Author: Kyla Ona

“No one takes the music game more seriously that the people in South Korea”

The sound of loud screams pierces through your ears and the crowd is starting to get wild. Don’t worry it’s not the end of the world or aliens taking over but definitely it is the Korean Wave taking over!

If you have been living under a rock then you probably haven’t heard of K-pop? But don’t worry I am here to guide you to this wonderful world of Korean Pop!

Hello everyone! My name is Kyla and welcome to my 1st blog. So for today I will be sharing something that is pretty close to my heart, and that is no other than K-pop! Yes, you have read that right I am a K-pop fan myself but don’t worry for my first blog we wouldn’t be spazzing or fangirling over my top groups but we will be discussing something more than that we will talk about how K-pop became a global storm or better yet a GLOBAL PHENOMENON. So without any further ado….. LET’S GET THIS STARTED

WHAT IS KOREAN POP?

According to kpopforbeginners.weebly.com, Korean Pop or K-POP is a musical genre consisting of electronic, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea. The music itself has been around since the 90’s and with this no one really expected that what was once known as the pride of the country suddenly expanded and reached global boundaries that man themselves can’t even find the explanation behind such success.

THE EVOLUTION OF K-POP

Now that you know what Korean Pop or what K-pop is let us take a deeper look to history to what is was before the whole “global phenomenon” started. In the evolution of K-pop there are four generations present in the process and in this part of the blog we will look into these generations and explore what they have to offer to our plate.

1ST GENERATION (1992-1999)

The birth of K-pop started with the group called Seo Taiji and The Boys they debuted at the year 1992 and there first stage or debut stage was at a music show in MBC. The group itself offered a lot of genres in their plate which explains to why they are considered as respected artists in South Korea ( The real OG is here kids! ). According to yiersansiwuliqibajiushitake.weebly.com, their songs focused on the popular Western music such as: hip hop music, pop music,rap rock, alternative rock, techno and alternative metal. The lyrics of their songs were not only about love but these lyrics contain frustration towards schools and the society which separated them from the Western type of music. One sad part about this is that when the 1996 came the group started or gradually lost their fame as there group was only an experimental type of group for future groups to debut the following year.

In the year 1997, the rise of Korean entertainment business started to dominate the music industry. These entertainment companies scout and search for talented hopefuls and train them under their wing, if successful the individual gets the chance to debut and perform either with a group or they will be a soloist. During this time Korean music is starting to grow internationally however it is not as popular as it is today. JYP Entertainment opened it doors to young and talented trainees at the year 1997 and following that year which is 1998 the former member of Seo Taiji and The Boys, Yang Hyun-Suk, also decided to join the game he opened his own entertainment company called YG Entertainment. The last one to join the game is Lee Soo Man who opened or started his entertainment company called SM Entertainment in the year 1989. But nevertheless, these entertainment companies stated are considered as “The Big Three” this is because the three companies mentioned contributed a lot to the Korean music industry, they introduced new groups and genres to the general public but most importantly they contributed a lot in expanding K-pop globally.

List of Well known First Generation Groups:

• Seo Taiji & Boys
• H.O.T.,
• Sechs Kies
• Drunken Tiger
• DJ DOC
• Roo’ra
• Turbo
• R.ef
• g.o.d
• Fin.K.L
• S.E.S
• Shinhwa

2ND GENERATION (2000-2010)

Now we enter into the second generation of K-pop. Believe me when I say this but this is the era were legends were born. This was the era were concepts and songs were considered as PER.FEC.TION. BUT!!!!!!!! Enough spazzing and let’s get to the real deal. The second generation was the time were K-pop or Korean music is starting to spread in Asia and bit by bit they are being introduced int the West. During this time let me remind you that girl groups during the first generation were really rare, by RARE I mean really RARE! However, when we entered the second generation a lot of girl groups were introduced to the public. These girl groups played a vital role in this years this is because they helped in reviving the popularity and consumption of girl groups domestically in Korea but most importantly they helped in expanding K-pop globally.

Let’s get honest here okay? I know the names Wonder Girls and Girls Generation rang a bell right? This is because you might not notice it but some of the songs that they have released are songs that we have actually sung to. I mean my childhood was not complete without hearing these song especially the most iconic “Nobody” by the Wonder Girls – seriously, if you haven’t “I WANT NOBODY NOBODY BUT YOU!~” (cue finger movement+clap and finger gun) you haven’t lived your life. How about “GEE GEE GEE BABY BABY BABY?” If you have but you couldn’t remember it, it’s alright but if you did… CONGRATS! You belong to the 70 or 85% of the population who has heard this song! Moving on, looking at this we can say that K-pop has now entered Asia during this time but how about in the Western part of the world? Just a brief background about these songs, when Nobody by Wonder Girls and Gee by Girls Generation was released it took the whole nation by storm- the songs were so successful that they hit a milestone by entering into the Billboard Charts thus causing people to turn their heads and explore the new genre offered to the public. ( Just to add something the songs that also charted were Big Bang’s “Haru-haru” and Brown Eyed Girls “Abracadabra”)

