Last year, Orcas Island Middle and High School Principal Kyle Freeman embarked on his path to fame as a K-pop star under the name of K-Prince. Mr. Chu, a trusty advocate for Freeman’s music, helped him along the way, suggesting options concerning Freeman’s tour schedule, selecting the best back-up dancers, and making calls to the most popular clothing designer in the K-pop industry. “K-Prince simply has a flawless, mesmerizing stage presence,” said Chu. “When he performs, I can’t help but stare in admiration. The least I could do was support K-Prince in every way that I could.”
Freeman’s first video, “Kyle B Kewl” has 3.1 billion hits on YouTube, surpassing the number of views for “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande and “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. “It was so validating to get such widespread recognition,” Freeman commented. “It showed me that there is a special place in people’s hearts for K-pop. It’s good to know that I am a part of the revival of this sacred music.”
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At the end of April 2016, Freeman began his world tour, traveling to major cities of the United States, Canada, Europe, China, and Korea. “Singing my tunes for people gives me such a rush. It’s like no other feeling,” Freeman described. “Everyone in the crowd is chanting my name as loud as they can, cheering me on. When I start singing one of my hits, ‘Kyle B Kewl’ or ‘Woo Woo Baby’, the crowd goes wild. It seems as though everyone knows my infectious lyrics, and some even have memorized the choreography. The K-Prince fans are my inspiration to keep writing beautifully crafted K-pop songs.”
After his world tour last summer, Freeman returned to Orcas Island, ready to wow the students and teachers with his hits. The overwhelming encouragement and idolization that he received was greatly appreciated. Freeman put on a special show for OHS at an assembly in September, belting out his K-pop tunes, dressed as the star he was always meant to be. “K-Prince lives on,” Freeman says. “I love the simplicity of the songs I craft. I can’t think of another genre of music that is so pure, yet embellished with exotic electronic sounds in the background. This music is a true treasure.”