and EST Studios. I pitched it to them, and they were with it. They were like, okay, we know he’s never directed or been in a feature film, but we love the story, and we're willing to help you figure it out. [They said] if you want to direct, it's going to take a lot of work, but we're gonna help you every step of the way.
They helped me find my writer Khalia Amazan and once I found her, it felt like I was in film school. For months we just sat and developed the script, and she taught me about script writing, story arcs, and how to track characters and everything. I didn't know anything about that, and she also gave me a whole schooling on K-pop because she is a big K-pop fan, and she knew all the ins and outs about it.
Keshia Hannam:
You mention that your mom wasn't super connected to her heritage, and that you similarly haven't necessarily been super connected to your Korean side. How has this project helped you connect with it? And is there anything that you found that surprised you?
Anderson .Paak:
Soul’s mom is full Korean. She was born and raised there. Once we were together, I got an introduction to the whole culture. I was always adamant about Soul learning Korean, and I wanted him to be bilingual. She always made sure that the culture was intact. From the food to television, music, and even the church that he goes to. He's very much connected to his Korean roots–for us it was quite the opposite.
My mom was born in a war-torn country, was abandoned, and was adopted by a Black family who was in the military. She was raised in a Black household. Eventually, as she got older, she went and tried to find her Korean roots as well. She didn't find her parents, but I think through my son and my son's mom, we were able to get that reconnection. And then, when I went into this film, I was very used to being around a lot of Koreans and knew a little bit of language and the culture just based on being around the in-laws and Dumbfoundead.
Catherine Nguyen:
We understand that some of your family from Korea flew into Toronto for the premiere. As someone who has been exploring your Korean heritage more deeply in recent years, what was it like to share this story with them, and how did they respond?
Anderson .Paak:
It was cool, I was a little nervous to see how they would react to the movie. I know they don't really speak English, so my son was doing a lot of translating. They were sitting right behind us during the premiere, and we were always peeking back, seeing if they were laughing or reacting to stuff, and they were just so focused on the movie the whole time. Afterwards, we had such a good time with everyone. Grandpa and Grandma told us they were just so proud and said that Soul and I were naturals on screen.
Keshia Hannam:
What sort of conversations do you have with your son about his racial identity, especially living in the US?
Anderson .Paak:
I'm very adamant about him being proud about both sides of his culture and learning as much as he can. Ever since he was little, I was very adamant about him learning to speak Korean. I know a lot of kids, when they get older, they don't want to speak the other language in front of their friends once they start learning English.
Western culture can really manipulate people into being ashamed of it, so I just let him know that he doesn't need to be ashamed of it and that both sides of his culture are very important and that he should be proud of it.
Keshia Hannam:
What are your thoughts on the future of the entertainment industry as it becomes more global and more integrated?
Anderson .Paak
I think we just have to protect creatives at all costs and people who are independently thinking and not relying on algorithms or solely relying on technology to take them the rest of the way. I think people that are out here pushing for original ideas should be protected. I think a lot of people don't want to take risks on original ideas but I think that's how we get amazing stories that are different stories that can only be told by the people who go through these experiences.