As promised, I return to the story of the Korean Wave, or K-pop, but from a different point of view, more historical. You can read about modern manifestations of k-pop in.
Korea in the 19th and 20th centuries suffered many historical upheavals, and the country was first under the auspices of the Chinese Empire, then the Japanese colonized Korea, and then, when the Second World War and the Korean War ended, South Korea began to experience a strong cultural influence of the West, primarily the United States . In this way, Korean modern culture has been shaped sometimes in spite of, and sometimes thanks to outside influences.
Korean historians and scholars, when they talk about the spread of Korean culture, they distinguish several stages and several key episodes.
So at the time when Korea was colonized by Japan, there was one very famous dancer, her name was Choi Seung-hee, she did performances that were based on a combination of modern dance and national Korean dances. Seung-hee was so popular and famous that she performed on tour not only in Japan, but even in the United States and Latin America. But since Korea at that time was under the control of Japan, Japan pursued a policy of Japaneseization, including names, the dancer performed under the Japanese version of her name Sai Shoki (Sai Shōki).
Representatives of the movement for the independence of Korea did not like her for this and accused her of collaborating with Japan. After World War II, it so happened that Seung-hee followed her husband and ended up in North Korea, where she was in a generally privileged position and ran a dance school until the late 1970s. In view of this unusual fate and South Korea's tense relations with North Korea, Choi Seung-hee has been bypassed by South Korean academics and the public when discussing the formation of modern Korean culture. This taboo has now been lifted.
The next breakthrough of Korean culture is associated with the adaptation of Western modern culture in the 1970s. A big success was the breakthrough of the Korean kittens, who also toured the world and even visited the BBC, where they covered the Beatles. Their phenomenon was that they sang in English, performed covers, were dressed according to the Western model, but at the same time, an exotic beauty for those times did its job.
The period immediately after the financial crisis of 1997 turned out to be very important for the Korean wave, the film industry declared itself. It was at this time that the Koreans decided to invest in the production of cultural products and reached a new qualitative level in the production of dramas (Korean series) and feature films that they began to be bought and shown outside of Korea. In 2002, the cult drama "Winter Sonata" was shown. It was so popular in Japan that it was shown twice in a year, and then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said that the lead actor Bae Yong-joon was more popular than himself.
Parallel to Winter Sonata, the full-length romantic comedy My sassy girl, released in 2001, was a huge success. It was so successful that it was first remade by the Japanese, and then even ... Hollywood, in 2007. This was the first time Hollywood bought a film from Korea. But the American version failed... Nevertheless, the bastion was taken and the Americans continue to periodically re-shoot South Korean mega hits.
This is a very brief history of the development of K-pop, which continues to develop and proves to be so successful that it generates 2 billion US dollars in annual revenues from overseas sales of various products of modern South Korean culture, which creates hundreds of fan clubs of dozens of K-pop teams in various countries, including Kazakhstan.
There is also a downside to this success - the Chinese government at the state level limits the amount of airtime for programs and films of Korean production, because it came to the point that in practice the broadcasting grid of some channels consisted almost entirely of Korean media products; in Japan, small manifestations with anti-Korean sentiment periodically arise due to a glut of Korean programs and dramas; also, using the example of Manipur in India, there are concerns that such a strong spread of Korean pop culture can not only move Bollywood, but undermine traditional culture, as young people prefer the Korean style.
But nevertheless, if you choose between the original South Korean film and its adaptation, any of the countries, then you better watch the original.
Hello, I would like to talk about one of your passions, k-pop, but first, please introduce yourself.
My name is Alice and I'm a k-poper. It's a disease.
Let's move on to the first question. I heard that before becoming a direct member of a Korean music group, a person must undergo quite serious training. Can you comment on this?
People who train in agencies are called trainee . A large number of trainees debut each year. A lot are released every year. Let's say five idols . Some may come and literally debut in three months, while others may stay there for up to twelve years. The leader of the EXO group, for example, trained for nine years, studied a lot, not only vocals and dances, rapping or something else, but also languages and etiquette.
What are the agencies you mentioned? How can you get into them?
For example, big three are large agencies called " entertainments » in Korea - people are often recruited through simple selection. That is, they have selections once a year, of course, not all over the world, but, let's say, one of the Big Three companies announces recruitment in different languages.
Please tell us about the process of releasing the band's new album.
