Fall Asleep While Learning About K-Pop

In this episode of the I Can’t Sleep Podcast, learn about the global phenomenon known as K-pop. Originating in South Korea, K-pop is a genre of popular music that blends various musical styles, including pop, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic dance. With its catchy tunes, dynamic choreography, and stylish visuals, K-pop has gained a massive following worldwide.

Iconic groups have led the wave of international success, capturing fans with their talent, high-energy performances, and captivating music videos. K-pop is also known for its intense trainee system, where aspiring idols undergo rigorous training in singing, dancing, and language skills before debuting. This cultural force continues to shape music, fashion, and pop culture globally. Let this detailed exploration of K-pop's vibrant world ease you into a restful sleep. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled,

K-pop.

K-pop,

Short for Korean popular music,

Is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture.

It includes styles and genres from around the world,

Such as pop,

Hip-hop,

R&B,

Rock,

Jazz,

Gospel,

Reggae,

Electronic dance,

Folk,

Country,

Disco,

And classical,

On top of its traditional Korean music roots.

The term K-pop became popular in the 2000s,

Especially in the international context.

The Korean term for domestic pop music is gayo,

Which is still widely used within South Korea.

While K-pop can refer to all popular music or pop music from South Korea,

The term is often used when referring to artists associated with the entertainment and idol industry in the country,

Regardless of the genre of music output.

Modern K-pop idol culture began in the 1990s,

As K-pop idol music grew into a subculture that amassed enormous fandoms of teenagers and young adults.

The more modern form of the genre,

Originally termed rap dance,

Emerged with the formation of the hip-hop boy band Seo Taiji & Boys in 1992.

Their experimentation with different styles and genres of music and integration of foreign musical elements helped reshape and modernize South Korea's contemporary music scene.

After a slump in early idol music from 2003,

TVXQ and B.

O.

A.

Started a new generation of K-pop idols that broke the music genre into the neighboring Japanese market and continue to popularize K-pop internationally today.

With the advent of online social networking services and South Korean TV shows,

The current spread of K-pop and South Korean entertainment,

Known as the Korean wave,

Is seen not only in East Asia,

But also throughout the world,

Gaining an international audience.

In 2018,

K-pop experienced significant growth and became a power player,

K-pop experienced significant growth and became a power player,

Marking a 17.

9% increase in revenue growth.

As of 2019,

Korean popular music is ranked at number 6 among the top 10 music markets worldwide,

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's Global Music Report 2019,

With BTS and BLACKPINK cited as artists leading the market growth.

In 2020,

K-pop experienced a record-breaking year when it experienced a 44.

8% growth and positioned itself as the fastest growing major market of the year.

The term K-pop is the Korean equivalent of the Japanese J-pop,

Which first known use of the term occurred on Billboard in the October 9,

1999 edition at the end of an article titled,

S-Korea to Allow Some Japanese Live Acts by Cho Hun-jin,

Then a Korean correspondent for the magazine,

Which used it as a broad term for South Korean pop music.

Cho himself,

However,

Is not sure if he coined the term,

Since some articles stated that the word K-pop was already being used by music industry insiders,

Even though he had never heard it personally.

Although K-pop generally refers to South Korean popular music and the associated industry,

Some consider it to be an all-encompassing genre,

Exhibiting a wide spectrum of musical and visual elements.

The French Institut National de l'Audiovisuel defines K-pop as a fusion of synthesized music,

Sharp dance routines,

And fashionable colorful outfits.

Songs typically consist of one or a mixture of pop,

Rock,

Hip-hop,

R&B,

And electronic music genres.

The mainstream method is to become an idol trainee through agency auditions,

Online auditions,

Or street casting.

South Korean management agencies offer binding contracts to potential artists,

Sometimes at a young age.

Trainees live together in a regulated environment and spend many hours a day learning how to sing,

Dance,

Speak foreign languages,

And gain other skills in preparation for their debut.

This robotic system of training is often criticized by Western media outlets.

In 2012,

The Wall Street Journal reported that the cost of training one Korean idol under SM Entertainment averaged $3 million.

K-pop is a cultural product that features values,

Identity,

And meanings that go beyond their strictly commercial value.

