South Korean social mores stigmatize everything from sexual references and innuendo to references to drugs and alcohol — as well as actual illicit behavior by idols — and addressing any of these subjects can cause a song to be arbitrarily banned from radio play and broadcast. Songs dealing with serious themes or thorny issues are largely off limits, queer identity is generally only addressed as subtext, and lyrics are usually scrubbed down to fluffy platitudes.
Despite these limitations, K-pop has grown over time in its nuance and sophistication thanks to artists and studios who have often either risked censorship or relied on visual cues and subtext to fill in the gaps. The women of K-pop are typically depicted as traditional versions of femininity. Yet the women of K-pop are also increasingly producing self-aware videos that navigate their own relationships to these rigid impositions. In the video, Sunmi transforms physically , growing more empowered and defiant as she faces the camera and finally confronts a billboard of herself.
Most of the time , co-ed groups tend to be one-off pairings of members from different bands for one or two singles, or novelty acts that are quickly split into gendered subgroups. The most famous actual co-ed band is probably the brother-sister duo Akdong Musician, a pair of cute kids who made it big on an audition show; and even they get split up a lot to pair with other singers.
Despite a number of K-pop stars openly supporting LGBTQ rights, the industry aggressively markets homoeroticism in its videos but remains generally homophobic.
His name is Holland, and his first single debuted to a respectable 6. Hip-hop tends to be a dominant part of the K-pop sound, particularly among male groups, a trend that has opened up the genre to criticism for appropriation. South Korea grapples with a high degree of cultural racism, and recent popular groups have come under fire for donning blackface , appropriating Native American iconography , and much more.
Still, K-pop has increasingly embraced diversity in recent years, with black members joining K-pop groups and duo Coco Avenue putting out a bilingual single in Hallyu may swell or subside, but the K-pop production machine goes ever on. And from here, the future looks fantastic, baby.
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By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. How K-pop became a global phenomenon No country takes its fluffy pop music more seriously than South Korea. This is the post for you. K-POP music has gained popularity from H.
All of a sudden, everything falls into place. People tend to neglect or didn't notice at first, but eventually, they begin to stan whatever they want. That's right to "Wow that's amazing", "Superb" and "I just can't live without them. Thanks to its distinct mix of infectious tunes, sleek choreography and production values, as well as an endless procession of glamorous South Korean singers who spend years in grueling studio structures learning to sing and dance in coordinated perfection, K-pop has become a genuinely global sensation.
But wait? They are very popular because of "They are Korean". I guess "They are so funny". That for the meantime you didn't notice yourself laughing out loud over your computer, watching their behind the scenes in making the music video and so on. Do you ever feel your curiosity about them or should I say, is "your obsession". Of course, not all the groups are close to each other and some K-Pop idol promotes as soloists.
Some also do not live in dorms together. Fans usually like the bond between members because it shows great teamwork and that they are far from being a "fake group". K-Pop idols provide a lot of content throughout the whole year with music, special collaborations with other artists, covers, TV shows, videos, pictures, and more. They know how to keep fans entertained. Groups post hilarious content on their channels. Idols know how to be funny and fans love to see their adventures through online platforms.
It is one of the characteristics of K-Pop making it attractive to those looking for entertaining content and being much connected to the 21st century. K-Pop idols like to keep a close link with their fans through various means. Idols know they own a part of their success to fans and never forget to thank and show love to them. Each group or soloist has a special name to call their fans and even make fan songs especially for them.
Artists create a special bond with their fans. They communicate with fans in numerous languages. Idols are not always Korean but from Thailand, Japan, the U. K-Pop artists are from diverse backgrounds as well as their fans, they have links that go over cultural barriers.
When someone is a fan of K-Pop, there is a feeling of being part of a global family. The community is very active on and offline. It is then easy to make new friends. That perfect storm culminated in, well we have to mention it, Psy and Gangnam Style in Psy was not a Korean version of a big pop star.
Psy was Korea's version of Psy, and it turns out that's what the world wanted. It showed that you could be big and not sing entirely in English or be in vogue. The power of the music video transcended language. Just one of the official videos of Gangnam Style on YouTube had well over three billion views, the largest number of hits of any video at that time.
Today, Korean music producers are experts at manufacturing incredibly successful products. If K-pop is like a popular selling product, then how is it put together? Hannah Waite was at college in America looking for a subject to research. In the early hours of that morning, she stumbled across it.
This was nothing like the Macarena. When Waite started looking, she couldn't find anything in English online. The first day the site went live in , it crashed. Waite started delving deep into the origins of the bands. As in the West, the pop groups were manufactured.
But in South Korea, it was taken to extremes. It was far more targeted. Children were spotted and recruited. There is, says Waite, a specific formula and a set of conditions for creating a K-pop star. There are three main agencies with up to trainees each.
There are other smaller ones out there too.
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