What is mandatory in K-pop when releasing an album: maybe you don’t spoiler the song itself title , but they can, for example, post some "pieces" from the new album. But, in particular, it happens like this: they announce the release, probably, somewhere in two weeks, maybe one and a half. Everyone is waiting, and a couple of days before the release of the album, the company starts uploading teasers. Moreover, there can be as many teasers as you like, although most often one or two. Then they release a clip, this is a must. They released an album - they released a video.
Is there anything following immediately after the release of the album?
Yes, there will be further promotion, without it it is very difficult for groups, especially not very famous ones. Month the group is moving forward. The first week is coming comeback stage . That is, people still show their song, dance and performance on various shows along with other groups. Awards begin next week. During the three weeks of the show, the sales and views of each group will be calculated, and a score will be calculated from this. If your score is higher than your opponent's, you get a reward. There is such a thing as double or triple crown . Let's say one group won every day for three weeks (famous groups do this). Then she gets a triple crown on one of the shows.
They say the sheer number of K-pop fans is insane. What can you say about this?
I can comment on this with just one word:
sasaeng. sasaeng fans
. Such fans in K-pop and in general in Asia are very common among, perhaps, the female audience. These are very inadequate people who can
With
talker
their biases
Or just your favorite band.
Are there any gestures or rituals that fans can use to publicly show their love for the band, say at a concert?
If we talk about good fans, who simply love either the group or the bias ... In general, in Korea, each group has so-called light sticks . They come in different shapes and different colors, it all depends on the group. And very often, fans express their feelings with color. These sticks are very supportive of the bands. Let's say there is some kind of awards, and at this awards there is an opportunity to be just a fan and support your pet.
And the last question: does it happen that the band members themselves and their agencies express gratitude to the fans or try to do something nice, to please them?
At concerts, it happens that the fans of some pairings can often to ship one male group member with another. And in the agencies themselves there are special people who monitor fan activities. They see that there are, for example, two members who they really want to see together (they can be written about fanfiction or edited video). Then these band members are approached and asked to "interact" in front of the fans. It is called fanservice .
*Onnie and Oppa are Korean words for a girl and a boy.
“K-POP”, “K-pop”, “K-pop” - I began to hear more and more often from people I know, see comments on social networks and see various posts and images. "K-po-o-op", yes "K-pop", what is it?I climbed the sites, read a lot of literature, talked with people from this area and was stunned. It turns out that this is a whole subculture that is gaining popularity around the world. A WHOLE SUBCULTURE! And I didn't know.
K-POP or Korean Wave or Hallyu is a subculture made up of fans of South Korean music groups. If someone you know puts a picture of some cute, sweet, Korean resident on their profile photo, and the corresponding slang appears on the wall, then know that this is it. Here are the most "neaaaaaaaaly" adored celebrities fans call "oljan", which means models with big eyes, a small nose and lips. Such a puppet appearance is achieved thanks to plastic surgery, makeup and photoshop. 
In general, K-pop (keɪ pɔp /, an abbreviation of the English Korean pop) is a musical genre that originated in South Korea and incorporates elements of Western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and modern rhythm and blues.
Rolling Stone magazine stated that " K-pop is "a mixture of trendy Western music and high-energy Japanese pop" and "headhunts listeners with repetitive hooks, sometimes in English"; K-pop "goes down the line of mixing styles, combining both singing and rapping, and emphasizing action and powerful visuals.».
In Korea, the concept of K-pop refers to almost any direction of Korean pop music. In other countries, "K-pop" refers exclusively to music performed by the so-called idols, similar in concept to Japanese idols, performed in a mixture of the above genres. Also, this concept outside the country includes modern South Korean fashion and style.
One of the distinguishing features of Korean groups is the number of participants in one project (about 12-15 people). As a rule, they all live together in the same house, they also spend all their time in each other's company. Some of the members have been preparing since childhood for their role as a "music idol". To enjoy success, Korean performers need to train a lot, because in their work a big bet is placed on the visual range.
Despite the large number of participants, the group performs all the choreographic movements with amazing accuracy and synchronism. Also a feature of k-pop artists can be called a constant interactive way to communicate with their fans. Performers run their own forums, create their own pages on social networks and youtube channels. In many ways, it is thanks to this that the popularity of Korean groups has grown so much.
Keypopers
So, having learned all this, I still could not understand what K-pop owes such popularity to. For this I met (Albeit not in real life, but on the Internet) with a representative of this subculture and asked her a couple of questions. Terry (that's what she called herself) described herself as such.
“I'm not that active person, but I really like to go to various festivals created by K-pop fans. These are various dance parties, gatherings and just weekly meetings of K-pop culture lovers. Many of my friends are satisfied cover dance team. They change into clothes that are similar in style to the style of a particular group that they dance, put on dances, as well as crossover dances of different groups, perform with this and win in various competitions.