It is characterized by a mixture of modern Western sounds and African-American influences,

Including sounds from hip-hop,

R&B,

Jazz,

Black pop,

Soul,

Funk,

Techno,

Disco,

House,

And Afrobeats,

With a Korean aspect of performance,

Including synchronized dance moves,

Formation changes,

And the so-called point choreography consisting of hooking and repetitive key movements.

It has been remarked that there is a vision of modernization inherent in Korean pop culture.

For some,

The transnational values of K-pop are responsible for its success.

A commentator at the University of California San Diego has said that contemporary Korean pop culture is built on transnational flows,

Taking place across,

Beyond,

And outside national and institutional boundaries.

Some examples of the transnational values inherent in K-pop that may appeal to those from different ethnic,

National,

And religious backgrounds include a dedication to high-quality output and presentation of idols,

As well as their work ethic and polite social demeanor made possible by the training period.

Modern K-pop is marked by its use of English phrases.

Jeanne Dahl Young of Popular Music and Society wrote that the usage may be influenced by Korean Americans and or Koreans who studied in the U.

S.

Who take full advantage of their English fluency and cultural resources that are not found commonly among those who are raised and educated in Korea.

Korean pop music from singers or groups who are Korean American,

Such as Fly to the Sky,

G.

O.

D.

,

Rich,

Yu Seung-hyun,

And Drunken Tiger,

Has both American style and English lyrics.

These Korean American singers' music has a different style from common Korean music,

Which attracts the interest of young people.

Increasingly,

Foreign songwriters and producing are employed to work on songs for K-pop idols,

Such as Will.

I.

Am and Sean Garrett.

Foreign musicians,

Including rappers such as Akon,

Kanye West,

Ludacris,

And Snoop Dogg,

Have also featured on K-pop songs.

Entertainment companies help to expand K-pop to other parts of the world through a number of different methods.

Singers need to use English since the companies want to occupy markets in the other parts of Asia,

Which enables them to open the Western market in the end.

Most K-pop singers learn English because it is a common language in the world of music,

But some singers also learn other foreign languages,

Such as Japanese,

To approach the Japanese market.

Similarly,

Increasing numbers of K-pop bands use English names rather than Korean ones.

This allows songs and artists to be marketed to a wider audience around the world.

However,

The use of English has not guaranteed the popularity of K-pop in the North American market.

For some commentators,

The reason for this is because the genre can be seen as a distilled version of Western music,

Making it difficult for K-pop to find acceptance in these markets.

Furthermore,

Western audiences tend to place emphasis on the authenticity and individual expression of music,

Which the idol system can be seen as suppressing.

According to Elaine W.

Chun's research,

Even though hybridity appears more and more often in K-pop,

And sometimes may even make fans admire K-pop stars more because it is fresh,

New,

And interesting,

It is hard to change those who believe in a perfect ideal for pure linguistic.

This means that the original form of language is still difficult to alter.

Artist names,

Song titles,

And lyrics have exhibited significant growth in the usage of English words.

No singers in the top 50 charts in 1990 had English in their names.

People who worked in the Korean music industry viewed using Korean names as standard.

In 1995,

Most popular singers such as Kim Gun-mo,

Park Jin-young,

Lee Seung-chul,

And Byun Jin-sub still used Korean names,

But 14 of the singers and groups in the top 50 used English names.

Including DJ,

Dok,

015B,

Piano,

And Solid.

After the 1997 financial crisis,

The government stopped censoring English lyrics,

And Korea started to have a boom in English.

Since the late 1990s,

English usage in singers' names,

Song titles,

And lyrics has grown quickly.

17 singers in the top 50 charts used English names in 2000,

And 31 did so in 2005.

In 2010,

41 singers used English names among the top 50 songs,

But usually three or four singers and groups had more than one or two songs on the chart simultaneously.

Korean names are seen less frequently,

And many K-pop singers have English names.

Notably,

Until the early 1990s,

Musicians with English names would transliterate them into Hangul,

But now singers would use English names written with the Roman alphabet.

In 1995,

The percentage of song titles using English in the top 50 charts was 8%.

This fluctuated between 30% in 2000,

18% in 2005,

And 44% in 2010.

An example of a Korean song with a large proportion of English lyrics is Kara's Jumping,

Which was released at the same time in both Korea and Japan to much success.

Many agencies have presented new idol groups to an audience through a debut showcase,

Which consists of online marketing and television broadcast promotions as opposed to radio.

Groups are given a name and a concept along with a marketing hook.

