Korean Pop Music

Korean Pop Music

What is Korean Pop?

Korean pop is also abbreviated as k-pop. It is representation of electronic, dance, hip hop, electro hop and R &B music. The origin of k-pop is South Korea. Apart from South Korea itself, k-pop has also become popular among teenagers and young adults globally. The Korean idol groups and signers are famous for arousing interest in their fashion and style. The K-pop wave has spread in China, Japan, Jong Kong, Southeast Asia and Taiwan across the Pacific Rim and Eurasia. The major driver of South Korean music is the youth culture. The k-pop is reached worldwide through internet, facebook, iTunes, twitter, YouTube. The exposure and popularity of the genre has driven the paradigm shift in the audience (Sang-Hun, 2012).

On a broader term, k-pop refers to all the music produced within the borders of South Korea. Specifically, k-pop represents the music and songs produced by the Korean teen idols featuring dance, rap, and electronic, hip hop and R& B genres. The Korean dance and rap music began to gain popularity in 1992 after Boys and Seo Tai-ji gained popularity nationwide. K-pop initiated from this time and since then the music genre of Korean popular music has been replaced. Ballad and rock from the 80s are still popular. K-pop is greatly influenced by the music of United States and Japan. The South Korean music of 1980s called Trot was heavily influenced by the Japanese popular music called Enka (Lee, 2009).

Evolution of K-pop

K-pop started to lean on the American musical forms such as hip hop and R & B in the 1990s. The debut album of Seo Tai-ji turned the musical culture of Korea. The album incorporated rap, techno and rock styles in their music. Era of 1990s also saw the popularity of hip hop duos such as Deux.

Korean wave started when Korean entrepreneur Lee Soo Man started a talent agency and record label named SM Entertainment in 1995. The first agency selected talented girl groups and bands from across the nation. Talent was also produced by the YG Entertainment, DSP Entertainment, FNC Music and JYP entertainment following the former. Many groups produced by these agencies became famous in 1990s, namely Fin. K.L, Shinhwa, Fly to the Sky, g.o.d, Sechs Kies and S.E.S. Korean artists such as NRG, H.O.T, Clon, Baby V.O.X and Kim Wan-Sun gained popularity in Taiwan and China. Drunken Tiger's success and popularity introduced R &B music and hip hop in the country (Frith, 1986).

At the same time, many Western fans of Japanese culture, gradually discover the K-Pop, especially thanks to its growing popularity in Japan and posted online by the labels of Korean official music videos of songs on major platforms such as YouTube. The K-Pop will then create a fan base in Western countries particularly through the development of social networks. Korean labels are indeed using the new technologies extensively to promote their artists and groups, instead of using the channels and traditional ...