Homegrown

• FC Dallas loaned Homegrown player Jaidyn Contreras to the Mexican club Tigres UANL. • This move continues an existing player pipeline between the Dallas-based team and the Tigres organization. • The loan allows a young domestic talent to gain professional experience in a different league to accelerate his development.

• A new generation of homegrown Southeast Asian artists, including Thai acts like YOUNGOHM, MILLI, and Joey Phuwasit, are emerging with unique styles that diverge from the traditional K-pop formula. • These artists are leveraging the blueprint established by South Korea's cultural juggernaut, which proved there is a massive global appetite for Asian music. • While regional fame existed in the 1980s and 90s, the unprecedented crossover success of K-pop acts like BTS and Blackpink—highlighted by events like Coachella 2023—has paved the way for others.

• Homegrown artists from Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand and the Philippines, are gaining traction as alternatives to the dominant K-pop formula. • While K-pop achieved unprecedented global mainstream success following Psy’s 2012 hit "Gangnam Style" and recent milestones by BTS and Blackpink, regional acts like YOUNGOHM and MILLI are now carving their own niches. • This shift matters because K-pop's global expansion proved there is a massive international audience for Asian music, paving the way for other regional artists to seek crossover appeal.