These concepts are the type of marketing that is used to promote the group's music,

And the name of the group is along with a marketing hook.

These concepts are the type of visual and musical theme that idol groups utilize during their debut or comeback.

Concepts can change between debuts,

And fans often distinguish between boy group concepts and girl group concepts.

Concepts can also be divided between general concepts and theme concepts,

Such as cute or fantasy.

New idol groups will often debut with a concept well known to the market to secure a successful debut.

Sometimes subunits or subgroups are formed among existing members.

Two example subgroups are Super Junior K.

R.

Y.

,

Which consists of Super Junior members Kyuhyun,

Ryeowook,

And Yesung,

And Super Junior M,

Which became one of the best-selling K-pop subgroups in China.

Online marketing includes music videos posted on YouTube in order to reach a worldwide audience.

Prior to the actual videos,

A group releases teaser photos and trailers.

Promotional cycles of subsequent singles are called comebacks,

Even when the musician or group in question did not go on hiatus.

Dance is an integral part of K-pop.

When combining multiple singers,

The singers often switch their positions while singing and dancing by making prompt movements in synchrony,

A strategy called formation changing.

The K-pop choreography often includes a so-called point dance,

Referring to a dance made up of hooking and repetitive movements within the choreography that matches the characteristics of the lyrics of the song.

Super Junior's Sorry Sorry and Brown Eyed Girls' Abracadabra are examples of songs with notable point choreography.

To choreograph a dance for a song requires the writers to take the tempo into account.

According to Ellen Kim,

A Los Angeles dancer and choreographer,

A fan's ability to do the same steps must also be considered.

Consequently,

K-pop choreographers have to simplify movements.

The training and preparation necessary for K-pop idols to succeed in the industry and dance successfully are intense.

Training centers like Seoul's Deaf Dance School develop the dance skills of youth in order to give them a shot at becoming an idol.

Physical training is one of the largest focuses at the school,

As much of a student's schedule is based around dance and exercise.

The entertainment labels are highly selective,

So few make it to fame.

Students at the school must dedicate their lives to the mastery of dance in order to prepare for the vigorous routines performed by K-pop groups.

This,

Of course,

Means that the training must continue if they are signed.

Companies house much larger training centers for those who are chosen.

An interview with K-pop choreographer Rino Nakasone lends insight into the process of creating routines.

According to Nakasone,

Her focus is to make dance routines that are flattering for the dancers,

But also complementary to the music.

Her ideas are submitted to the entertainment company as video recordings done by professional dancers.

Nakasone mentions that the company and the K-pop artists themselves have input on a song's choreography.

Choreographer May J.

Lee gives another perspective,

Telling that her choreography often starts out as expressing the feeling or the meaning of the lyrics.

What starts out as small movements turns into a full dance that is better able to portray the message of the song.

The emergence of Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 paved the way for the development of contemporary K-pop groups.

The group revolutionized the Korean music scene by incorporating rap and American hip-hop conventions into their music.

This adoption of Western style extended to the fashions worn by the boy band.

The members adopted a hip-hop aesthetic.

Seo and bandmates' outfits for the promotional cycle of I Know included vibrant streetwear such as oversized t-shirts and sweatshirts,

Windbreakers,

Overalls worn with one strap,

Overalls worn with one pant leg rolled up,

And American sports team jerseys.

Accessories included baseball caps worn backwards,

Bucket hats,

And do-rags.

As K-pop was born of post-Seo trends,

Many acts that followed Seo Taiji and Boys adopted the same fashion style.

Do and DJ Dock can also be seen wearing on-trend hip-hop fashions,

Such as sagging baggy pants,

Sportswear,

And bandanas in their performances.

With Korean popular music transforming into youth-dominated media,

Manufactured teenage idol groups began debuting in the mid and late 1990s,

Wearing coordinated costumes that reflected the popular fashion trends among youth at the time.

Hip-hop fashion,

Considered the most popular style in the late 90s,

Remained,

With groups such as BTS,

BTS,

And BTS,

Becoming the most popular remained,

With groups such as H.

O.

T.

And Sechs Kies wearing the style for their debut songs.

The use of accessories elevated the idol's style from everyday fashion to performance costume,

Like ski goggles worn either around the head or neck,

Headphones worn around the neck,

And oversized gloves worn to accentuate choreography moves were widely used.

H.

O.

T.

