Why Is K-Pop So Popular?

By Mary | Thursday, May 3, 2012 | 12 Comments

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girlsgeneration20100860 Why Is K Pop So Popular?

I remember a couple years back when my friends and I heard the song by Girls’ Generation called “Gee.” We even attempted to do their choreography and pretended we are the Girl’s Generation. Alright, we shouldn’t get into the details of that… They have become even more popular and well known since then. As a matter of fact, they are a worldwide sensation! Earlier this year Girls’ Generation performed their single, “The Boys” on the Late Show with David Letterman.

What’s special about them is that some of the members are actually Asian Americans. Tiffany (a member of Girls’ Generation) was raised in Diamond Bar, California. Many of the fans in United States can relate with these artists. Tiffany said, “Coming back to America to pursue music is a dream. Not just because it’s America, but because this is just the beginning.” They seem to have gone far past the “beginning” though. It isn’t just Girls’ Generation that is popular to the U.S. audience but also Korean pop groups like 2ne1,Wonder Girls, etc. These groups attract many Asian Americans who have an interest in Korean pop culture.

This makes me wonder why other Asian countries do not have music artists that are internationally known. On the top of my head, I thought of artists in other parts of Asia such as Hong Kong and why artists there aren’t as successful as Korean artists. Is it because their market is limited and they are not mainstream enough to satisfy the American audience? Even in Hong Kong, Korean pop music is very popular. I have heard some of the music from Hong Kong and at times I feel like they are just following the trend. Like recently, electronic dance music is more mainstream, you start to see all these new songs that sound like dance music. Maybe the difference between Korean pop music is that it is a genre of its own. In addition, many Korean entertainers utilize resources that could help them bring awareness to their music culture such as posting videos on YouTube. Some Taiwanese singers even use a worldwide music video platform–VEVO, which allows the singers to reach out to the world with their music.

This summer, Girls’ Generation, 2PM, and KARA are going to Australia to perform at a music festival. K-pop isn’t only making it big in America anymore!

[Photo credit: culturemag.com]

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Music

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http://xiaochensu.blogspot.com/ Xiaochen Su

back about a year ago, I watched a TV documentary in Japan on exactly this topic:

They brought in someone deeply involved in Japanese music industry for an analysis, and there were three points being summarized:

(1) The abundant use and repetition of easily remembered lyrics (e.g. In “Gee”…”gee, gee, gee, baby, baby, baby” is repeated many times…non-Koreans can easily remember that)

(2) K-pop artists focus much more on overall image than music itself…most successful Korean music stars quickly branch out into films, dramas, and movies…

(3) This is most important: aggressive overseas campaigns to promote K-pop abroad as a cultural strategy promoted by the Korean government…K-pop groups recruit foreign members, perform songs in foreign languages, and go frequently on tours in foreign countries…

All three are present in K-pop but not in any other Asian music industries…
csc3

it’s definitely fascinating, but i personally couldn’t get into the genre. at all.
Mary Tam

Thanks for your input! I almost forgot that third point. The K-pop groups are promoted by the government.
zdrav

There are some K-pop acts that I like for their pop music value, such as 2NE1, IU, and Big Bang.

But all those supergroup acts like Super Junior, T-ara, KARA, SNSD… They’re little more than semi-musically-inclined corporate spokesmodels. And they seem to be running out of ideas and getting more ridiculously over the top with each passing year.
Darrel King

Why is it so bizarre for people to get cosmetic enhancements to better themselves? Who are we to judge these individuals? Why judge a book by its cover when it’s only human nature to want to better ourselves? Getting surgery to better your appearance is actually showing great humility, because it means that you see a flaw in yourself and you’ve tried to change it. Look beyond the superficial aspect of “cosmetic” surgery, and you will have a better understanding about life and the pursuit of perfection. The irony is that it goes both ways. If you don’t look beyond the appearance aspect of cosmetic surgery, you’re just as shallow as the person you’re demoralizing for changing themselves for the better. Let’s not forget the double standard in plastic surgery. An operation is an operation, and naturalness is what was given to you from the minute you were born. If you’ve altered it then it’s no longer natural. Naturalness is best, but striving to become the best is no fault. In fact, I believe it’s to be commended!

