K-POP
K-pop (an abbreviation of
Korean pop)
[1] (
Korean:
가요 kayo)
[1] refers to a
musical genre originating in
South Korea,
which comprises a wide variety of musical and visual elements. Although
in a larger scope K-pop may include any genre of South Korean popular
music, outside of the country, it is often used to refer to songs
produced by
K-Pop idols and their respective management agencies.
[2]
Musicians who have collaborated with various
K-Pop idols include many notable recording artists from the
African American hip hop community, such as
Akon,
Kayne West,
Ludacris,
Snoop Dogg and
will.i.am.
[3][4] By tapping into social media networks, the ability of K-pop to reach a previously inaccessible audience via the
Internet is a driving force in the recent exposure and popularity of the genre.
[5]
Since the mid-2000s, the K-pop music industry has experienced double
digit growth rates. In the first half of 2012, it grossed US$3.4 billion
and became the 8th largest digital music market in the world.
[6]
Currently, the spread of K-pop from
Asia to other parts of the world as part of the
Korean wave is most visibly seen in parts of
South America,
Northeast India,
Mexico,
Turkey, as well as in major immigrant hubs of the
Western world as most consumers of Korean cultural products have an
Asian,
African,
Middle Eastern, or
Eastern European background.
[7][8][9][10][11][12]
According to a
Rolling Stone
author, K-Pop embraces "genre fusion" with both singing and rap, while
emphasizing solid performances and visuals at the same time.
[76] It is a mix of genres like
pop,
rock,
hip hop,
R&B and
electronic music.
K-pop can be described as a globalized music; as it is a mixture of
Western and European sounds with an Asian flavor of performance. The way
these Korean singers perform their songs with synchronized dance moves
and complex gestures has increased the popularity of K-pop. It now takes
a big place in the music market throughout Asia and the world.
[77]
The
BBC describes the K-pop group singers
Super Junior and the
Wonder Girls as "highly produced, sugary boy- and girl-bands with slick dance routines and catchy tunes."
[78]
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. K-pop is also recognized for
pretty-boys and girl groups
[79] that are young and considered attractive.
[80][81]
More than 60 boy and girl bands are produced each year in Korea,
making way of labeling K-pop as a "star factory". Many of these bands
disappear after a few hits.
[82] K-pop is a fast paced and high-competition industry, according to the
Korea Times it produces easily consumable and disposable one-time hit songs that the audience downloads and then deletes.
[83]
The majority of K-pop songs spend only a short time on music charts and
it is rare for a hit to lead the charts for several weeks.
[84]
The basic format is usually built upon a catchy chorus part and a
spectacular, easy-to-master dance to accompany the song – like "
Sorry, Sorry" from Super Junior, "
Gee" from
Girls’ Generation or "
Abracadabra" from
Brown Eyed Girls. The songs are marketed for one or two months and then are usually forgotten as new ones take their place.
[82][83] Singer
Insooni
complained that "the songs that we sang back in the day are still sung
today. But music these days – people perform for three months than
[sic!] stop. Fans have lost a sense of responsibility."
[85]
Visual experience is an integrated part of K-pop, which comprises the
artist's physical appearance and clothing as well as the sophisticated
visuals of concerts and music videos. K-pop videos are often vivid,
colourful, strident, extravagant and compared to traditional pop videos
can even be shocking or incomprehensible.
[86][87][88]
K-pop songs are often written by experienced songwriters, some of them born or raised in the USA, like
Teddy Park,
[89] but there are instances of foreign songwriters and producers (such as
will.i.am or Sean Garrett) composing songs to Korean performers.
[90][91]
