How K-pop took over the world — as told by one fan who rode the wave
1 year, 7 months ago

How K-pop took over the world — as told by one fan who rode the wave

NPR  

How K-pop took over the world — as told by one fan who rode the wave Enlarge this image toggle caption Amy Harris/Invision/AP Amy Harris/Invision/AP In a new podcast, Vivian Yoon dissects her personal stake in K-pop, and how her obscure childhood passion has evolved into a billion-dollar industry. "You're seeing this really clear intention on the part of these management and entertainment labels, and companies, to create international-facing groups," she told All Things Considered's Ailsa Chang. If you're still certain that you've never come across K-pop before, Yoon thinks there might be a chart-topping earworm from 2012 that you are familiar with: Psy — Gangnam style. Sponsor Message And here is Yoon breaking down the history and rhythm that makes K-pop distinctly Korean, like a two-beat rhythm called bong-chak: So the thing that a lot of K-pop producers say that sets Korean pop music apart is bong-chak or bong or the bong factor, bong feel.

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History of this topic

K-pop Creators Embark on a Cultural Odyssey in India
5 months, 1 week ago

K-pop Creators Embark on a Cultural Odyssey in India

Hindustan Times  

The article highlights the growing presence of K-pop creators in India, who are embracing and incorporating Indian culture and traditions into their music and performances. The article features K-pop singer Aoora, pop artist Mimi, and music producer Fridayyy Hyungsun Ahn, who have all shown their appreciation for and connection to India. They have been actively collaborating with Indian artists and …

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach
1 year, 6 months ago

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach

China Daily  

A member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans.KOREA POOL/GETTY IMAGES Genre faces challenge of becoming accepted by other cultures. In summer 2012, Korean pop music, or K-pop, took a huge leap forward in the global music industry. Pop music critic Jung Min-jae told The Korea Herald: "K-pop has its roots in the early gayo songs. Pop music critic Kim Do-heon …

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach
1 year, 6 months ago

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach

China Daily  

A member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans.KOREA POOL/GETTY IMAGES Genre faces challenge of becoming accepted by other cultures. In summer 2012, Korean pop music, or K-pop, took a huge leap forward in the global music industry. Pop music critic Jung Min-jae told The Korea Herald: "K-pop has its roots in the early gayo songs. Pop music critic Kim Do-heon …

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach
1 year, 6 months ago

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach

China Daily  

A member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans.KOREA POOL/GETTY IMAGES Genre faces challenge of becoming accepted by other cultures. In summer 2012, Korean pop music, or K-pop, took a huge leap forward in the global music industry. Pop music critic Jung Min-jae told The Korea Herald: "K-pop has its roots in the early gayo songs. Pop music critic Kim Do-heon …

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach
1 year, 6 months ago

K-pop seeks to broaden its global reach

China Daily  

A member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans.KOREA POOL/GETTY IMAGES Genre faces challenge of becoming accepted by other cultures. In summer 2012, Korean pop music, or K-pop, took a huge leap forward in the global music industry. Pop music critic Jung Min-jae told The Korea Herald: "K-pop has its roots in the early gayo songs. Pop music critic Kim Do-heon …

Here’s how I became a huge name in the world of K-pop
2 years, 1 month ago

Here’s how I became a huge name in the world of K-pop

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “I’m indestructible, …

Kpop dominates: BTS, BLACKPINK, Aoora and others to follow
2 years, 4 months ago

Kpop dominates: BTS, BLACKPINK, Aoora and others to follow

India TV News  

When Psy's 'Gangnam Style' was released in 2012, it took over the world instantly. At that time the world of Kpop was under an umbrella and the wide success of Psy's song forced people to look at South Korean pop culture in a new light. In the last decade, Kpop idols like BTS members, BLACKPINK members, Aoora, TXT and others …

BTS Brought These Korean American Families Closer Together
2 years, 10 months ago

BTS Brought These Korean American Families Closer Together

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING This is part of This Made Me, a HuffPost series paying tribute to the formative pop culture in our lives. “The band that changed K-pop.” “Kings of K-pop.” “World’s biggest boy band.” These are just a few phrases used to describe the seven-member South Korean group BTS. “As I’ve gotten older — and me discovering my Korean …

