Music does not involve an indulgent understanding of the language. It is said to be a worldwide dialectal form of composition for all. Henceforth, it can be used to interconnect the traditional, ethnic, and language boundaries without having to recognize the philosophy or language of the place from where it instigates.
By no means, the capability to comprehend or speak Korean is a requirement for listening to K-pop, which is demonstrated by the plentiful fans K-pop boasts around the world.
What Is K-pop Music?
K-pop, aka, Korean pop is a type of musical genre that originated from Korea or South Korea. Kpop is a type of melodious variety comprising various music genres, such as electronic, hip-hop, rock, pop, R&B, and sentimental forms of themes. The artists who perform in these categories are called Korean idols.
K-pop or the songs performed by these idols are both incredibly gifted and malleable. They can shine in various aspects such as rap, bubble-gum pop, ballads, and rock.
A good quota of South Korea's K-pop music spreads by wrapping in a stunning, lustrous candy coating in the arrangement of their precisely crafted packaging; the whole kit and caboodle like from their outfits to hairstyles— which are cautiously measured to expertise a certain trademark for the groups who perform in order to reel multitude of fans across the globe.
The present form of K-pop music was materialized during the 1990s. However, the beginning of this music portrait goes way back. The contemporary style of K-pop has been the result of decade-long traditional amalgamation that started in the 1950s.
Modern K-pop is refined to as an audio-visual pleasure for adolescents, young grownups, and the young-at-heart music fanatics. K-pop has grown like a full-fledged in contrast, which spread as a widespread subdivision of music category on a global level.
With the current trend of YouTube, K-pop has gained enough commendation, a gargantuan number of fans all across the world, and it remains to upsurge the shine for the fame and popularity on the global stage.
Origin And History Of K-pop
South Korea experienced Western and American philosophy in arts and music, which had been conveyed by the Americans and Europeans music fanatics and entertainers at the time of the Korean War that dates from 1950 to 1953.
Following the war, South Korea selected the melody of tunes from the notorious performers of all times, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, and the widespread names of American pop culture. The original concept began with the formation of girl groups, which was borrowed from the fabulous The Andrew Sisters and The Ronettes. That's when the K-pop music started to emerge in South Korea.
The history of K-pop dates back in the late 1900s. The concept of pop and culture was derived from the American and European musicians in the late Korean War.
The origins of Korean music can be outlined all the way back to 1885, when a missionary named Henry Appenzeller initiated on teaching American and British folk songs to schoolchildren, substituting the original English lyrics with the Korean ones. These songs, known as Ch'angga, were unruffled and forbidden by the Japanese during their domination of Korea, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. At that time, the lyrics of Ch'angga deprecated Korea’s colonial dictators.
After the Korean peninsula was separated into North and South, Korea got its freedom and emancipation from the Japanese in 1945. Soon, Korean and Western culture stumbled upon each other, with American popular music clarifying into the scenery through the U.S. troops that stayed in the country after the end of the Korean War.
Over time, American pop culture steadily became more conventional, and trot music, the first-born Korean pop music derived from the old Ch'angga songs, underway to manifest Americanized theme.
From these eras, K-pop began to emerge. In 1989, Lee Soo Man created SM Entertainment, which became one of the biggest entertainment companies. Then, in 1992, a group called Seo Taiji and Boys altered the Korean music industry. They integrated English lyrics and dance moves into their music, which was the commencement of modern K-pop.
In 1997, Park Jin Young created JYP Entertainment. In 1998, Yang Hyun-Suk, an earlier member of Seo Taiji and Boys, established YG Entertainment. These three entertaining companies became known as the Big 3 in South Korea, hence, after becoming one of the most popular industries nowadays.
In 1996, SM Entertainment founded a boy band group called H.O.T (High-five of Teenagers) and was the first one that attains fame due to their amazing artistry and dance moves. They are also one of the forerunners of the Hallyu/Korean Wave.
Korean trend or wave is the increase in the global reputation of Korea’s amusement in other countries. H.O.T volunteered in the Chinese market with the Chinese album and made K-pop recognized in China. There were also other K-pop groups along with H.O.T, which shined in the days such as S.E.S, SechsKies, Fin.K.L, G.O.D., and Shinhwa making their way into the development of modern K-pop.
