Trot 트로트
Trot is a genre of Korean pop music. It is also called 뽕짝 (Ppongjjak ) due to its distinctive rhythm. Trot songs are usually talking about going back home and breakup between two people. Trot was derived in Korea and Japan between 1940-1945, and it is usually sung by a solo singer. As a result, trot is popular among middle-ages and elders. It became less and less popular as K-pop grows in Korea as well as worldwide. However, after 2000, younger trot singers debuted and made trot more fun for young people to listen as well. 홍진영, 송가인, and 유산슬 are the most famous trot singers I know, and they target at different group ages.
홍진영
홍진영 was born in 1985, and she’s 34 years old this year. 홍진영 debuted in 2009 when she was only 24. It is an absolutely young age for someone to be a trot singer at the time, but after 홍진영 debuted with the song 사랑의 배터리 (Love Battery), she became famous and brought more young people to trot. The background rhythm in her songs are from the traditional trot songs, but 홍진영 is good at adding young elements to make the song more acceptable by young people. She also makes her music videos more than just dancing in a disco club as traditional trot singers do, so she stands out from traditional trot singers. In addition, her voice and her characteristics are all very energetic, so she is like by both middle ages and young people.
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zONW_hyI5A&list=PL5tP5hmsgHhmMgmrgWw_JkieyLDK9KyIB&index=1
Stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5la2w7MPQ
송가인
Compared with 홍진영, 송가인 is a more traditional singer. In 2018, she attended a variety show called “Miss Trot,” where she wins as “Miss Trot” and became super popular among the elders in South Korea. She is called “the Queen of Trot” in South Korea now and is treated as a top idol among the elders. She has a powerful performance on stage too, but her songs are more traditional. Her image, in general, is older than 홍진영 as well, which actually gains her more fans among the elders.
송가인 in "Miss Trot": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-HOLt8BFm0
Stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVdxP8Hke4Q
유산슬
유산슬 is a recently debuted trot singer, and he rises fast on the music chart of trot in South Korea. He has two songs come out so far: 합정역 5번 출구 and 사랑의 재개발, and they now rank first and third on the chart. 유산슬 has his two songs included in his album named “뽕포유,” which is very popular between both young people and the elders.
유재석 as MC
Before he became a trot singer, he is one of the top MC (mic controller) in South Korea. He has hosted many Variety shows and is recognized as the “National MC” in South Korea. His actual name is 유재석. One of the shows he’s doing now, named “놀면 뭐하니?” (What do you do when you play?), gave him missions to become a trot singer in order to make trot popular again. The name of 유산슬 was originally the name of a Korean Chinese dish.
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0TatPKl2xM
“놀면 뭐하니?”: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6jsZ02B4K3SECUrkgPyzg/videos
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Comments
Thanks for sharing this interesting post with us! The first time I know 홍진영 is from Korean variety show and I really like her appearance and character. Later I know that she is a trot singer and I have never heard this kind of songs before because I only knew the Kpop and rap music previously. Then I am addicted to trot music!
I really enjoyed reading this post because my parents love trot music. I didn't think many people knew about it so I rarely brought it up, so it was nice seeing another person who appreciates the genre. I grew up listening to trot music but I never knew it was a specific genre until actually a couple months ago. Thanks for this post!
This post is so interesting because I had never heard of trot music before, despite listening to K-pop for many years. I watched the 홍진영 music video and it was really cool! It had the vibes of modern music in the production and arrangement of the song, but you could tell it had more traditional roots from her singing voice and the story/development of the song.
I did not know a lot about trot before reading your post! But I have heard about 홍진영,송가인,유산슬 because of TV show. I know that Hong jin young is one of the most popular singers in Korea nowadays. From the news I also learned that she could make a lot of money from performance. This surprised me because I thought trot was not that popular before.
I really enjoyed reading this post because I've been a kpop fan and Korean TV show fan since I was in middle school. When I was watching Running Man, 유산슬 was my favorite MC in the show. He was so funny and smart, and I could tell he is such an experienced MC. I am going to watch "놀면 뭐하니?”, it sounds like a great show. Thanks for sharing!
This post was very fascinating to read. Trot is a genre of music that has so much history behind it. Your selection of trot singers is very interesting. Hong jin young is one of the most relevant trot singers, but she is also considered to have a very pop sound to her songs. Also, I didn't know that Yoo Jae Seok was considered a trot singer, but I will definitely check out his songs.
Interesting and informative post! I always hear people talking about trot in Korean variety shows but never really understand its cultural meaning. And it's amazing that this music genre with such a long history still got to thrive today in South Korea with all these efforts.
홍진영 is probably one of my favorite trot singers of all time. She has an amazing personality, and my favorite song is "Cheer up" by 홍진영. Although trot is not my personal choice of genre, I think it really has good mix of the culture of the antique Korean music and modern Korean music.
I really enjoy this post Maggie! I have been addicted to trot songs recently. The melody and rhythm always remain in my brain, even if I'm taking an exam. My fav trot songs are "Love Battery" and "Thumb Up" from 홍진영. "Ring Ring", her collaboration with Kim YoungChul is also very addicting.
I never knew 유재석 had several songs before I read your post！The trot melody is rhythmic and catchy. My friends and I listen to trot sometimes, and we can always remember the melody singing even after we hear it once. The trot dance steps are sometimes very appealing, simple and easy to learn. I hope that while k-pop is developing, other forms of music can also be preserved. After all, these are unique treasures.
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