K-pop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| K-Pop | |
| Stylistic origins | Pop Hip-hop R&B Urban Dance-pop House South Korean music UK garage 2-step |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins | 1990s and early 2000s South Korea |
| Typical instruments | Guitar Bass guitar Drum kit Synthesizer Sequencer Turntables Samplers Keyboards Drum machines |
| Mainstream popularity | Mainstream in South Korea since 2000s and South East Asia |
K-pop is an abbreviation for Korean Pop, specifically from South Korea. There are many artists and groups, such as Big Bang, BoA, Lee Hyori, Rain, Seven, Super Junior, TVXQ, Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls that have branched out of South Korea and have become popular in China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand and others in South East Asia. The popularity of K-pop is often considered a part of the rise of the Korean Wave, the recent surge of popularity of contemporary South Korean culture in Asia.
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[edit] History
Modern South Korean popular music first appeared in the 1930s, heavily influenced by Japanese popular songs. Since Japan required the colonial administration in Korea to restrict all forms of artistic expression, Koreans had little opportunity to create their own modern genre. In the 1950s and 1960s, the musical performances organized by U.S. forces in and around the American military bases in South Korea provided South Koreans with examples of modern music.[1]
The South Korean pop music scene soon had several genres: Westernized boy or girl bands whose appeal lay mostly in their appearance; a technically difficult, older genre that had its roots in the colonial period and was popular with older Koreans; and the often amateur acoustic guitar singer-songwriters, who became popular in the 1960s and sang in a simple vocal style.[1] In 1970s, rock music was introduced into South Korea, mainly popularized by Cho Yong Pil. Trot also became a main genre in pop music.
The emergence of the group Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 marked a turning point in South Korean popular music, as the group incorporated elements of American popular musical genres such as rap, rock, and techno into its music. It brought about the a decrease in the popularity of trot. The tremendous success of Seo Taiji and Boys in South Korea and other experimental groups, such as Panic, set the trend for the present generation of K-pop groups and artists. Following Seo Taiji and Boys, dance-oriented acts became dominant in the South Korean popular music scene of the early 90s including the legendary hip hop duo Deux (듀스). By the mid-90s, Seo Taiji and Boys retired from South Korea's pop music scene. After that, teen idol groups that are now often considered "legendary groups" due to their strong popularity during their era, such as Baby V.O.X., Fin.K.L., g.o.d, H.O.T., Shinhwa, Sechs Kies, S.E.S., Solid, and R.ef were very popular, having strong fanbases and high-selling albums (with some groups having a "million seller", an album selling over one million copies). Starting with the break-up of Sechs Kies, however, most of these groups have since disbanded. Although some artists have continued their successes in the following decade, new groups (most notably TVXQ, Super Junior, Big Bang, Epik High, SS501 and Wonder Girls) have since taken their places.
Currently, in the 2000s, pop groups are still very popular although there has been an emergence of South Korean R&B and Hip-Hop. Artists such as MC Mong, 1TYM, Rain, Big Bang and Epik High have proven successful. Underground artists such as Drunken Tiger, Tasha (Yoon Mi Rae), and Dynamic Duo have also helped Hip-Hop become mainstream. Recently, rock music has become noticed by the public, with acts such as the Yoon Do Hyun Band and Seo Taiji gaining national recognition. In addition, there are also popular techno/dance artists such as Lee Jung Hyun and Kim Hyun Jung, who both have had very long careers while remaining firmly entrenched in their genre of music. Just as well, ballads and R&B have remained popular, as singers such as Baek Ji Young and KCM, in addition to SG Wannabe, have continued their success for many years.
There are also many artists who have had international success as well. BoA has become the highest-selling international artist from South Korea, due to her strength in the J-pop market; this was in part due to Lee Soo Man's adaptation of the Blue Ocean Strategy. Since then, artists such as Rain and Se7en have also released albums outside of South Korea, becoming well-known throughout Eastern Asia. Rain has also had his international RAINY DAY 2005 Tour, having tour dates at Madison Square Garden, the first South Korean star to do so. He has been recently featured in Hollywood films.