Kwon Bo-ah, also known as BoA, from SM Entertainment, pierced the Japanese market with her Japanese album in 2002, further snowballing the Korean Wave. In the early 2000s, groups that debuted in the late 1990s initiated to separate like H.O.T and then came along TVXQ, which comprised of five-member groups, debuted in 2003, and was another group that was produced by SM Entertainment.
The boy band TVXQ became magnificently popular and amplified the attentiveness and feverishness for the K-pop trend globally. They were a big hit and became popular in Japan and China, respectively. At this point, the Korean Wave is intended to aim at the Asian market.
After the dismissal of the K-pop groups in the late 1990s like TVXQ, S.E.S, Shinwa, many more k-pop groups began to debut after them such as Super Junior (2005), Big Bang (2005), Kara (2007), SNSD (2007), 2NE1 (2007). This band of groups further amplified the popularity of K-pop and maximized the Korean Wave into other Asian countries.
Gangnam Style by Psy was the most popular music video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube and other media in 2012. After the video that was released by Psy, K-pop became broadly known globally, and the fans were mesmerized by the illustration of the horse dance in Gangnam Style, which further amplified the Korean Wave.
BTS and Twice, one of the current most popular K-pop groups, were the first K-pop groups to execute their stylish performances at the BBMA in 2017. After these band groups, the Korean wave got higher fame in the American market.
K-pop history started around 30 years ago, making its way into fame and popularity. As of today, K-pop has grown tremendously and outshined other fields of genre and musical artistry. Many K-pop bands have shined and outclassed other idols in the fields of artistry by their amazing performances performed in their live concert and musical videos.
Some of the famous music bands that are popular nowadays are BTS, GOT7, Red Velvet, Exo, Vixx, Monsta X, AOA, Hello Venus, and Twice. K-pop has many festivals around the world in the form of live concerts accompanied by various bands or solo artists performing with their artistry filled with astonishing songs, including dance moves, beats, and tunes.
Is K-pop Famous In The USA?
K-pop is a type of musical genre that has been storming the global media dramatically. The K-pop artists who perform in these kinds of categories are well renowned and have attracted millions of viewers with their awesome dance moves and illustrating videos comprising of many tunes of songs like pop, Ballad, rock, sentimental, as well as R&B.
The K-pop market has brainstormed in many countries, including America, Europe, Japan, and other parts of the countries with their artistry display of dance and songs. K-pop has grown numerous international listeners and spectators in the form of audiences in places such as the United States (U.S), Europe, Asia, and South America. While in other Asian fairs, including Japan, the popularity of K-pop has grown into a wealthy some business.
(©: glamourbiz.com)
The K-pop culture is a worldwide spectacle of music variety, where there are various noticeable factors that have led to K-pop being renowned and adored around the world. Korean pop culture has an exclusive elegance and stylishness, which makes the global audience more attracted and appreciated by the songs they perform. A few of the leading features for K-pop’s reputation are as follows:
Artistic Use Of Color And Outfits:
This theme is the admiration factor in the K-pop music video or live presentation in the form of a concert that has succeeded in winning millions of hearts of fans worldwide. The use of artsy and Color synchronized outfits, pulsating yet self-confident makeup, bouncy effects, and creativeness enable K-pop artists to stand out, allowing for greater charm and interest from people of all age groups.
Flawlessly Synced Dance Practises:
The choreography is better synced and performed skilfully by K-pop artists. The K-pop concert that is performed is like a delicacy owed by the flawlessly synced dance practices along with addictive tunes that are presented by inspiring professionals in Korea. These singers receive year-long preparation and drill sessions to perfect flawless dance moves and capture every beat and tune while dancing and singing at the same time. It’s not an overstatement to say every K-pop performance is art.
Multi-Lingual Languages:
K-pop artists have grasped an assortment of different languages to obtain broader coverage for their art and performances. For illustration, high impression groups such as EXO, Big Bang, Twice, and BTS sponsor music in Korean, and the same song is interpreted into other languages such as Mandarin, Japanese, and English. Hence, it is no curiosity these groups are the highest registering Korean performer bands on the Billboard 200.