List of Well Known Groups:

• TVXQ
• Big Bang
• Super Junior
• Girls Generation or SNSD
• Brown Eyed Girls
• Wonder Girls
• 4Minute
• T-ara
• BoA
• 2en1
• SHINee
• Girl’s Day
• Infinite
• Teen Top
• CNBlue
• SISTAR
• After School
• Secret
• f(x)
• AOA
• EXID
• VIXX
• B1A4
• N’UEST
• Many More

I’m just gonna tone down the mood a bit okay? So, story time! like I said earlier these groups were part of my childhood ( I’m old but not THAT OLD! ) I still remember the times wherein I can hear and sometimes sing along to their songs-even until know. But just to remind you (Warning: This is just a spoiler of what happened to most of the groups during the Second Generation ) most of the groups during this era are no longer active or they have already disbanded. “THE SEVEN YEAR CURSE “ or “THE SEVEN YEAR JINX” is what most K-pop fans, like myself, call this belief. What happens here is that once a group has reached their seventh year in the industry most of them choose to either rest or go on a hiatus or disband the group. The reason why I stated it here, under the second generation is because most of the groups who fell under the seven year jinx are all under the second generation.

3RD GENERATION ( 2011- Present )

After the second generation of K-pop the rise of or debut of different groups coming not only from the so called “Big Three” companies also started joining the game. Groups that debuted under the third generation are now more diverse for the members are now not only Korean but some are now Japanese, Chinese, American and Thai. One example of this is the boy group called, “Got7“.

In addition to this 3rd generation idols are now more exposed through survival programs or shows wherein they compete and showcase their talents to have the chance to debut in a group. ( If you have heard of a the K-pop girl group called Twice, then I have a surprise for you before the group was even formed they have undergone a competition show called Sixteen )

This generation was responsible for the expansion and garnering popularity both domestically and internationally. However one thing that we should keep mind is that this period was quite short since that the following year a lot of groups are starting to debut and garner a lot of interest to the public eye.

List of Well Known Groups:

• BTS
• EXO
• Twice
• Monsta X
• Winner
• Wanna One
• iKON
• IOI
• Blackpink
• Red Velvet
• G-friend
• Got7
• Day6
• Mamamoo
• CLC
• AKMU
• KARD
• Seventeen
• Astro
• KNK
• The Rose
• UP10TION
• Many more

4TH GENERATION (PRESENT TIME)

Now, in this era a lot of groups have know debuted and are being introduced to the public eye. K-pop has now become a worldwide phenomenon and groups under this era have more resources and worldwide recognition. Through collaboration with western artists, K-pop has now painted the streets with their colorful genres and eventually become a household name. Songs released are now more recognized by the public through charting in Billboard and performances in Western shows. Specifically speaking, the 4th generation of K-pop does not only focus in garnering attention domestically but they are also expanding in the western market wherein the target market is large and it can garner a lot of fans.

Also if you have been an avid K-pop fan you can notice some changes in music styles as years pass by. Generation to generation Korean music will not stay the same it will always improve and offer new genres to our plate. In addition to that, I don’t wanna sound old but seriously here it goes… Most of the idols that debuted under the 4th generation are REALLY young, the age that they usually debut is at the age of 14 or 16 ( take note that this is based on international age this is because Koreans have a different age system that makes them older in Korea. ) but despite of the age difference this kids really know their stuff! As a K-pop fan for almost 6 years I am looking forward for what this generation has to offer for us but nevertheless they will always have my support, I hope that they may walk in a flowery path in the future! 🙂

List of Well Known Groups:

• TXT
• ITZY
• (G)i-dle
• Stray Kids
• Ateez
• Cherry Bullet
• A.C.E
• Loona
• AB6IX
• CIX
• Everglow
• Many More

” Don’t ask why it has to be you
Just stay with me “

BLACKPINK “STAY”

Sadly, this is the only time we have (aaaawwwwwww) but don’t worry I hope that with the short time we spent together you learned and discovered the wonderful world of K-pop!. I hope you guys don’t just stop learning about the genre after you read this blog I hope that you will explore the music and tell me what you guys think about it. Will you mess with it? or will you guys join me in my fangirling duties?-but jokes aside the purpose of this is to show you guys that there is more than just Western songs out there, the world is full of things that are yet to be discovered. EXPLORE AND BROADEN YOUR PERSPECTIVE. I’ve been hooked to K-pop ever since I can remember and if there is one thing I learned from them is this : Music knows no boundaries. Music is not what only the ears can hear and what the mind could understand, but music is a bridge that links one’s soul and heart. The music itself at first will get you thinking: “What are they even saying?” but let me remind you that the best part in our lives is when we try new things since that they add flavor to our lives. These new things add spice and thrill, also knowing one’s music is also the same as learning another culture ;). Until next time, bye everyone!

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

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