Angelita Expert Article Final

 

"Smooth like butter, pull you in like no other"

A crash course on all things K-pop

If you understood the reference in the title, you are one of many global music consumers who have been exposed to the “Korean wave,” or Hallyu, which refers to the explosive growth of Korean pop culture ranging from music, dramas, games, and food in recent years. Maybe you were even one of the 3.9 million concurrent viewers on BTS’s “Butter” video premiere on YouTube, which broke the Guinness world record for the most viewers in May of 2021 (Suggitt). If you didn’t recognize the reference, no worries. That just means this K-pop crash course is for you.

But who am I to lecture you on this topic? After all, I only started listening to K-pop a year ago and this is only my 3rd K-pop research essay this school year. While my passion for my music has led me to spend more time than I would like to admit learning about K-pop instead of doing my other work, it has given me the opportunity to share some of that knowledge with you. 

 This article’s tracklist:

1. How K-Pop Slid Into The Global Music Scene (yes, another “Butter” reference) 

2. Before You Start: The K-Pop Basics

3. “TOPLINE”: Top Groups You Should Know (Stray Kids song title reference)

How K-Pop Slid Into The Global Music Scene

First off, what even is it? Korean popular music, or K-pop, refers to music originating from South Korea and encompasses a variety of styles ranging from pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, electronic, jazz, classical, and more. Today, K-pop is best known for its catchy rhythm and chorus, visually stunning choreography, and unique fan culture. 

While K-pop gained unprecedented global recognition in 2012 with Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” the genre as we know it is typically considered to have started in the 1990s with the first K-pop group Band Seo Taiji and Boys (Ji-won). With the Korean government’s support in promoting and spreading Korean creative industries, many more notable groups have since joined the industry (Adams). 

Before You Start: The K-Pop Basics

Before we dive further into the world of K-pop, there are a few terms and concepts unique to K-pop that you need to know. 

Trainee: A name for an aspiring idol who has signed a contract with and is formally studying under a K-pop entertainment company. People become trainees by either being casted off the street by staff or by being selected through auditions held by an agency. Trainees usually range from 12 to 25 years old and spend the majority of their time following schedules packed with training to improve their dancing, singing, rap, acting, foreign language, personality, and even comedy skills (Lee). They can spend anywhere from a few months to 10+ years as a trainee before debuting. Throughout this training period, companies routinely evaluate the skills of their trainees to identify skilled members who may be ready to work towards debuting and becoming an idol. Not all trainees successfully debut if they do not develop the skills or match the concept the company is looking for in their next debut group. 

Idol: K-pop solo artists or members of a group that have debuted.  

Debut: Process where trainees become idols after releasing their first official single as either part of a group or as a soloist.

Positions: In most groups, each member has a few positions they hold based on their talents or age. While not all K-pop groups have these positions, some of the most commonly found roles include: Leader, Vocalists, Rappers, Dancers, Visuals, Face, Center, and Maknae. While some of these roles are what they sound like, you may be unfamiliar with the roles of Visuals, Face, Center, and Maknae.

• The Visual of the group is the most physically attractive of the group.

• The Face is usually the most good looking or most popular member.

• The Center changes depending on the group’s current concept. Placed in the center for all promotional materials.

• The Maknae is the youngest member of the group and is often associated with either a cute and shy image or the devious youngest child of the group.

Fandom Culture: Each K-pop group has its own named fan base. K-fandoms differ in that they are very organized, systematic, and online community driven due to the global nature of the fans. These fandoms are built and strengthened by idols through interactive online activities like live streams, posts, 1:1 fan calls, and chats on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Weverse, and Bubble. Fans are similarly very engaged in their work to support their favorite groups. Many members of K-fandoms go above and beyond to support their favorite idols by actively working to promote the groups they support through online streams, social media, and album sales to help their favorite groups top charts or win awards. They also coordinate local events such as K-pop themed cafe meetups to build community across the local fandom as they celebrate their favorite idols. Although fans may be complete strangers, K-fandoms are very tight knit and will quickly bond over common passions. Proof of the surprising power of K-fandoms has been shown when Armies (BTS’s fandom) matched a BTS’s 1 million dollar donation to the Black Lives Matter movement in under 24 hours (Rolli). 