They also perform at various city events as activists. They gather for gatherings in the Youth Palace, where we listen to music, unprofessionally dance for the soul discussing news from the world of k-pop.
I'm not one of those fans who want children from idols, but for me personally, Korean music is very uplifting, I want to dance, smile, jump, it charges with positive. One of my favorite bands is BTS (author note: BTS (Korean: 방탄소년단, also known as Bangtan Boys) is a Korean hip hop group formed in 2013 by Big Hit Entertainment.
I love them for bright, incendiary clips, funny songs, high level of choreography. Their group, in fact, is divided into guys who dance well, rap, sing. And many of them do not know how to do what others can. But for group dances, they train a lot.
There are various video projects where they participate for fun and to show their abilities to the audience. Just recently I watched a funny video where they switched parts and the guy who raps tried to sing. They are not afraid to show their weaknesses. In playful variety shows, they come up with poems / compose songs and raps on the go, try to repeat their dances at speed, dances of others, including girl groups. Funny guys, in general, very open."
After such an answer, I came to the conclusion that, apparently, k-pop just needs to hook. And I can't help but insert the answer of another very interesting girl.
Sania
“K-Pop is kind of my hobby. I follow the news. I sometimes save photos biases(note av .: favorite members of boy bands), I watch various shows, videos, reactions, sometimes dramas (note: Japanese TV series. They are among the highest rated programs on Japanese TV channels. Despite the name, dramas are released in various genres - comedy, detective stories, horror, etc.) . I vote for biases on various sites and battles.
Many people think that K-pop is not very common in Russia, and, in general, in the world, but this is not so, there are a lot of fans. Sometimes groups come to Russia, mostly to Moscow. In addition to Moscow fans, there are also fans from other cities. Tickets sometimes sell out in minutes, which indicates that there are a lot of fans. Many fans buy albums, stuff from the staff, etc. Fans support people from different countries with the same interests in a friendly way. A lot of people, myself included, look to some of the members as role models.”
k-pop fan profile
Then I made a small questionnaire with simple questions and asked K-pop fans to answer them as well. For help in finding interested people and very unusual interlocutors, I would like to say the same Terry.
1. Favorite artists (groups, songs, videos, whatever)
2. What do they catch?
3. How do you show your interest in K-pop?
4. Who are you in everyday life?
5. K-pop for you is...
6. Do you participate in any festivals? If yes, then tell us about them.
Alexey Werner
1. Nu'est, BTS, Got7, Big Bang, EXO, Block B.
2. Very cool voices, looks. I like that the songs are combined English and Korean.
3. I listen to a lot of songs, watch videos, look for information about groups and their members.
4. Man, no?
5. Sweet for the ears.
6. So far, that has not happened, but this is so far.
불
1. Wonder girls, 4minute, Mamamoo, Exid, Dlackpink, Red velvet, k.a.r.d, cl, taeyeon.
2. Like songs. As soon as I hear it, my ass starts to twitch.
3. A strange question, to be honest.
4. I run a special public.
5. Schoolboy ordinary.
6. And "Who knows him."
Aldyn-ay
1. Big Bang, 2ne1, Super Junior, SNSD, BTS.
2. Big Bang introduced me to the world of k-pop, it was the 2009 video "Lollipop" that hooked me with its brightness and catchy chorus ""lali lali pap"
2NE1 - they are cool, they have their own style, incomparable CL.
Super Junior - originally 13 charismatic and dancing idols, I love them very much for their songs and for their smart choreography.
SNSD - they are all very beautiful, they are beautiful to look at, I like their choreography.
BTS are like a big and fancy candle on a k-pop cake.
3. Now I try to keep track of new items, I am subscribed to the group channels on YouTube. In my school years, there was some kind of insanity, I learned the language, I wanted to delve into Korean culture.
4. Student.
5. This is a trend that unites and brings people together.
6. No, I do not participate.
Ember
1. Bts, block b, got7, 2rbina 2rista, iamx.
2. K-pop dances and idols, the turbine is positive, and IAMKS is relaxation.
3. Dancing, clothes and curtained walls in the room with idols.
4. Special chan.
5. Movement and admiration.
6. Participate. As a cosplayer and now also a dancer. There were a lot of impressions from the debut, considering that my team became the owner of the title of laureate of the 3rd degree, and I was the same.
