Korean pop, also known as K-pop, has been increasing in its popularity and dominance in the US. The boy band BTS in particular has become the first K-pop group to win a Billboard Music Award, and this increasing success of K-pop in the US alludes to the future of the new wave of K-pop-affiliated musical acts that will integrate into the US mainstream. The large Korean-American population in cities such as Los Angeles also contributes to the popularity of K-pop and allows for more artists to debut. As more K-pop artists are targeting the international market, it is also becoming more competitive because an increasing amount of artists are trying to become part of the K-pop scene. Some of the first K-pop artists who infiltrated the US include Girls’ Generation, Big Bang, Super Junior, and Wonder Girls. All of these K-pop groups bring back to memory my own teenaged years when I listened to their songs religiously. However, the greater diversity of K-pop groups in America has allowed me to appreciate more sophisticated Korean music, rather than merely upbeat, pop music. As BTS is extremely popular even among my friends, I have personally experienced the surge of K-pop in America by performing BTS dances through Block Crew on campus.
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