Thus, due to their various concepts and flawless artistry, it’s not a shock that K-pop has assimilated commendation and fans from the global spectators and audiences, where they continue to do so even today. South Korean idols have made it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Moreover, the spread of K-pop has allowed the Korean music industry to become a billion-dollar business.
Some Popular K-Pop Bands
South Korea yields around 60 bands on a yearly basis, obviously demonstrating the many K-pop groups that are already popular nowadays.
Here are some well-known and popular K-pop groups or stars that have made their way into international fame: H.O.T, Super Junior, SES, Girls’ Generation, GOT7, KARA, Turbo, Big Bang, Baby V.O.X, BTS, Blackpink, A Pink, and Twice.
One of the modern K-pop most popular band, BTS (©: YouTube)
In the most important cities of the U.S such as Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta, K-pop concerts have organized various festivities and sold out spots seating 1,700 to 2,500 music enthusiasts. In 2011, the nine-member dance girl group called Girls' Generation performed extraordinarily earning the popularity of fans, along with other K-pop entertainments, at Hallowed Madison Square Garden in New York City.
While in Los Angeles, the Korean Music Jubilee has been a part of the performance season at the 17,000-plus capability for the Hollywood Bowl for the preceding ten years. The performance-driven by the K-pop artists captivated many fans from the United States, Europe, Asia, and many more from all across the globe who either watched the shows or attended the concert. These K-pop songs or dance moves captivated the hearts of all ages, including from the teenage to the grownups as well as elderly people.
The substantial Korean-American inhabitants in cities such as Los Angeles are positively effecting to fuel the reputation of K-pop in the United States. Admired by their artistry and Songs, Many K-pop performers are enlisted from other countries such as Thailand, China, Japan, Europe, and the United States in order to perform in the festivities organized by the peoples.
There are many bands and artists who have made their way into fame and have the pleasure of attending and dancing in the festivities organized by the company such as BTS, Twice, GOT7, A Pink, Girls Generations, and many more.
Diet, Fashion, And Plastic Surgery
It’s not uncommon for Korean stars to go on dieting, wear fashionable outfits, and as well to undergo plastic surgery.
Korea is a country that has crazy trends like fashions and styles, especially for K-pop idols. In order to look beautiful and stylish in female groups while handsome and dashing in male groups, the artists undergo various kinds of hardships in order to keep their bodies into a perfect shape and size either by going into dieting or making their faces and body slim by undergoing plastic surgery.
Making their body to be in the finest shape is the most priority for the K-pop stars to uphold. K-pop stars have to make their bodies look slim, stylish, and flawless whenever they need to perform in the stage or live concert.
Many K-pop artists undergo plastic surgery to create a better body or facial remedy for themselves to look beautiful and stunning. They also possess a vast amount of incredible fashion sense and ideas for outfits to wear in the stage or live concert, making them even more dashing than usual and good looking while performing their artistry.
Numerous K-pop stars have undergone the surgery of their noses, eyelashes, facial structures, and some even have their jaws shattered and shaved into a V-shape to generate a more feminine appearance. The most common technique is double eyelid surgery, which generates a more Western-looking eye for the K-pop stars.
In Korea, eyelid surgery is considered as a gift from parents to acknowledge the completion of studies from high school to university. For Korean idols and stars, Korea is an immensely competitive society, whereas, in the field of competition, a beautiful face is a great weapon.
Many people tend to look slim and slender as their idols by imitating the stars’ extreme diets or undergo plastic surgery to look similar to their idols. Over the past years, many juvenile fans have uploaded videos of impersonating the diets of K-pop stars, which have harvested up to millions of views and thousands of likes.
K-pop fans have a lot of respect and love for K-pop stars, so it’s not unusual if they share the same diets, or wear fashionable outfits and perform plastic surgery to look alike as their favorite celebs and celebrities.
The diets and fashion sense for each K-pop star differ within themselves because each star has their own preferences and ideas of how to make themselves beautiful or have perfect fitness.