Light Stick: A light up stick that represents a K-pop group and is commonly used at concerts to create a sea of lights in the crowd.

K-pop Generations: As of 2024, there are 5 “gens” within K-pop. K-pop groups are sorted into different generations based on the year that they debuted. While the exact years of each generation is disputed among fans, it is simply one way for fans to identify the changes within the characteristics of each era a K-pop group started in. Below are the years of each generation, their notable characteristics, and some top groups from the generation.

1st Gen: 1990s - 2004 

• Laid foundation for K-pop 

• Themes: romance and youth

• Groups: H.O.T., Shinhwa, Seo Taiji and The Boys

2nd Gen: 2005 - 2011 

• Start of Hallyu - K-pop popularized outside of Korea

• Focused on catchy rather than lyrical music

• Groups: Super Junior, BIGBANG, SHINee, 2PM

3rd Gen: 2012 - 2017

• Global spread of K-pop to China, Japan, and the USA

• Explosive fandom growth and new focus on providing fan service and merchandising

• Wide variety of music styles

• Groups: BTS, BLACKPINK, Seventeen, EXO, TWICE, NCT

4th Gen: 2018 - 2022 

• Viral generation of dance challenges and more on social media platforms

• Wide variety of concepts ranging from Sci-Fi to self-love

• Groups: Tomorrow x Together, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, (G)I-DLE, ITZY, ENHYPEN, NewJeans

5th Gen: 2023 - Present

• The new era of K-pop 

• Groups: ZEROBAZEONE, RIIZE, Baby Monster, BoyNextDoor

(Verma)(Fashion Chingu)

“TOPLINE”: Top Groups You Should Know 

Of the hundreds of K-pop groups around the world and many upcoming debut groups, there are a few major active groups across the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation. Below is a brief overview of some of the top groups you should know about.

Below the format is as follows: name, name abbreviation, generation, a picture of the group and their current light stick, fandom name, light stick, colors, some ways they differ from other groups, and songs they're known for that you might recognize. Check out this playlist to listen to the songs referenced in this article in order of mention.

Bangtan Sonyeondan/Bangtan Boys (BTS) - 3rd gen

Fandom name: ARMY

Light Stick Name: Army Bomb

Color(s): Purple 

How they differ: BTS is known for their authenticity they convey through their songs. The lyrics of their music often revolve around deeper messages like self-love which fans around the world emotionally connect with. 

Songs of note: “Butter,” “Dynamite,” “Permission To Dance”

BLACKPINK - 3rd gen

Fandom name: Blink

Light Stick Name: BI-PING-BONG

Color(s): Black, Pink 

How they differ: BLACKPINK’s popularity generally comes from their unique style, impactful music videos, strong concepts (themeing or style) with each comeback, and powerful stage presence. 

Songs of note: "Ddu-du Ddu-du," "Kill This Love," "Boombayah"

Seventeen (Svt) - 3rd gen

Fandom name: Carat

Light Stick Name: Carat Bong

Color(s): Rose Quartz, Serenity

How they differ: Seventeen is known as a “self-producing” group as their members are deeply involved in the music production, song writing, and choreographing process. The group is also known for its organization into three sub-units which include hip-hop, vocal, and performance. 

Songs of note: "HOT," "Super," "VERY NICE"

Fun fact: While their name is Seventeen they actually only have 13 members. The number comes from the fact that they have 13 members + 3 units + 1 team = 17.

Tomorrow x Together (TXT) - 4th gen

Fandom name: Moments of Alwaysness (MOA)

Light Stick Name: MOA Bong

Color(s): N/a. Each comeback is defined by a different set of colors.

How they differ: Despite changing their concept with every comeback, Tomorrow x Together differs from other groups because their entire discography tells an overarching coming-of-age narrative. Through their music they talk about the transition from adolescence to adulthood and their attempts in resisting growing up. 