What about Tom Cruise and Zach Efron?
xxxtine

I wonder if success is actually measured based on international popularity. Part of me feels that because Korea is such a small country in terms of its share in the global music market (Japan is still No. 2 behind the US, Germany is No.3, where as Korea is at No.11), exporting its pop culture throughout Asia and the world seems to be those supply/demand trend-du-jours. Before it was Taiwanese dramas, now it’s Korean dramas. Before it was Jpop, now it’s Kpop. Korea seems to be putting an effort, unlike Japan, to encourage the export of their culture throughout the world, hence why it’s a tad more accessible to international tastes.

The products out of Korea tend to lean towards a western influence making it seem that more polished. And from an international point of view, the western way of viewing things seem to be the standard. The only thing is that new Kpop idol acts seem to be popping up every month saturating the market with an already short attention span. I kinda foresee a burn out or fans getting tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. International fans have a choice to be able to tune out.
xxxtine

If you’re just listening to the music, it’s not for everyone. It was when I was watching English subbed variety shows online and listening to Fan remixes. That’s how I got into it.
xxxtine

I would actually argue that it’s the international fans that initiated the Korean government to delve into this.
That the dedicated fan subbers of Korean descent living in Japan and
Singapore who contributed to its success and popularity. That these fans
making it more accessible to an English speaking market is what makes
Kpop popular. Sometimes it’s just being able to understand what’s being
said that makes a world of difference. And sometimes 15 year old netizens screaming at the same time also does.
m_wei

yeah, getting botox (a neuro toxin) is just like getting a hair cut or manicure. ^_^
someasianperson

I agree with your sentiment that it’s innate for us to continually seek to better ourselves. The thing is that there’s just no single measure to what is a “better appearance.” Other than say explicit disfigurements, whether at birth or through accidents, it’s really difficult to say that plastic surgery does just that, improving your appearance. Truth is Hollywood set the standard on beauty decades ago, and Japan was the first ones to answer that call (please correct me if I’m wrong), in terms of dramatically changing their appearances to appear more western (e.g. double eyelids, tall nose, dyed hair). It doesn’t stop at fashion of course, technology, education, system of government, etc.. To some people this may seem rather obvious, but for the people who fail to recognize the true influences of their culture are the ones who help corporations make the most money.
http://www.facebook.com/dili.wang Dili Wang

I think that part of the reason for the immense success of k-pop is that it sells based on the appearance. Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery in the world, mostly focused on facial structures, some that are considered western (ie bigger eyes, more pronounced noses, etc). The emphasis on looks, more so than other asian countries, are what makes beautiful K-pop singers the object of idolatry by their fans around the world.

While beauty is one part of the equation, talent can also be taken into consideration. I am not going to lie, some of the songs are incredibly catchy and I find myself listening to them hundreds of times in a week. But in my study of the transformation of the asian music, especially in the last 200 years, Korean has strayed the furthest from tradition in their flavor of popular music. Other countries, China for instance, still chooses to mix traditional styles and motifs into pop music, as seen in many of the songs of Jay Chou, who still remains as one of the highest selling pop stars in Asia to date. The reason for the radical transformation of Korea popular music is unknown. While other artists in Asia use domestic musicians to write music and lyrics, Kpop has been known to use musicians from Europe and the US (for instance 동방신기’s mirotic). Thus K-pop songs have a higher probability of attracting a western audience.

While I LOVE K-pop, it is undoubtedly one fo the most shallow artforms in the world. It is obvious that it is more a less a business built to attract the young adults who are bored and tired of their mundane lives
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