The Rise of KPop: Part One

2011 was a simpler time. My days consisted of trading silly bands and envying girls who wore Justice brand tank tops. It was also the year that my friend from church first introduced me to K-Pop.

As a little girl, I was fascinated by these women who could sing and dance on top of looking beautiful—that was all I wanted to be when I was young. I played music videos from SHINee and Girl’s Generation on repeat and imagined how awesome my life would be if I was famous like them. I watched their TV specials and their live performances, utterly immersed in the lives of each of the members of the groups. But as most childhood obsessions go, my K-Pop obsession began to fade, and in middle school I started hating it.

I began learning about the negative sides of the K-Pop industry, such as the extreme diets and non-stop training many aspiring stars have to go through. I became ashamed of supporting an industry that starved teenagers and forced them to work countless hours, and the enticement of Kpop that once had a hold on me had lost its luster.

Around this time of my life, K-Pop was still not as popular outside of Korea, staying  mainly within the East Asian scene. But a couple years ago, its fan base began to spread to other countries, including the US. I’m still not quite sure what caused Americans to suddenly pay attention to K-Pop, but recently, I’ve been seeing collaborations between famous American artists and K-Pop artists on the top charts, and have read articles about the success of K-Pop groups in the US.

One prime example of this is BTS, a male group with a massive fan base across the world. They were recently nominated for a Grammy. As a Korean-American who has grown up with K-Pop and Korean culture, it’s intriguing to see how an important aspect of my childhood has become so successful. I would never have thought K-Pop would become so popular that they would be nominated for highly prestigious awards, such as the Grammy Awards. I am of course extremely proud of K-Pop for becoming so successful, but it is difficult to find a balance between pride in the Korean entertainment industry and disappointment. There are many problems with overworking trainees and artists that continue today, but I cannot deny the impact K-Pop has had on the world in the past couple of years.

I don’t think anybody would have guessed that K-Pop would become so globally popular a decade ago. Through the recent rising popularity in Korean music, television, food, and cosmetics, I can’t help feeling proud of being Korean. Even though I was and probably never will be the biggest fan of K-Pop, as my Korean world collides with my American one, I can’t wait to see what strides Korean culture will make in affecting the USA's future.

by HANNAH KIM