K-pop commonly refers to the pop music scene in South Korea, although it is also a catch-all term for anything associated with Korean pop culture. With over three billion YouTube views, Psy’s Gangnam Style captured the attention of the international music scene in 2012. Since then, numerous K-pop groups and artists have held concerts in countries all over the world. As the genre’s fame continues to grow, the ‘Korean Wave,’ or Hallyu, continues to sweep across the world, reaching countries like Bulgaria, Egypt, Romania, and Iran.
How did South Korea, a country which at one point censored music heavily, suddenly become an extraordinary pop culture exporter? The South Korean government plays a vital role in exporting this soft power. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has continuously sponsored promotional initiatives to promote Korean culture since the late 1990s. Together, with the embassies and consulates, K-pop stars are invited to perform at concerts overseas. The government’s support in cultural technology and hologram development enhances the K-pop concert experience. The rapid dissemination of K-pop videos onto YouTube engages fans internationally, thus, helping with the spread of Korean Wave.
The uniqueness of K-pop lies largely in how the artists are trained. SM, YG, and JYP Entertainment Agencies were all big names founded in the late 1990s. These agencies combine singing and dancing into a gruesome five to seven years of extensive training. This often includes foreign language classes, as these agencies all eye the international markets. Synchronised dancing in a group is the hallmark of K-pop bands; the flashy visuals and hook come at the same time. The snappiness of the Korean language gives K-pop its hyperactive flavour and choreography often dictates how songs are written. Here are the 10 most popular K-pop artists and groups.
Psy
Park Jae-sang, commonly known as Psy, put his Gangnam Style and K-pop on the international stage in 2012. He returned to South Korea after attending Berkley College of Music in Boston. It is unclear if he graduated, but that did not stop him from pursuing a career in music. His debut album, Psy From The Psycho World!, was released in 2001. His techno/rap funky dance style attracted attention, but was not an immediate hit. He continued on to release four more albums including the hit song “Champion”, released during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup period. After fulfilling his military duties, Psy joined YG Entertainment. In 2012, he released the single “Gangnam Style”. The funky horse dance caught on internationally, and his YouTube video views climbed to 1.8 billion. Gangnam Style brought Psy opportunities to collaborate with Hollywood stars. Psy was even invited to perform at the Chinese New Year’s Eve parties. He became the first foreigner to perform at the traditional all-Chinese event. Psy released his new catchy song Daddy in 2015.
BoA
BoA, born Kwon Bo Ah, was chosen by SM Entertainment when she was 11 years old. She accompanied her brother to an audition and was scouted by Lee Soo-Man, the founder of SM Entertainment. BoA released her first album ID: Peace B at the age of 13. She was then sent to live in Japan and became completely immersed in Japanese. Her first Japanese album, Listen ToMy Heart, made BoA the first Korean to debut at the top of the Oricon chart. She released an all-English album BoA in 2009 and earned her first Hollywood starring role in Make Your Move in 2013. BoA is a K-pop star success story, and now enjoys popularity at an international level.
Rain
Born Jung Ji-hoon, Rain was the first K-pop star who broke onto the Western scene. He starred in Ninja Assassin (2009) and Speed Racer (2008), both Hollywood productions. He was voted one of the ‘100 People Who Shape Our World’ by TIME magazine in 2007. Rain’s dream had always been to dance. He joined JYP Entertainment after long hours of dance auditions for Park Ji-Young, the founder of JYP Entertainment, and debuted in 2002 with Bad Guy. Rain took Asia by storm after his third album release and his starring role in the Korean drama Full House. He joined Cube Entertainment after completing his military service in 2013, with his dedicated fans waiting at the military camp for his discharge.
Big Bang
Big Bang comprises five male members: T.O.P. (Choi Seung-Hyun), Taeyang (Dong Young-Bae), G-Dragon (Kwon Ji-yong), leader), Daesung (Kang Dae-Sung) and Seungri (Lee Seung-Hyun). This all-male band is known for its dynamic rap by G-Dragon and T.O.P. and its over-the-top fashion. G-Dragon’s Crayon received rave reviews from the west in 2012. His rapping talent landed him musical opportunities with Missy Elliot in London. Taeyang joined YG Entertainment when he was 11. The original plan was to market G-Dragon and Taeyang as a duo but YG Entertainment saw bigger opportunities in forming a larger group. T.O.P. was rapping before being scouted out by YG Entertainment. Since then, T.O.P. has had a thriving career in acting and was cast in the TV show Iris. Daesung is the band’s main vocalist, while Seungri used to be a member of a dance team. Big Bang toured 12 countries with an audience of over 800,000. Big Bang’s Bang Bang Bang, was released in 2015, and earned the MNet Asian Music Award ‘Song of the Year’.
Super Junior
Considered the biggest K-pop group, at its peak, Super Junior consisted of 13 members. Since its debut in 2005, this group has received over seven million ‘likes’ on Facebook. It has sub-groups, targeting the ever-changing international markets. Super Junior-M’s ZhouMi and Henry are both Chinese, while Super Junior-T specializes in trot music. In 2007, Super Junior hit the number one spot on KKBox online music chart in Taiwan. For the next 120 weeks, Super Junior ruled the charts, with Bonamania in 2010, “Mr.Simple” in 2011, and “Sexy Free And Single” in 2012.