1. Favorite… this is difficult because I often listen to just selections. Well, most of my playlists are "imagine dragons", "bts", "arctic monkeys", "coldplay", "exo", "bap" etc :d
2. In principle, I love music - somewhere the sound chicks, and somewhere - the text.
3. Memes and check updates on YouTube.
4. I am finishing the 11th grade, I have close friends ... I don’t even know. How can you answer.
5. Special genre of music.
6. I rarely go to festivals, but I often go to K-pop parties.
1. Bands: B.A.R, BlockB, BigBang, 2ne1. The songs are difficult, there are a lot of them 😀 . Clips: B.A.P - power \ young, wild & free; BTS - Young Forever; Big Bang-tonight
2. I don't even know, everyone? Somewhere I like the concept of the group, somewhere the participants themselves, their character, behavior, and so on. At someone I listen only to songs, not knowing anything about the group. It grabs everything.
3. Well, there's only one concert on May 9th, so I'm going there.
4. Student.
5. Music, beloved and dear.
Catherine
1. There is no beloved at the moment.
2. Usually the song catches the motive, solo on some instruments (violin, flute, trumpet, not guitar xd).
3. I listen to songs, watch clips. Occasionally I visit parties dedicated to this topic.
4. Man.
5. Music and clips with handsome guys.
6. Every year I participate in the local anime festival Animiya.
It turns out that people are just rushing. Cheerful music with a beautiful picture - that's the whole secret or what? Maybe I'm tired, maybe I'm getting old already, but I didn't get sucked in and didn't get hooked. But, after all, to each his own? And for some, this very “own” is k-pop.
KPop or K-Pop is an acronym that stands for "Korean pop music". It can be used for all popular music in Korea, but it is often used to describe a specific genre that has dominated the Korean music market for the past 20 years. This genre includes elements of Western pop, dance, electronica, R&B, and hip hop.
mini story
Like many South Asian countries, the area of today's South Korea has been subject to a number of foreign influences that have led to the development of its own popular music market. During the Japanese occupation (1910-1945), local and foreign composers created a mixture of traditional Korean music and the gospel that is still popular today and is known as trot.
The end of Japan's brutal colonial rule marked the advent of Westernization. Western music began to air on the radio, and clubs popping up in various places played this style of music to please the American soldiers who were still in South Korea. It was at this time that not only the Korean public, but also domestic musicians became interested in various genres of Western music.
South Korea's own music industry began to flourish in the 1960s. At that time, the first labels began to appear, the first singles were released, and talent competitions were organized. The 70s were marked by the time of hippie folk pop music
and the emergence of DJ culture. The 80s are known as the "era of ballads".
Korean pop music in the 90s
What we know today as K-Pop is a 1990s phenomenon. Back then, new music groups created cutting-edge catchy songs with lyrics that dealt with everyday issues in Korean society. This is how the path to modern sound was paved. The mid to late 90s saw the founding of many of the music labels that dominate the market today. At the same time, the underground music movements of hip-hop and rock began to become more successful and popular.
21st century: the beginning of the Hallyu wave
The beginning of the 21st century marked the beginning of the global Korean wave. In the past 15 years, interest in Korean culture, especially entertainment products such as Korean TV dramas and Korean pop music, has been on the rise.
K-Pop groups and their hits
The phenomenon of Korean pop music known as K-Pop has taken over the world. Let's look at the largest representatives of this style.
Perhaps the most famous K-Pop song is Gangnam Style, which was a global hit by Korean rapper Psy. The song and accompanying video, which included a distinctive dance, went viral, spreading Korean pop music to a wider audience. By the end of 2012, the song had topped the charts in over 30 countries and had a huge social and cultural impact. Even then US President Barack Obama was seen dancing!
One of the brightest big stars of K-Pop is G Dragon, who touches on such deep and complex topics as self-destruction and narcissism in his songs. In 2016, Forbes named him the most influential person under 30 in Asia. Initially, he was a member of the Big Bang group, and since 2009 he began performing as a solo artist. Since then, he has released quite a few singles and albums.
K-Pop is not only about solo artists! So, a group of nine girls called Twice released a video for the song Cheer Up, gaining more than 195 million views on YouTube.
Girls Generation is a group of eight girls. The concept of their music is to balance sweetness and sexiness. The group debuted in 2007 and has already released nine studio albums.
boy bands
Of course, K-Pop songs are not only sung by girls. For example, EXO is a group of nine members. They debuted in 2012 and have released four studio albums since then. In 2017, they shot with a video for the song Ko Ko Bop.
One of the most influential K-Pop style groups is BTS. At the moment, they are rightfully considered the legends of Korean pop music. They became the first Korean artist to have a song debut on the Billboard chart. They were also honored to perform on American television during the AMA Awards. They debuted in 2013, released four studio albums and sold almost 10 million singles.
