The Rise of Korean Pop
At the heart of Hallyu—the Korean Wave—lies the ever-expanding world of Korean pop music, affectionately known by millions as K-pop. Over the past few decades, South Korean pop culture has grown exponentially into the international sphere, acting as the force behind popular Netflix K-dramas as well as meticulous Korean skincare regimens. How K-pop broke into the American industry, however, remains a mystery for many—yet with its blossoming influence, K-pop’s story deserves to be told.
Perhaps the title for the most iconic tune of them all belongs to Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” released in 2012. Dressed in satirical outfits and unafraid to critique the habits of Seoul’s wealthiest, Psy proved that it wasn’t necessarily doll-like visuals or impressive proportions that led to his popularity craze—it was the hit song, combined with addictive and silly dance moves. Currently sitting at four billion views, “Gangnam Style” remains the most viewed K-pop music video, introducing and opening up new pathways to the definition of American pop culture.
The next act that radically transformed both American and global culture is a name so famous that it’s seldom unknown: BTS, or Bangtan Sonyeondan (translated as “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”). Rather than luck, however, their rise to popularity is a well-deserved testament to their underdog story. An inadequately funded group from a small, unknown company, BTS withstood more than five grueling years until their win in 2017 as Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards. As the group began breaking records and selling out tours, their dominance within the American music market shot into the stratosphere; today, every YouTube music video they release simply shatters the last view record they set.
Other groups have also signed high-profile deals with major US labels on top of their home companies in Korea: Blackpink with Interscope, NCT127 and SuperM with Capitol, TWICE with Republic, Monsta X with Epic, BTS with Columbia… the list is endless. On April 2, 2021, BTS’s company HYBE acquired Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, home to some of America’s most well-known pop stars such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. The merging of the two companies is a groundbreaking decision, signifying more frequent collaboration in the near future between East and West.
The secret behind K-pop’s addictiveness rests in straddling the slim balance between retaining Korean standards for entertainment while integrating familiar Western beats. In fact, many companies hire American producers such as The Stereotypes, Melanie Fontana and Lindgren, Bekuh Boom, Chikk, and Teddy Riley, attracting listeners from East and West who enjoy familiar sounds. Additionally, the performative aspect—which includes impressive in-sync dances, glamorous costumes, and meticulously thought-out music videos—truly makes music a visual experience, arguably one-upping Western artists (apologies to The Weeknd and his halftime show).
What is most integral to K-pop’s success, however, is probably their fans. Each group collectively possesses a fandom name: BTS’s fans are ARMY; NCT has NCTzen; EXO sports Exo-ls; Blackpink flaunts BLINKs. Fans are often drawn in due to the music and performance but stay because of their attachment to the idols—appreciating members’ personalities and engaging in rituals such as album-buying or photocard-collecting. Their votes and streams are fundamental to song win on Korean music shows (Inkigayo, Music Bank, and Show Champion, to name a few). Though lyrics remain mostly Korean—and some fans even take the extra step to learn the language, for most, the barrier is a positive aspect of the music. Fans focus instead on melodies, harmonies, and underlying instrumentals; the musicality is so outstanding that lyrics don’t matter.
If K-pop has such a colossal fanbase in the United States, then why hasn’t Western media acknowledged and respected its dominance? At the 63rd Grammy Awards in March, BTS’s “Dynamite,” an upbeat party song with three Guinness World Records and 32 music awards from across the globe, lost the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance to “Rain On Me” by Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. The lyrics of “Dynamite” weren’t the issue; in fact, the need to conform to American standards of English lyrics to even receive a nomination is an emblem of ethnocentrism. However, the xenophobia against BTS has been present ever since the group attended the 2019 Grammys as presenters and the 2020 Awards as performers. Both years, the group was promised a nomination, yet never received one. After the Awards in 2021, ARMY quickly took to social media to voice their opinions: many fans went on to call the Grammy Awards the “Scammy Awards” in support of past instances where deserving nominees were robbed of a chance at winning due to the unfair selection process. Sadly, there remains speculation of the Grammys using BTS to boost their views: with a fanbase of 40 million, BTS garnered 1.2 million viewers for the show, which then rapidly dropped to 400 thousand after they lost in their category.
The unfortunate reality of K-pop is that it’s too often not celebrated because of the letter “K.” If the world instead welcomes this culture as a driver of international pop, the baseless stigma against such universally enjoyed music will gradually vanish. That’s what music is ultimately about: weaving a thread of humanity through shared tunes.
by JOY GONG