A guide to k-pop for those who don't understand what all this hype is about

What is k-pop

In a narrow sense, it is pop music created in South Korea. In broad terms - a world phenomenon and subculture with its own atmosphere, its own slang and memes.

In 2018, the number of fans of the "Korean wave", or "hallu" This concept includes the spread of Korean culture in general - not only music, but also films, TV series and others., reached BTS Lead The Growth Of Hallyu To Nearly 90 Million Fans Worldwide In 2018 89, 19 million worldwide. Many of these people are learning Korean, performing K-pop dances, and saving up money to travel to Seoul.

Let's figure out what it all means.

What to listen to and see

For the most impatient, we have compiled a playlist. It contains the hits of recent years, which are quite enough to form an idea of Korean pop music.

What is worth knowing

The Korean music industry and its fans have several characteristics. Some look very endearing, while others can be counterintuitive and even intimidating.

K-pop isn't all about music

It is rather a complex mechanism with many details, each of which works for a common goal - to win as many people's wallets of hearts as possible.

Roles, faces and characters

It all starts with the composition of the group. Each future idol undergoes a rigorous selection process, and then trains under the wing of a music agency for years, honing his singing, dancing, rap and, of course, public behavior.

In almost all groups, there is a clear distribution of roles: leader, main vocalist, lead dancer, rapper, and so on. There are also largely mysterious positions “visual” and “face of the group”. "Visual" is usually the name of the member or member whose appearance most closely matches Korea's strict beauty standards. The Face of the Group is the most popular and recognizable member of the general public. His role is to attract new fans, and usually it is he who "shines" in advertising projects and entertainment shows.

The personalities of the members or members of the group, or rather, the images they present to the public, play an important role in creating a correct fanbase. A choice for every taste: "cold beauty", "shy cutie", "well-read intellectual" or "daring guy" - if you have ever watched anime in the harem genre (well, you never know), you probably immediately understood what we are talking about …

Appearance is not even worth mentioning. If you have the latest achievements in the cosmetic industry, cosmetology and plastic surgery at your disposal, it would be unwise not to take advantage of this and not pump natural data to the maximum. And of course, the effect of Hierarchical Encoding Makes Individuals in a Group Seem More Attractive Cheerleaders should not be discounted.

Concepts and their implementation

Above, we mentioned idol images, each of whom must find their own audience. Something similar is often found at the level of the whole group.

"Innocent", "sexy", "powerful" and other concepts can be seen in many releases and create a certain image in the eyes of the public.

Some concepts may stick forever. Fans of the girl group, whose members have sang about their first crush and danced in school uniforms for years, will probably disapprove of the transition to femme fatale images with bright red lipstick. And vice versa: if your biography contains dances on the verge of swagger, revealing suits with harnesses and texts with a hint of sex, the "innocent" concept will look unconvincing (and, therefore, sell poorly).

The unbuttoning element of the dance had to be removed by AOA to modify choreography for their ‘Miniskirt’ broadcast performances in order to be allowed to broadcast on national television.

However, this does not prevent most bands from trying different concepts from release to release and embodying them at different levels: from lyrics, music and video clips to stage costumes, promo photos and album designs.

Physics and Lyrics

CD sales worldwide have been steadily declining IFPI Global Music Report 2019 due to the growing popularity of streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. However, South Korea shows the opposite trend: in 2016-2017 alone, sales of physical albums grew Market profile: South Korea by 47.6%.

There are several reasons for this. First, physical sales, like online streaming, video views, and some other metrics, can be factored into How Korean Music Shows Diverged From MTV and Became the Epicenter of K-Pop Fan Culture when scoring weekly music shows. They are broadcast on major TV channels, and number one is very important for a group (especially a beginner). It makes the lucky ones stand out in this oversaturated industry and makes it possible to attract more fans: many viewers of the show will listen to the winning group's song just out of curiosity.

The winners are showered with confetti, presented with a statuette and flowers, and their song is played in the final segment of the program.