Songs of note: "Sugar Rush Ride," "0x1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)," "LO$ER=LO♡ER"

Fun fact: Tomorrow x Together’s name means to “come together with one dream and create tomorrow together” and their fandom’s name, Moments of Alwaysness, means that Tomorrow x Together and fans will share every moment always and forever to gather the pieces to complete one dream. 

Stray Kids (Skz) - 4th gen

Fandom name: Stay

Light Stick Name: Nachimbong Bong

Color(s): N/a. Each comeback is defined by different colors.

How they differ: Stray Kids is known for their powerful music which experiments with a variety of genres. Their music is self-produced by a subunit of 3 members called “3RACHA”. Stray Kids’ music videos generally follow a more rugged and flirty concept and are set in a dystopian society.

Songs of note: "God’s Menu," "MANIAC," "Case 143"

Fun fact: Stray Kids was formed from a reality show by the same name and originally debuted with 9 members. Of the members, two are Australian and they frequently speak English which has helped the group gain traction with a greater international audience. 

NewJeans - 4th gen

Fandom name: Bunnies

Light Stick Name: Binky Bong

Color(s): N/a.

How they differ: NewJeans’s music focuses on highly danceable pop and R&B style songs and are intended to be timeless pieces similar to a pair of jeans.

Songs of note: "Super Shy," "ETA," "OMG"

Side note: I tried to answer the things my group wanted to know about K-pop included, its origin, common terms they should know, and some popular groups and how they are different from each other/what makes them unique. Including all of this made it all a bit longer than intended. 

Works Cited

Adams, Tim. “K-Everything: The Rise and Rise of Korean Culture.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Sept. 2022, www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/04/korea-culture-k-pop-music-film-tv-hallyu-v-and-a. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

“All KPOP GENERATION: 1st to 5th Kpop Generation.” Fashion Chingu, 5 Feb. 2024, www.fashionchingu.com/blog/kpop-generations/. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

Arnaud, Jourdan. “A Brief History of K-Pop.” The Los Angeles Film School, Jourdan Arnaud Https://Www.Lafilm.Edu/Wp-Content/Uploads/2020/03/Lafilm-Logo-2.Png, 20 Feb. 2023, www.lafilm.edu/blog/a-brief-history-of-kpop/. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

Gerocs, Joseph. “What Is Kpop? Here Is Everything You Need to Know.” 90 Day Korean, 28 Aug. 2023, www.90daykorean.com/what-is-kpop/#what-is-kpop-music. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

Ji-won, Choi. “K-Pop Invasion: From a Local Trend to a Global Phenomenon, and Beyond.” The Korea Herald, 11 Aug. 2022, www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220811000863#:~:text=Yonhap. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

“The Process of Becoming a K-Pop Idol - Korea (Travel Planning).” Creatrip, 1 Jan. 1968, www.creatrip.com/en/blog/11280. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

Published by Statista Research Department, and Aug 22. “Why Is K-Pop so Popular around the World 2022.” Statista, 22 Aug. 2023, www.statista.com/statistics/937260/south-korea-reasons-for-kpop-popularity-worldwide/#:~:text=K%2Dpop%20mainly%20revolves%20around,known%20for%20being%20extremely%20competitive. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

Rolli, Bryan. “BTS Army Matched the Group’s $1 Million Black Lives Matter Donation, Proving the Positive Power of Fandoms.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 8 June 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2020/06/08/bts-army-black-lives-matter-1-million-donation/?sh=59636ce46465. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

Suggitt, Connie. “BTS Single ‘Butter’ Breaks Five World Records across YouTube and Spotify.” Guinness World Records, 25 May 2021, www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/5/bts-single-butter-breaks-five-world-records-across-youtube-and-spotify-661556. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024. 

Verma, Snigdha. “Decoding the 4 Generations of K-Pop.” HALSUG, 15 Mar. 2023, halsugprod.com/blog/decoding-four-generations-of-kpop. Accessed 09 Feb. 2024.