What Does K-Pop Taste Like? Banana, Apparently
Coca-Cola released a new limited-edition flavor, K-Wave Zero Sugar, inspired by the wildly successful music genre.
Photo courtesy of Coca-Cola
It’d be hard to argue there’s a more fervent fanbase out there than K-Pop stans. With what seemed like just a trickle of Korean artists gaining global recognition a decade ago, the genre has since exploded thanks to its catchy hooks, amped up mixes and appealing personalities. Such successful phenomena like these, so the old adage goes, are like catching lightning in a bottle — and now Coca-Cola is trying to literally capture the flavor of K-Pop in its latest limited-edition beverage.
Today, the brand is rolling out Coca-Cola K-Wave Zero Sugar. (That’s right, this new flavor only comes in the sugar-free variety.) For its drinkable homage to K-Pop, Coca-Cola went a similar direction with its recent “Spiced” release (read what we thought about that new permanent flavor here). The announcement describes K-Wave Zero Sugar as having “the refreshing, Coca-Cola taste infused with a burst of fruity-flavored K-Pop magic.”
We tried K-Wave Zero Sugar at a recent event hosted by Coca-Cola and found the strongest fruit note to be that of banana, along with the flavor of Coke Zero Sugar. And as with many banana-flavored foods, this one erred more on the artificial end of the spectrum. If you don’t like, say, banana Runts candies or banana Laffy Taffy then maybe it’s not for you — but if you do like banana-fied sweets then it’ll be right up your alley.
Photo courtesy of Coca-Cola
But the K-Pop collaboration doesn’t stop there. Coke also collaborated with celebrated K-Pop artists Stray Kids, ITZY and NMIXX, as well as multi-hyphenate producer J. Y. Park, founder of JYP Productions. The artists involved have recorded a K-Pop anthem and music video titled “Like Magic” for the release, and will also perform at a live concert on June 2. Plus, Coca-Cola has released an immersive A.I. experience around the music-themed soda on its Creations website, which aims to take Coke into the realms of fashion, music and technology.
The K-Wave release also corresponds with a new collection from its ongoing fashionwear collab with PRIVATE POLICY. The K-Wave drop includes t-shirts, hoodies, dresses, hats, jewelry and belts, many featuring retro Coke iconography or the Creations square charm logo. All items are available for pre-order on privatepolicyny.com.
K-Pop fans in the United States, South Korea, Spain and Singapore (among other countries) can score a taste of K-Wave starting today, February 20. Coca-Cola says some markets will also see a frozen version of the new drink, but both of these K-Wave products will only be available for a limited time.
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