In addition, sales count towards MAMA: Judging Criteria at the Year-End Music Awards. Of course, fans who want to support their favorites will buy an album, and more than one.

The second reason is content. The usual format for a Western artist's album is a plastic box with a disc and an insert with thanks and lyrics. The usual format of a k-pop group's album is an A5 or larger cardboard box, in which, in addition to the standard set, you can find a photobook, stickers, a card with a member's photo, a plastic figurine, a neatly folded poster … In general, everything that is possible come to mind who is responsible for filling the album and is able to fit in a flat box.

F (x) Pink Tape audio cassette / SM Entertainment

Album Who Am I by B1A4, designed as a glossy magazine / WM Entertainment

Spellbound album by TVXQ. Even the members' photos are designed in the style of playing cards / SM Entertainment

And of course, music agency marketers don't get paid for nothing. Often the same album is sold in several versions, from two to four. And everything that we have listed above is different in each version.

One album contains one random card of one group member. There are, say, seven participants (and maybe eighteen). You can imagine how many albums a fan has to buy, who set out to get a card of her favorite member in the desired version or collect all the options for a collection.

And then there are repacks - the filling of one or several mini-albums is "repackaged", a couple of new songs and remixes are added and sold in a new design. With new cards, posters, photo books and more. In general, you get the idea.

The third reason mainly affects Korean fans. Buying albums gives you the opportunity to go to a fan sign - an event where a limited number of fans (usually about 100) can meet idols face to face, get autographs, shake hands with their pets, give cute gifts and ask questions like “What do you like more, beef? or a chicken?"

It looks something like this.

Popular groups' fansign tickets are raffled off on a lottery basis. The official website contains information that albums purchased in a particular store within a certain period of time are participating in the drawing. One purchased album - one "lottery ticket". Those who want to get to the event by all means buy as many albums as their finances allow in order to increase their chances. The fact that even buying 200 albums doesn’t guarantee Fan expresses frustration after spending $ 4,000 to attend Wanna One’s fansign, still doesn’t get a spot if the group is super popular, doesn’t stop the most ardent fans and fans.

Blood, sweat and tears

Behind polished performances, colorful clips and perfect photographs, hard work is hiding, physically and mentally exhausting. The need to appear in public in any condition, regular flights across several time zones, endless performances and training - and that's just what's on the surface.

But it is through this work that we get the coolest that k-pop has to offer us - choreography. Future idols have been honing their dance skills for years before they go on stage and not only reproduce the correct movements, but also convey the atmosphere, mood and meaning of the song with their bodies.

The dance numbers can contain complex acrobatics, real storytelling and a mixture of a variety of styles - from hip-hop styles to Latin American dances and contemporary dance. And there may be funny movements that are easy to remember and repeat even for those who danced the last time at a matinee in kindergarten. Any dance requires many hours of practice for the band to achieve perfect synchronicity on stage.

Powerful and aggressive choreography for the song about the obsession of the beloved.

Of course, most of this effort remains behind the scenes. Viewers are only shown a small fraction - if this video is from a tour, it will include mostly harmless and funny moments (although there is a documentary series Burn The Stage, which includes behind-the-scenes episodes of BTS MEMBER JUNGKOOK NEARLY COLLAPSES FROM EXHAUSTION IN “BURN THE STAGE” DOCUMENTARY, which we probably shouldn't have seen).

For those who love drama, there is content - numerous "survival shows". The closest analogue, familiar to those who watched TV in the 2000s, is "Star Factory". In Korea, as a rule, all the "surviving" members are formed into a group, and not released on a solo voyage.

Candidates for the debut under the sights of the cameras pump their skills, pass test after test, appear before the judges, and in the meantime, touchingly talk about what makes them go to their dreams. Carefully edited episodes do not lose sight of a single tear of failure, homesickness or goodbye to comrades.

