K-pop, Korean popular music, is mainstream music that originated from South Korea. Around the 1990s, the K-pop that everyone knows today was created. The first K-pop group was Seo Taiji and The Boy, and they debuted with the song “I know,” which incorporated Western sounds. Seo Taiji and The Boys drove the creation of idol groups and many entertainment companies. Some top Entertainment companies are SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, Big Hit Entertainment, and YG Entertainment. What makes K-pop distinct from other music genres is the amount of training time that goes into becoming a K-pop idol. K-pop consists of trainees who train in acting, dancing, singing, rapping and learning how to present themselves as an idol. These trainees form into an idol group, and the entertainment companies market them to fans. They spend years in studio systems learning how to sing and dance in synchronized perfection. These K-pop idol groups perform in music show programs on South Korean TV such as “Inkigayo,” “Music Core,” Music Bank,” “M Countdown,” and more. During their promotional period, they have the chance to win awards in these music show programs according to winning criteria. These winning criteria are music video views, social media engagement, digital music charting, and more.
In each idol group, there are different roles that each member plays. The roles are leader, main vocal, sub-vocal, lead vocal, main rapper, lead rapper, main dancer, main dancer, lead dancer, and maknae. The difference between main and lead is that the lead dancer/vocal/rapper is skilled but is the second-best in the group. The main dancer/vocal/rapper generally has the most lines or is spotted in the middle compared to the lead. Maknae also stands for the youngest in the group.
One of the reasons why K-pop idol groups become so successful and popular, aside from their catchy music and eye-catching performances, is because of K-pop stans. K-pop stans are enthusiastic and active fans of their favorite group. However, it’s not enough to describe a stan as a fan. K-pop stans go above and beyond for their idol groups, to the point where they “worship” them. They buy as many albums as possible, stream on music platforms, support the artist in every way possible, and many more. Every K-pop group has its own fandom name along with fan light sticks that fans hold during their concerts. For example, GOT7’s fandom name is IGOT7 (Ahgase), and their light sticks are called ahgabong, which is shaped like a bird and is green. K-pop is different from other music genres because of its addictive melodies and choreographies. K-pop has exceptionally high-quality performance, polished aesthetics, and high-quality studio production. They tend to have specific styles that go along with their music style, helping them stand out. An example of this would be Girls’ Generation’s hit song “Gee.” Their crab dance and the addictive melody became a viral hit on the internet worldwide. Their colorful skinny jeans became a trend in Korea that everyone tried to replicate this style, and it became the fashion of the year in 2009. K-pop continues to influence fashion and the music industry in Korea and internationally.
The more modern K-pop culture began with H.O.T in 1996, and K-pop grew into a subculture that created fandoms among young adults, teenagers, and even children. Seo Taiji and The Boys and H.O.T, K-pop were famous in Korea, but the true global effect of K-pop began in 2003. In 2003, TVXQ and BoA helped spread K-pop outside of Korea, especially Japan. Then, Big Bang and Girls’ Generation helped spread K-pop globally in 2006 and 2007. In 2012, PSY’s Gangnam Style globally trended everywhere and became a dance that everyone followed along. Gangnam Style remains the number one most-watched K-pop music video on youtube today. Finally, popular groups today such as EXO, BTS, Blackpink, and Twice have made K-pop even more global and popular than ever before. K-pop is South Korea’s pride and leading exporters of popular culture.
Comments
K-pop seems like a phenomena that is hard to replicate in other countries in terms of reach and popularity. Although we see the prevalence of America media in the world, K-pop seems unique in how it draws so many people from different backgrounds together. I personally have not followed K-pop in depth but the industry is deeply ingrained in the rest of the culture that its hard to overlook.
Reading about the origins and history of K-Pop is very fascinating. Idol culture in Korea is so different from the rest of the world, and I have so much respect idols and trainees. The amount of work they put in is so admirable. I think it is amazing how internationally known K-Pop has become, which shows how music can transcend language barriers.
I'm also a fan of KPop. I really enjoy the energy and effort each artist put into their work. My favorite bands and artists are: BTS, Hong Jin Young, BigBang, etc. I'm more of a casual fan though. I love how KPop opened a lot of doors for Asian artists to enter the west-dominated music industry!
It’s fascinating to read about the history and development of K-Pop! As you mentioned, I think the thing that differentiates K-Pop is its emphasis on performance. K-Pop artists strive for perfection in their choreography. (I think this desire for perfection is evident in other aspects of Korean society, such as education.) After watching a few K-Pop videos, I also notice the artists’ attention to their appearance. I would not expect to see a K-Pop artist singing at a concert with a guitar, dressed in ordinary clothes. However, this type of casual performance would be more common in other genres of music, such as country.