When the term “K-pop” is brought up in a conversation, most people associate this term with groups like BTS, Blackpink, Big Bang, and Psy. Each and everyone of these groups and individuals have become global sensations, performing for events like Coachella, Daily Shows, the Grammys, and etc. People love these groups for their aesthetically pleasing music videos, uncontainable energy in rhythm and melody, and beauty. While these artists have played a significant role in paving a path for interaction between Korean and American culture, they account for only a small percentage of the many great artists that perform in Korea. After further investigation into Korea’s entertainment industry, I have found several amazing ballad and r&b artists that the rest of world is missing out on.
I want to start providing some insight into the Korean ballad artists because ballad is my favorite genre within the whole industry. My favorite ballad songs are sung by Park Hyo Shin who is considered one of the legendary singers in Korea. He is able to sing songs very softly using techniques that he derived from pop, choir, and musical genres. Like many Korean ballad singers, Park Hyo Shin’s songs evoke feelings of sadness, loss, heartbreak, and all the words that you can use to describe someone’s sadness. I’ve talked to many Korean natives about this and they state that Korean songs are embodiments of Han, “a concept of an emotion, variously described as some form of grief or resentment that has been said to be a characteristic of Korean culture” (Wikipedia). This characteristic originated during the Japanese occupation of Korea, which inspired Koreans to unite “through a sense of shared suffering” due to “turbulent modern history” (Wikipedia). I believe that this cultural characteristic may resonate with the African Americans and their inspirations and emotions behind soul music. “According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is music that arose out of the black experience in America through transmutation of gospel and rhythm” (Wikipedia). I found the similarities between the two music styles to be very interesting because I am a avid listener of both genres. Somewhat detracting from the flow of this paper, I would like to recommend a few songs for everyone to listen to. Everyone who is somewhat interested in Korean music should start listening to Wild Flower, Breath, Goodbye, and The Day by Park Hyo Shin.
The Korean music genre also includes Korean R&B. The artists in this genre produce content with all kinds of messages. These messages include sadness, heartbreak, money, love, power, dreams, random thoughts during the day, and even the kinds of food they’re craving. The most importance of Korean R&B songs are rhythm and “chill” vibes. I would like to recommend artists and songs from this genre as well. The songs are Sleep Talk by Zion. T, Wiing Wiing and Hooka by Hyukoh, Gold by offonoff, and Any Song by Zico.
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