Kim Bum Soo is the first South Korean artist to reach the U.S. Billboard chart and ranked as 51 on the Hot 100 chart in 2001. After that, solo female artist, mink and Korean-American group, S.Blush also reached the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts, where they ranked #1 in 2006[2][3] and #2 in 2007[4] respectively. Skull, a Korean reggae artist from YG Entertainment also ranked as #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales[5] and #14 Hot Singles Sales in 2007[6][7]. Se7en who is also from YG Entertainment[8], BoA from SM Entertainment and Min from JYP Entertainment[9] are all currently concentrating on their U.S. debuts. However, there has yet to be a prominent, successful Asian-American or Asian artist in the American music industry]</ref>. BoA is the first Korean artist to chart on the Billboard 200.[10]
[edit] Current style
K-pop is similar to English pop music, with R&B, dance, and hip-hop being very popular genres in the 2000s. However, unlike English pop music, which had most of its boy bands and girl groups either break up or informally disband, bubblegum pop is still very popular in South Korea. Groups such as TVXQ, Super Junior, Big Bang, Shinhwa, 2PM, Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, SHINee, KARA, and SS501 continue to be top sellers in K-pop, and artists like Ahyoomee and LPG have released novelty songs, to varying degress of success. However, the 2000s has seen the rise of R&B vocal groups, such as SG Wannabe, Big Mama and SeeYa having success with their albums. Ballads are also very popular, as 2006 has seen the release of ballad singles by non-ballad artists, including Shinhwa and Baek Ji Young. In addition, trot music has made a comeback in mainstream K-pop as well, mostly due to the success of Jang Yoon Jung and Park Hyun Bin. The year 2007 was marked with the release of numerous girl and boy bands, though only a few managed to top the charts, most notably Big Bang for their song "Lies"and Wonder Girls for "Tell Me". Despite new bands debuting, physical sales for CDs have become increasingly low, due to the stagnation of the K-pop industry. The highest selling album of 2007 did not even reach the 200,000 mark with only 190,998 copies sold.[11]
The beginning of 2008 saw the rise of Electronica dominate the K-pop scene.[12][13] Notable examples include Jewelry's "One More Time" and Brown Eyed Girls' "L.O.V.E."[14][15] Even artists that release music in other genres have released electronica-influenced albums to suit the current trends, including Epik High, Gummy, Clazziquai, and Lee Seung-cheol.[16]
[edit] Famous Korean Pop artists
[edit] See also
- Korean music
- South Korean music
- Korean wave
- Contemporary culture of South Korea
- List of Korea-related topics
[edit] References
- ^ a b Maliangkay, R. (2007). "World and Its Peoples: Eastern and Southern Asia". Marshall Cavendish. p. 971. http://books.google.com/books?id=YG2AFyFppJQC&printsec=frontcover.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition) : Daily News in English About Korea
- ^ Daum 미디어다음 - 뉴스
- ^ Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition) : Daily News in English About Korea
- ^ BoA Begins Radio Promotion Tour
- ^ Recording Industry Association of Korea. 2007 2007 End of Year Chart. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
- ^ (Korean)가요계, 일렉트로니카(Electronica)가 대세인 이유?
- ^ 흥행의 법칙ⓛ'일렉트로니카' '탈신비'...가요계 흥행 십계명]
- ^ 여가수들, 일렉트로니카 장르 붐
- ^ 가요계 양분화, 색(色) 다른 그녀들...'쥬얼리' vs '브라운아이드 걸스'
- ^ ¢Æ NO1.´º¹Ìµð¾î'¸¶À̵¥Àϸ® ¢Æ
[edit] External links
- Music Industry Association of Korea (Korean)
- KBS Global Entertainment News (English)
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