One of the most recent K-Pop news is that BTS is expected to make a comeback on May 18, 2018 with a new album. In addition, they will perform again at the BBMA American Music Awards on May 20, which will keep them as the true legends of the Korean pop music industry. Their breakthrough into the global music scene shows that K-Pop is not just for Korea.
How do you become a K-Pop star?
There are three things that make K-Pop so prominent and unique in the realm of pop music: exceptionally high quality work (particularly the dancing), an extremely polished aesthetic, and a homemade studio production method. However, the pop industry within the country is highly competitive. Starting from the age of 10-12, children begin to attend music auditions, special schools where they learn to sing and dance. The behavior of children is also polished there: they are being prepared for life by pop stars. From a young age, children spend hours in daily rehearsals, take part in weekend music shows, and special group performances. Through these performances, kids can garner a certain following before they debut as official pop stars.
After the idol - that's what the stars in Korea are called - is brought to perfection, the label begins to deal with it: the recording of the album begins, trips to the TV show and the tour.
What is not visible
The K-Pop industry is known to be exploitative. The life of an idol is exhausting to the point that it is like being a slave. Performers are regularly signed to long-term contracts known as "slave contracts". These contracts are so strict that sometimes they spell out the behavior that a pop star must adhere to. Artists are not allowed to have any private life.
In recent years, increased public attention to these issues has led to changes. So, in 2017, several studios agreed to a significant contract reform. However, as the recent suicide of Shinee artist Kim Jong-hyun shows, the pressure on performers is carefully hidden.
Fan base
The army of Korean pop fans is not limited to Asia. In fact, fans are the backbone of K-Pop's success. So, this style of music is extremely popular in the CIS. For example, there is a K-pop Stock group on the VKontakte social network. A huge number of fans of musicians from Korea gathered here. Fans actively support their favorites. There is also a site k-pop.ru, which has a function identical to the above group.
Modern K-Pop seems to be a seamless, gorgeous, perfectly working machine, complete with a few glaring contradictions that make it all the more fun. Yes, Korean pop music is a collection of colorful contradictions.
None of this is by accident. K-Pop is the international face of South Korea thanks to an extremely streamlined, coordinated production system. K-Pop, more than any other music industry, is strategically designed. It seems to be designed to work its way into your brain, thus elevating South Korea and its culture on the world stage.
Thanks to the combination of global political changes, the work of the media, the support of fans, as well as a huge number of talented performers who have gone through a difficult school of musical life, we have the opportunity to enjoy the real phenomenon of Korean pop.
What is k-pop?
K-pop (/keɪ pɔp/, an abbreviation of Korean pop) is a musical genre that originated in South Korea and incorporates elements of Western electropop, hip-hop, dance music, and contemporary rhythm and blues. Starting as a musical genre, K-pop has grown into a massive musical subculture with millions of fans among young people around the world.
What if you ask yourself? What will you answer?
You're not going to tell people information from the Internet. You tell them what you know personally.
K-POP is a genre of music that combines several styles of music.
K-Pop is a separate world that takes us to your imagination.
Every time you listen to k-pop, you might think how you didn’t notice it before or it’s good that you still heard this genre.
Can you remember your world before K-pop? You listened to Russian and American songs. You didn't have high expectations, different theories and fantastic clips. You just listened. All performers could seem to you the same type, who copy the style of others. But K-pop is not like that.
You can't see the second Big Bang, the fifth Super Junior, the twentieth Girls Generation. Everyone has their own style of songs. Is it okay to only listen to one K-pop group? You have such a wide choice, so why not use it?
Many people know situations like someone insulting you just because you listen to Koreans. You cannot change their minds, and they cannot change you. What should be done?
Nothing. Are you supposed to quit K-pop for someone else's opinion? Do you have to hide what you like, but still accept a style that you don't like because it's popular? If you did so, then you are destroying your personality.
Personality is a unique gift that every person has. It's up to you to decide who you will be.
You should not care about other people's opinions. You are who you are. And you will change when you want and only for yourself.
Someone says that k-pop is a childish and frivolous genre. But who said you have to listen to adult music? Everyone grows up, but no one wants it. If k-pop makes you happier, then listen to it as much as you want.
K-POP is a genre that is becoming popular every year. He takes over the whole world.
Maybe we regret that we didn't force this genre earlier when there were 2NE1, f(x), TRAX, Shinhwa, HOT and SES. But we are glad that he is with us right now.
