Your cart is empty
⏳ Free Standard Delivery For Today ⏳
KPOP, short for Korean-Pop, is indeed the popular music of South Korea. KPOP encompasses both Pop, which is of course the dominant style, as well as other musical genres such as rap, R'n'B, rock, ballads, hip-hop, EDM, and electro-pop. Beyond being just a musical style, KPOP is also a movement originating from South Korea defined by the Hallyu: this includes, besides music, cinema, dramas, video games, manhwa, food, language—in short, culture as a whole.
KPOP traces its roots to the first modern music that appeared in Korea in the 1930s, particularly the modern Japanese style. Between the 1950s and 1960s, the presence of American forces at their bases became a great inspiration for these Asians. It is not often emphasized, but KPOP was greatly inspired by American music, especially Hip-Hop and R'n'B with a small touch of rock. Very quickly, KPOP spread throughout Asia before reaching America, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. And this breakthrough is thanks to the web. Moreover, the emergence of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as music downloads through iTunes and YouTube, are also factors that allowed KPOP to conquer the market and travel beyond Asian borders.
When talking about KPOP, the group Seo Taiji & Boys is often referenced. Indeed, the group is often considered the first KPOP group. It was created in January 1992 and its success speaks for itself. The trio included Yang Hyeon Soek, founder of YG Entertainment, and rock singer and musician Seo Taiji. We must also mention the very first production company to emerge, which is SM Entertainment. It was founded by Lee Soo Man in 1995 and produced the first boybands and girlsbands. Shortly after, YG Entertainment, DSP Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment arrived. In the 1990s, groups such as G.O.D, H.O.T, Fin.KL, S.E.S, Sechs Kies, and Shinhwa also experienced tremendous success.
In a KPOP group, there is often a certain model as follows:
- A leader: very often, this is the oldest member of the group or someone with more experience than the others. He has more responsibility and acts as the group's mediator.
- A main vocalist: in a song, this member has the most vocal parts. However, sometimes a group has several main singers.
- A rapper: as the name indicates, this member handles the rap parts in KPOP songs. Even here, there can be multiple rappers in the group.
Besides these, there is a visual member, a main dancer, and a maknae. The maknae is the term used to designate the youngest member of the group.
KPOP is especially represented by its boybands. Examples include Super Junior, BIGBANG, EXO, BTS, and many others. On the other side, it is represented by girlsbands such as Blackpink, SNSD, 2NE1, Sistar, Apink, and so on. However, some artists perform solo, such as Psy, Boa, Ailee, IU, and Jay Park. Not to forget mixed groups like Trouble Maker, NASTY NASTY, or Lucky J. Another point is that KPOP stars cannot really be considered artists. Why? Indeed, very few of them write and compose their own music. But it should be noted that in recent years, some members in certain groups have made efforts to compose lyrics. This is especially noticeable in male groups.
In KPOP, idols are recruited by South Korean music agencies during their adolescence, after having passed and succeeded in auditions. They are also scouted on the streets because of their beauty. For 3 to 6 years, they are trainees and undergo training in singing, dancing, foreign languages, and sometimes courses in music theory, acting, modeling, or martial arts. They are also subject to exclusive contracts with their agencies that used to last up to 13 years. For them, exemplary behavior is required since most of their fans are teenagers. Therefore, they are forbidden to drink before the age of 21, to smoke, to make offensive remarks, or to have romantic relationships during their rookie years (the first years after their debut). However, these regulations have been somewhat relaxed.
Korean pop is somewhat different from American pop due to its wholesome nature, without insults or provocative words. For example, American pop is overly sexualized. However, it should not be compared to Jpop (Japanese pop), whose market is exclusively local. Indeed, they do not really seek to export it, focusing more on the image of the childlike woman and a rather pure style.
In KPOP, boybands and girlsbands can have between 2 and 13 members on average. In Korea, it should be emphasized that appearance is very important. As a result, idols have undergone plastic surgery to conform to beauty ideals. Since this is a taboo subject, few idols admit to having undergone it. Yet the estimate is 95% for those who have done so. In Korea, it is worth noting that plastic surgery is a highly developed market. What seems strange to some is that in Korea, there is no age limit for plastic surgery.
Comments are approved before their publication.