's 1996 hit,

Candy,

Exemplifies the level of coordination taken into account for idols' costumes,

As each member wore a designated color and accessorized with face paint,

Fuzzy oversized mittens,

Visors,

Bucket hats,

And earmuffs,

And used stuffed animals,

Backpacks,

And messenger bags as props.

While male idol groups' costumes were constructed with similar color schemes,

Fabrics,

And styles,

The outfits worn by each member still maintained individuality.

On the other hand,

Female idol groups of the 90s wore homogenous costumes,

Often styled identically.

The costumes for female idols during their early promotions often focused on portraying an innocent,

Youthful image.

S.

E.

S.

's debut in 1987,

Cause I'm Your Girl,

And Baby Vox's second album 1998 hit,

Ya Ya Ya,

Featured the girls dressed in white outfits,

Too My Boyfriend by Fin K.

L.

Shows idols in pink schoolgirl costumes,

And One and End of Chakra presented Hindu and African-style costumes.

To portray a natural and somewhat saccharine image,

The accessories were limited to large bows,

Pom-pom hair ornaments,

And hair bands.

With the maturation of female idol groups and the removal of bubblegum pop in the late 1990s,

The sets of female idol groups focused on following the fashion trends of the time.

As K-pop became a modern hybrid of Western and Asian cultures starting from the late 2000s,

Fashion trends within K-pop reflected diversity and distinction as well.

Fashion trends from the late 2000s to early 2010s can largely be categorized under the following.

Street focuses on individuality,

Features bright colors,

Mix-and-match styling,

Graphic prints,

And sports brands such as Adidas and Reebok.

Retro aims to bring back nostalgia from the 1960s to 1980s,

Features dot prints and detailed patterns.

Common clothing items include denim jackets,

Bootcut pants,

Wide pants,

Hair bands,

Scarves,

And sunglasses.

Black and white emphasizes modern and chic,

Symbolizes elegance and charisma,

Mostly applied to formal wear.

Futurism,

Commonly worn with electronic and hip-hop genres,

Features popping color items,

Metallic details and prints,

Promotes a futuristic outlook.

K-pop has a significant influence on fashion in Asia,

Where trends started by idols are followed by young audiences.

Some idols have established status as fashion icons,

Such as G-Dragon and CL,

Who has repeatedly worked with fashion designer Jeremy Scott,

Being labeled his muse.

The South Korean government has acknowledged benefits to the country's export sector as a result of the Korean wave.

It was estimated in 2011 that a $100 increase in the export of cultural products resulted in a $412 increase in exports of other consumer goods,

Including food,

Clothes,

Cosmetics,

And IT products,

And thus have subsidized certain endeavors.

Government initiatives to expand the popularity of K-pop are mostly undertaken by the Ministry of Culture,

Sports,

And Tourism,

Which is responsible for the worldwide establishment of Korean cultural centers.

South Korean embassies and consulates have also organized K-pop concerts outside of the country,

And the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regularly invites overseas K-pop fans to attend the annual K-pop World Festival in South Korea.

In addition to reaping economic benefits from the popularity of K-pop,

The South Korean government has been taking advantage of the influence of K-pop and diplomacy.

In an age of mass communication,

Soft power,

Pursuing one's goals by persuading stakeholders using cultural and ideological power,

Is regarded as a more effective and pragmatic diplomatic tactic than the traditional diplomacy regarding hard power,

Obtaining what one wants from stakeholders through direct intimidation,

Such as military threat and economic sanctions.

Cultural diplomacy through K-pop is a form of soft power.

An example of the South Korean government effort in diplomacy through K-pop is the Manette Asian Music Awards,

MAMA,

A K-pop music award ceremony.

Park Geun-hye,

The Korean president at the time,

Delivered the opening statement of the 2014 MAMA,

Which was held in Hong Kong and sponsored by the Korean Small and Medium Business Administration,

SMBA.

This event was considered a deliberate endeavor by the Korean government to support Korean cultural industries in order to strengthen the nation's international reputation and political influence.

Another example of cultural diplomacy is K-pop performances in North Korea.

Prior to 2005,

South Korean pop singers occasionally gave performances in North Korea.

After an interval of more than a decade,

Approximately 190 South Korean performers performed in Pyongyang,

North Korea on March 31 and April 3,

2018.

Reviews

Who knew there was yet another musical genre that I hadn’t heard of and don’t need to know anything more about??