K-Pop 101
Written by our recent intern, Madelene Raneses
“So imma light it up like dynamite!” are lyrics you may have heard on the radio many times throughout these past two years. These are the lyrics to the 2020 hit single “Dynamite” by the K-Pop boy group sensation, BTS.
BTS, along with other groups such as BLACKPINK, TWICE, and countless others, have taken the world by storm despite most of their songs being in a foreign language. So with this BTS/K-Pop craze sweeping the world, you’re probably wondering, what IS K-Pop and why is it SO popular these days? Well, as a long-time K-Pop fan, I’m here to tell you all the ins and outs of this genre and what makes it so special.
Background & History
K-Pop stands for “Korean Pop” or Korean pop music. It is the worldwide and immensely popular music genre that has taken the 21st century by storm. Its sound, style, and flair have caught the attention of fans worldwide. K-Pop itself is rather hard to define as a single music genre because of the many other genres and styles of music it is influenced by, including hip-hop, jazz, reggae, electronic, dance, etc., among others. However, K-Pop not only pertains to the music itself, but the culture surrounding it. With its flashy visuals, unique idol system, and dedicated fans, the term “K-Pop” encapsulates much more than just the music.
K-Pop has been around for generations, with what is coined as “modern K-Pop” starting in the 1990’s with Seo Taiji and the Boys. This trio introduced hip-hop and more Western influences to the South Korean public, which intrigued and excited many members of the youth. With the success of this group, the K-Pop entertainment industry began producing more K-Pop groups and recruiting more talent. It wasn’t until the late 2000’s where K-Pop made its mark in the Western music scene. Groups like Wonder Girls, BIGBANG, Girls’ Generation, and 2NE1 grew to international fame for their unique styles and music, and in 2012, PSY released “Gangnam Style” which became the most viewed YouTube video in the world at one point. Since then, K-Pop has only grown even bigger, gaining an immensely diverse fanbase from all over the world, largely due to the massive success of groups like BTS and BLACKPINK.
BTS making history and winning 3 awards at the American Music Awards 2021.
What Makes It Different
There are a number of characteristics that make K-Pop different from what we might be used to in the States. I’ll be covering the two main things that I think makes K-Pop distinct: the “Idol System” and the “K-Pop Aesthetic”.
1. Idol System: This is where K-Pop entertainment companies and agencies audition/recruit young, aspiring talent and train them to become a K-Pop star, or “K-Pop idol” as they’re officially called. This training system involves intense training and classes in singing, dancing, rapping, music production/songwriting, acting, and even foreign languages. Once you start this training process, you officially become a “trainee.” Trainees train almost every day (with only one day of break) and spend roughly 12-14+ hours training, taking classes, and rehearsing. Many companies have monthly and weekly evaluations to monitor the trainees’ progress. If a trainee passes the evaluation, they continue on, however, if they fail to pass, they must spend extra hours making up for what they lacked or worse, they get dropped from the company entirely. On average, trainees train for about 3-4 years, with many idols going beyond that. On top of that, the whole system is very competitive and unpredictable. Trainees compete for limited spots in the next K-Pop group that the company is producing. Although trainees sign contracts to spend years training, gaining a spot in a group is not guaranteed. And even if you do manage to gain a spot, there’s no guarantee that your group will make it big in the K-Pop industry amidst all the other groups. So, this concept of “creating talent” or “streamlining” talent is very common in South Korea, which is mostly uncommon in the US that focuses more on raw and discovered talent.
2. K-Pop Aesthetic: The K-Pop music scene has many characteristics that define it. Firstly, K-Pop tends to focus heavily on groups or bands. While there are a good amount of solo artists, there is a huge focus on groups. On a related note, you can’t have a K-Pop group without some eye catching choreography and visuals. The fashion and even hairstyles of these K-Pop groups tend to be super colorful and vibrant. Groups usually have “concepts” for each new album they release, which not only translates in their music style but also their fashion and visuals as well. Music videos are an essential part of K-Pop. Likewise, huge amounts of money are spent on creating high quality music videos that are visually and aesthetically pleasing to audiences.
examples of the K-pop visual aesthetic
Where to Start
Now that you have a better idea of what K-Pop entails, where do you start? Down below, I’ve provided YouTube playlists of different categories of K-Pop that you can check out. From K-Pop songs in English to K-Pop songs that went viral worldwide, hopefully this list will provide you with an easy starting point!
● K-Pop Songs in English:
○ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqNb9KUWR65M3S9UPLkjH_j5Ua5EuP3YE
● K-Pop Songs That Went Viral:
○ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqNb9KUWR65NMD7hzdU-ZqXOw6B6_ENYV
● K-Pop Songs With Iconic Dances:
○ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqNb9KUWR65N5IQBXLppm6WFt98QVp3xT
● K-Pop Songs With Storyline Music Videos:
○ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqNb9KUWR65MMGi49eL7lh0dxHxgu23I5
● “Classic” K-Pop Songs:
○ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqNb9KUWR65P_bTzUgeV55MdDFnAc09Zj
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