Op-Ed: Hollywood, take note: Korean pop culture is here to stay
2 years, 11 months ago

Op-Ed: Hollywood, take note: Korean pop culture is here to stay

LA Times  

When I saw a selection of Barbie-size BTS dolls prominently displayed recently on the shelves of my neighborhood bookstore, I knew that K-pop had truly made it into the mainstream. As my daughter reached out to grab the Jimin doll, clad in a colorful stage costume, it was clear Korean pop culture had become something much bigger than a passing …

Rise of K-Pop in India: Analysing why Korean pop music has surged in India during coronavirus pandemic
3 years, 9 months ago

Rise of K-Pop in India: Analysing why Korean pop music has surged in India during coronavirus pandemic

Firstpost  

A drastic increase in K-Pop streams on Spotify, Netflix diversifying its slate, and the BTS phenomenon have vastly contributed to the popularity of K-Pop in India despite trolling of boybands for challenging the traditional ideals of masculinity. “The pandemic has contributed to the boom in India, as more people have the time and bandwidth to consume international content,” says Riddhi …

K-Pop Rules the Roost Among India's Gen Z, Millennials Groove to Badshah and Diljit Dosanjh
4 years, 2 months ago

K-Pop Rules the Roost Among India's Gen Z, Millennials Groove to Badshah and Diljit Dosanjh

News 18  

The right kind of music can either kick up or kill your vibe and the ever-evolving scenario has always thrown open interesting patterns. The report, titled “What India is listening to”, compiled together conversations involving music from across the country on various social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and other pop culture forums since the past one month, especially …

K-Pop Has Always Been Political
55 years, 3 months ago

K-Pop Has Always Been Political

Slate  

Last week, fans of Korean pop music groups made headlines after organizing a campaign to register for upwards of hundreds of thousands of free tickets for Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma—helping to raise expectations of an event that turned out to be a sparsely attended dud. Today, South Korea is a pop culture superpower, from the popularity of its …

K-pop fans, maestros of social media, bring their powers to bear on #BlackLivesMatter activism
4 years, 9 months ago

K-pop fans, maestros of social media, bring their powers to bear on #BlackLivesMatter activism

LA Times  

Katya Grossman couldn’t march in the U.S. protests against police violence and racism, but, with a few keystrokes, she raised a six-figure sum for the cause by tapping into a massive, impassioned, international platform at her fingertips: K-pop fandom. Fans have gained notoriety over the years for carpet-bombing Twitter timelines and Instagram feeds in support of stars or groups they …

As BTS continues its global music domination, K-pop is sometimes misunderstood
5 years, 4 months ago

As BTS continues its global music domination, K-pop is sometimes misunderstood

ABC  

If you want to understand the way Korean pop music has expanded beyond the country's borders in the past few years, one place to start would be a segment on a Channel Nine countdown show. "People will say, 'Oh, it's all fake'," says Joanna Elfving-Hwang, an associate professor of Korean studies at the University of Western Australia who has studied …

Korean musicians in Chennai
5 years, 6 months ago

Korean musicians in Chennai

The Hindu  

A piercing tone with a nasal quality emanates from the haegum, a Korean traditional fiddle-like instrument, while the clear and delicate sound of gayageum, a twelve-stringed instrument, joins in. “I used to like singing songs in front of people when I was a child, but I did not know Korean traditional music at all until I was 16. By his …

What Puts the K in K-pop?
5 years, 6 months ago

What Puts the K in K-pop?

The Diplomat  

Her debut performance went like any other K-pop artist. She appeared on one of Korea’s many weekly music shows, dressed to the nines, and sang her heart out in Korean while performing some of K-pop’s famously complex choreography. “Music shows tell us that they want K-pop and Korean songs and that our groups don’t fit in,” he said. Meanwhile, even …

A bit of Bollywood in K-pop music industry
6 years, 8 months ago

A bit of Bollywood in K-pop music industry

Hindustan Times  

Psy’s Gangnam Style which swept the world in 2012 may have been a one-hit wonder for a lot of Indians, but in South Korea, Indian references have frequently appeared in Korean dramas and variety shows even before that. First Lady of South Korea Kim Jung-sook with K-pop group Snuper and contestants of 2018 Changwon K-Pop World Festival in New Delhi …

How Korean boy band BTS toppled Asian stereotypes — and took America by storm
6 years, 9 months ago