The most popular show in recent years is Produce 101. In 2016, from a recruitment of 101 participants, a temporary group I. O. I was created, which included 11 finalists. There were no judges in the show - the composition of the group was determined by the audience vote, while the audience chose the name, concept and debut song. In 2017, the same was done with the guys - and the resulting group Wanna One became a national phenomenon Wanna One tops brand value among K-pop boy bands in August, collected several BTS, iKON and Wanna One among the big winners at Golden The Wanna One Wins 'Best Male Group' Disc Awards At 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong at the annual awards and hosted the Project band Wanna One announces 13-city world tour world tour.

Music video for the title track from the first EP titled 1 × 1 = 1, which the band released.

Fandom is not a joke

When it comes to Korean pop music, one cannot fail to mention its fans. Unsurprisingly, boy group concerts are attended by sex and age stats for Seventeen, EXO, and BTS in Korea, mostly girls. Among girl group fans, the gender distribution is pushing Age And Gender Demographics Of K-Pop Girl Group Listeners In South Korea 2018 to 50/50.

The "teenage K-pop" stereotype is no longer relevant - at least in Korea. For example, articles about BTS on the leading Korean media portal Naver are actively viewed, liked and commented on by women 30 BTS for the third day in a row ranked # 1 on the Oricon chart and even # 40 BTS's 2017 Seoul concert report.

The fandom of every group and some of their solo artists must have a name: ARMY, Blinks, Carats, EXO-L, and a host of others. Among the official merch, as a rule, there is a lightstick - a uniquely shaped flashlight that fans use at performances, creating a colored ocean of lights in the hall.

Lightstick of A Pink / Play M Entertainment

IKON / YG Entertainment Lightstick

BTS Lightstick / Big Hit Entertainment

Big Bang / YG Entertainment Lightstick

Twice Lightstick / JYP Entertainment

Interactions between fans and their favorite artists can be roughly divided into several types.

Official. It is primarily a registered fanclub membership that gives you access to exclusive content and benefits when buying concert tickets. It also includes buying albums, streaming videos and songs, attending concerts and other events, voting for favorites at various awards - in general, activities that bring idols direct income, awards, and so on.
Unofficial. This includes a variety of fan art (covers, fanarts, fanfiction and fan videos), collective purchases of expensive gifts, participation in charity and other projects (a popular topic is congratulating a beloved participant on his birthday on huge banners or street screens).

Illegal. Obsessed fans, for whom the special term "sasaeng" was coined, besiege Hordes of K-pop fans cause chaos at Shanghai Hongqiao airport as they try to catch a glimpse of their idols idols at the airport, chase and shoot on the street in private time, set EXO sasaeng fans set up hidden cameras in their hotel rooms hidden cameras in hotels where artists stay and do many more bad things Boarding on obsession: K-pop fans 'falsely' check in on flights to glimpse stars of things. Unfortunately, Korean laws do not adequately protect against such infringements on privacy, and the prosecuted sasaeng is fined Stalking crimes rise with lax punishment (maximum - 100,000 won, approximately 5,600 rubles).

Conscientious fans take the well-being of idols into their own hands: they complain to the administration of social networks about the accounts of sasaengs and haters (which sometimes go as far as direct insults and threats) or report troublemakers directly to their favorite artist's agency so that they can take legal measures to counter them.

And the performers, in turn, do not get tired of thanking fans for their support, dedicating songs and videos to them, regularly posting fresh selfies on social networks (which instantly collect hundreds of thousands of likes) and broadcasting live on the VLive app.

Is Korean pop music a product? Undoubtedly. Behind the success of the most popular idols are literate producers, composers, music video makers, stylists and managers who keep them from sleeping through their dance lessons.

However, this product can be compared to a cake made by experienced pastry chefs from carefully selected ingredients according to a verified recipe. This cake looks great, smells delicious and comes in impeccably stylish packaging. You can wry your nose without even trying, because "sweets are for girls." You can try and decide which is too sweet. Or you can just enjoy.