Hallyu Wave: Why is Κ-pop so popular ?

As a k-pop fan since 2009 I could write several pages about K-pop, its positive and negative sides and influences among its listeners.

In this article however, I’ll refer shortly to some of the major reasons that Korean pop music is slowly but steadily increasing its popularity, taking over the music market in many countries worldwide.

• Companies & Idols

Korean record companies are something more than just labels. They are powerful brands and so are their artists. An average k-pop fan tends to associate artists’ abilities with the companies’ and its other artists’ reputation. A perfect example of launching a new brand under an already developed and popular brand is 2NE1’s debut in 2009 under YG Entertainment. The group was first introduced alongside YG’s already well-known group “BIGBANG” through a cellphone commercial-music video called Lollipop. The result was successful with the newly debuted group receiving popularity and winning awards for their title songs nonstop. As we can see, this umbrella branding strategy than many Korean companies follow not only helps the company’s image but also the reputation of current and future artists under the same company. Having a strong brand for the company and its groups and artists leads to attracting new fans as well as new talents - future idols.

[2NE1 with BigBang’s G-Dragon (right) & Taeyang (middle)

source: https://gr.pinterest.com/pin/385409680583477649/

Moreover, k-pop idols are not as much as singers as they are all-round entertainers. Most of them combine physical attractiveness with a plethora of capabilities like acting, singing and dancing as well as great variety show skills. They are often sort by their companies into groups. Believe it or not, this is actually a great marketing technique as people get more easily attached to a group than a solo artist. After all, in a group formation there is a higher chance that one of its members will attract your interest and become your favorite member, or in k-pop terminology he/she will become your “bias”.

Being part of a group doesn’t mean that you can’t follow a solo career as well. Many famous idols debut as solo artists while still being part of a group. At the same time there are of course many individual K-pop artists who receive a lot of attention.

[MV] IU (아이유) - Twenty-three (스물셋)

[MV] BTS (방탄소년단) - EPILOGUE : Young Forever

• Visual Content

Putting the audio content and the singing capabilities aside it’s time to focus on k-pop as a visual phenomenon. Visuality is surely a defining aspect of the pop music genre, but when it comes to k-pop it’s definitely the capital force which attracts both domestic and foreign audiences. After all, K-pop is well known for its colorful and pleasant-to-eye music videos.

But visuality in the k-pop world comes in several different forms, especially when it comes to the artists themselves. Whether we’re talking about physical attractiveness, fashion sense or dancing capabilities many k-pop idols seem to excel in all of these aspects.

K-pop idols are famous for having good looks. Whether this is a result of natural beauty, make-up or plastic surgery (points that I won’t focus on this post) its undeniable that the power of having a visually appealing figure plays (in a certain extent) an important role in achieving popularity.

Moreover, many k-pop idols are recognized for their unique fashion sense and style, while some of them even create fashion trends. Take for example G Dragon, the leader of the group “Big Bang” and a successful solo artist, who is not only known as a musical genius and composer but also recognized as a world fashionista.

When it comes to performing, idols aren’t only capable of simple dancing while singing. In fact, they perform challenging and complicated choreographies, that often require professional dancing skills. The importance of the choreography is so high that it’s not uncommon for groups to release, apart from the official music video, a performance video as well, which focuses only on the choreography.

[MV] 4MINUTE (포미닛) - Hate (싫어)

[Performance Video] NCT U – The 7th Sense (일곱 번째 감각)

• Adoption of New Media

Let’s be honest, it would be really difficult if not impossible for k-pop music to break into western markets without the help of social media.

Platforms like YouTube play a crucial role providing free access to k-pop and fan culture, especially for foreign fans.

Nowadays, many Korean celebrities use sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Weibo in order to interact with their fans and keep them updated on upcoming albums, promotions and activities.

Source: Instagram account of Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon (@watasiwahyo)

• K-pop fans

Overseas fans play a major role in spreading the Korean pop culture worldwide. Rather than being simple consumers, they introduce k-pop to their friends, create fan-made pages dedicated to their favorite idols, participate in k-pop fan clubs and even organize k-pop parties or festivals. It’s also worth mentioning that many international fans who speak Korean or Korean fans who know other foreign languages, translate for free many texts and videos related to their favorite group(s)/idol(s) like movies and reality shows or simple Instagram updates.

Fan Art of EXO’s Chanyeol by yanawookie

source: http://yanawookie.deviantart.com/art/EXO-K-Chanyeol-481421086

Some K-pop Facts – China & Greece !

“You don’t have to be Korean to love K-pop” is a common phrase among many k-pop lovers around the world. And it’s true. Although at first sight k-pop appears to be targeting Korean young female audiences you’d be surprised by the variety of genres, nationalities and ages that enjoy this type of music.

In China there is a wide range of k-pop awareness across age groups but there is definitely a skew towards slightly younger audiences. People at their 20’s and 30’s present a higher awareness level of k-pop as well as impact and loyalty. In a 2015 YouGov study 75% of the female and 61% of the male respondents in China claimed they were very/slightly interested in K-pop culture!

Last but not least, you’d be surprised by the amount of Greek k-pop fans. The Greek k-pop fan community is still on its early stage but is steadily growing. The last two years there’s been put a lot more effort in organizing k-pop events and activities as well as parties. There’s been also a visible growth in the amount of Greek k-pop related sites, YouTube accounts and Facebook groups.

Additionally, 2016 will be the fourth year Greece will participate in the K-pop World Festival. The Greek finals are scheduled for Monday 4th of July, while the winning team will get the chance to travel and participate in the finals in Korea. For more information about K-Wave Greece check: https://kwavegreece.wordpress.com/kpop-world-festival16/

K-wave Greece @Breaking_Mad! [Mad - 26.10.04]

#kpop #culture #hallyuwave #china #greece