Let's Talk About K-Pop

We live in a world filled with a thousand different music genres, so much, that sometimes we hear some song we like and we don’t find the specific place to categorize it. Like the rivers, music genres are intercepted and converted to some place, where it gets stuck and at one moment, by different factors, the cycle begins again.

From the unity of multiple influences K-pop is born, a genre that’s been on the market for much longer than what most people think or know. Currently it has been gaining more relevance in the entertainment industry, because the language barrier has been breaking up after a lot of years, so we find fanatics of this popular music genre all around the world.

Thousands of fanatics voices get together to be the background singers of multiple Korean artists in huge concerts, they gather to make massive elections through social media, create in each country dance groups dedicated to cover the incredible choreographies that the artists present, alongside the catchy and energetic rhythms of K-pop.

But not all is about music when we talk about K-pop, we talk about humans, close to each other, dedicated and eternally grateful to their fans for all the irrevocable support they’ve been giving since they were amateurs.

Most of the Korean artists, not daring to say every single one, take moments of the day to always pay tribute to their fanatics, making live broadcast videos on social media, organizing meetings with their fans to exchange words and gifts, walking down the street and openly interacting with them or simply just giving a private moment of concerts (meet & greet) to have a more intimate approach with them.

Rainbow Ocean by EXO-L

Group bands like EXO, BTS, SEVENTEEN, Big Bang, GOT7, among others, they are known for their songs' lyrics where they deliver messages of support to every single person that listens to them, to encourage the idea that self-love can come up inside everyone of us.

“I’m so thankful everyday that you are here

You’re a gift from God” – "Sing For You" by EXO

“Whatever this world tells you

You’re the best to me just the way you are” – "21st Century Girl" by BTS

“Regardless of whether it’s day or night

I’ll be by your side” – "Highlight" by SEVENTEEN

“Scale, please tell her too

That she doesn’t need to change anything

That she’s pretty and perfect just as she is right now” – "Just Right" by GOT7

Dance Practique

We speak about artists that we feel close to us even though they are a thousand miles away and not all of us live in Asia; they sing and write like any other artist from any other country, but what is the difference between them and artists like Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars or Britney Spears? Everything sums up in one word, “Preparation.”

Before their debut in the music industry, asian artists, no matter Korean, Chinese, Thai, or any other asian nationality, they receive a special training from the record labels from where they are recruited, go through extensive hours of singing, dancing, manners, language, and external expression lessons, since they are not only trained to perform, but also to have experiences in the modeling and acting industry.

Being a trainee in the world of K-pop is a synonymous of giving the best you got, because although they receive the training, they may not be debuting after all.

Presentation of Cheer Up

The four members of the BlackPink group lasted five years to get to perform to the public; artists like G-Dragon from Big Bang and SuHo from EXO had a period of a little more than six years as apprentices. In other cases the time can be even longer, like Ji Hyo, a member of a girl group called Twice took ten years in preparation to debut in the industry.

It is because of the record labels that we know that when we’ll watch a performance of any artist in this world, live or in a video clip, it’s gonna be the best they can offer, clean notes, mind blowing new choreographies, and full of life that together with the lyrics, tell stories and deliver messages to the audience in a creative and unforgettable way.

K-pop also stands out for having a considerable number of members for one single group. NSYNC and Backstreet Boys were a phenomenon being only five members, but the asian record labels take that number as the minimum for a group; that’s why we find groups that have from six to twelve members, or even more, that sing and dance at the same time.

The synchronicity and harmony that is applied on the live performances and video clips are ¡AN INCREDIBLE PHENOMENON NEVER SEEN BEFORE! and yes, we take note that they are about six to twelve people doing everything at the same time; that shows that the years of training were worth it.

Female groups like Twice, Girls Generation, F(x), Red Velvet, BlackPink; Male groups like NCT, EXO, BTS, GOT7, BTOB, VIXX; Solist artists like CL, LuHan, Sunmi, Taemin, Suzy and IU, get us to talk about the success that K-pop has achieved and the beauty of their artists.

Like we already mentioned, all of this artists are prepared to be role models, which isn’t weird that they become the faces of brands like Adidas, Converse, Pumas, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Supreme and Calvin Klein, among others.

The world of K-pop is filled with wonders that only Asia can offer. What are you waiting for to check it out?

PEACE, YARE