How Korean boy band BTS toppled Asian stereotypes — and took America by storm

Salon  

On May 27, the seven-member South Korean boy band BTS became the first K-pop act to top the Billboard 200 chart with their third album, “Love Yourself: Tear.” A week earlier, BTS had won “top social artist” for the second year in a row at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards, beating out the likes of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. …

BTS just took K-pop to No. 1 — and not by diluting its adventurous music
6 years, 10 months ago

BTS just took K-pop to No. 1 — and not by diluting its adventurous music

LA Times  

Pop Music Critic Clearly, some members of BTS were more interested in the puppies than others. In a fifth-floor meeting room at the sleek InterContinental hotel in downtown Los Angeles, the seven young men who make up this South Korean boy band — RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jin and Jungkook, each as handsome and stylishly dressed as the next …

Distinct style of Korean pop to echo in Olympic spotlight
7 years, 1 month ago

Distinct style of Korean pop to echo in Olympic spotlight

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — The clothes, the hair, the confidence — the look of Korean pop music can feel like high fashion or just plain quirky. The South Korean people and government are proud of their infectious brand of music and music videos, which feature Korean lyrics dashed with catchy English phrases, vibrant fashion and elaborate dance moves. Clark Sorensen, Korea history …

K-pop: Seoul neighborhood rides the Korean wave
8 years, 6 months ago

K-pop: Seoul neighborhood rides the Korean wave

CNN  

Story highlights The Seoul government has announced plans to build a K-pop "music mecca" in the city's northern outskirts It hopes to use the growing popularity of K-pop to attract tourists -- and money -- to revitalize a neglected suburb CNN — Forget Gangnam style. “It’s the whole soft power of Korean goods.” 40 most beautiful places in South Korea …

K-pop: Holding up a fast, fizzy funhouse mirror to American cultural imperialism
9 years, 7 months ago

K-pop: Holding up a fast, fizzy funhouse mirror to American cultural imperialism

Salon  

KCon is to Korean pop culture what ComicCon is to the Marvel Universe: a public lovefest for a subculture based on rabid fandom. First K-pop showed up on “The Bachelor”; then Tyra Banks took “America’s Next Top Model: Guys & Girls,” to Seoul and featured K-pop groups BtoB and 2NE1 on the 2014 runway final. But nothing says success like …

How Asian-Americans Found A Home In The World Of K-Pop
9 years, 11 months ago

How Asian-Americans Found A Home In The World Of K-Pop

NPR  

How Asian-Americans Found A Home In The World Of K-Pop Enlarge this image toggle caption Elise Hu/NPR Elise Hu/NPR It's no secret that the Korean entertainment industry's prime export — K-pop — is now a global phenomenon. He's written and produced hit singles for Mando-Pop supernovas like Coco Lee and A-mei, and several K-Pop stars who are household names in …

Meet Latin America's Teenage Korean Pop Fanatics
11 years, 3 months ago

Meet Latin America's Teenage Korean Pop Fanatics

NPR  

Meet Latin America's Teenage Korean Pop Fanatics Enlarge this image toggle caption Marlon Bishop for NPR Marlon Bishop for NPR If you want to get a sense of what Mexican teenagers are up to these days, here's an unexpected place to start: A Korean bakery in downtown Mexico City. K-pop, as Korean pop music is known, burst into the US …

Not Gangnam's style: The kitsch and soul of Kim Jong-Un country
12 years, 4 months ago

Not Gangnam's style: The kitsch and soul of Kim Jong-Un country

Salon  

I was thinking about North Korea — officially, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — as South Korean megahit “Gangnam Style” made its rounds. As friends emailed endless “Gangnam Style”-related links, I started scouring YouTube for North Korean music videos. The singers are usually women — their high-pitched voices thought better to convey the childlike purity of the North Korean …

Episode 410: Why K-Pop Is Taking Over The World
12 years, 5 months ago

Episode 410: Why K-Pop Is Taking Over The World

NPR  

Episode 410: Why K-Pop Is Taking Over The World toggle caption Hye Soo Nah/AP America used to lead the world in making cars. But the world's most popular music still comes from American artists. Turn on a car radio in Italy, walk into a store in Mozambique, and there's a good chance you'll hear an American pop tune. For More: …

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