Let's be honest- not a lot of people know about K-pop. Even if they've been lucky enough to hear about K-pop, they think it's some genre of Japanese music. Well, I think it's time to change that. First off, K-pop is Korean music, hence the "K". Then, there are two types of people when it comes to K-pop listeners. There are people who listen to K-pop and then there are those who live K-pop. I admit, I am one of those who live and breathe K-pop but it really isn't all that bad. In fact, I can even say that I was blessed to have gotten to know K-pop. Today, I'd like to let you know what the best parts of K-pop are.
1. It's not all bubble-gum pop music.
Gee by Girl's Generation is one of the most popular and well-known K-pop songs known among K-pop listeners. Yes, it is a very bubble-gum fairy pop song but hey, everybody likes it. Sure, it isn't everybody's favorite type of music but hey, every once and a while you need a bit of a pick-me-up and this song is it. The thing about K-pop is that it's not always like this. In K-pop you have to find your niche. There are so many genres under the umbrella term "K-pop" that there is bound to have something for everybody. For example, I prefer to listen to more R&B, alternative Korean music. Solo artist Dean is one of my favorites. He produces his own music and songs for other groups as well. Dean is definitely far from the stereotype of cookie-cutter K-pop groups.
2. You don't understand a single thing- that is, if you don't speak Korean.
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Some people might say that not understanding a language is bad, but I see it as a good thing. Listening to a genre of music not in your language exposes you to new cultures and, obviously, a new language. So, basically, you are learning while listening to music. I consider that a huge win in my book.
3. K-pop stars aren't all Korean!
Yeah, that's right. K-pop stars aren't all Korean. Just like in America, not all famous musical artists are American. Shocker, I know. Nichkhun (first picture), is a member of boy band 2PM and is nicknamed the Thai Prince. He is, unsurprisingly, from Thailand. Victoria Song (second picture), is from China and is part of girl group f(x). She is widely known in both China and Korea. Last pictured is Alex Reid, an African-American girl who joined K-pop girl group RaNia in 2013. Alex Reid was previously signed to company Def Jam before joining the K-pop community. There is surprisingly quite a bit of diversity in K-pop that even some K-pop listeners are unaware of.
4. K-pop artists sing in other languages, too.
The cool thing about K-pop is that many groups will come out with albums or repackaged albums in different languages. This helps spread their fan-base across the world. It makes it easier for their fans to understand and to sing along. Exo (pictured above), a popular band in the K-pop industry, comes out with both Chinese and Korean albums. Just last year, they released a Japanese repackaged album as well. Korean music is secretly diverse in ways most people don't even know!
5. In the industry of K-pop, companies and record labels are extremely competitive.
With various competitive music shows like Inkigayo, Music Bank, M! Countdown, or even Show Champion, musical artists are pit against one another and sign for their votes. This usually occurs with every new song or album a band comes out with. During the summer, many K-pop bands come out with new summer vibes and compete to be the "champion" and beat out other artists. The groups typically perform their title track and whichever song has the most votes wins. The more wins they have, the more popular the group. The more popular the group the more money each record label brings in. The K-pop industry is, unfortunately, still just a company making money. However, this does create fun competition among fans to see who wins each showcase.
6. There is a huge community around the world.
K-pop is growing more and more popular by the day. People from all around the world are listening to K-pop now. Even though the K-pop industry is not mainstream yet, there is always bound to be another K-pop fan around you. I used to think I was the only person who listened to K-pop but as soon as I would hint at my interests in Korean music and culture, I found people who were just as invested as I was. Trust me, there are closet-ed K-pop music listeners everywhere. I used to be closeted about my love for Korean music for a year before I came out and said that I was an unapologetic K-fan. I haven't turned back since then. There is a huge community of listeners all over the world. It isn't limited to just Koreans. With technology nowadays, it is so easy to spread all kinds of music to all kinds of people.
Anybody who knows K-pop knows that it's more than the stereotypes. As cliche as that sounds, it's so true. K-pop is way more than I ever thought it was. It's a great community to be with and it has amazing music anybody can bond over. So much comes out of K-pop and the world should open up to the wonders that it is.
In case you are even the slightest bit interested in K-pop now and have no idea where to start, here are some songs you should check out!
*Disclaimer these are my preferences so don't think this is all that there is available*
