The other side of K-pop: taking the Korean music industry back to basics
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
There’s a fine line between being a musician and an idol.
We’re all familiar with the latter, as K-pop grew from a genre into a cultural lifestyle. The global music phenomenon turned its fans to loyalists who call themselves either a “stan” or “trash” of countless “biases.”
In English, these K-pop listeners have turned into obsessive fans, identifying themselves as belonging to multiple fan bases of idols from different entertainment companies.
It’s easy to spot an idol. Usually belonging to a group, idols often sport identical or thematic clothing. Their crazy-colored hairdos also make them hard not to miss. They also have synchronized group greetings that, by now, fans have memorized.
Fans look forward to each idol group’s comebacks, and these dictate the next concept the group partakes. Each concept is a representation of something new and fresh—making idols change into skin that are always crazier than the last.
We also know how a K-pop star’s story usually begins: They audition in their early teens and spend years training to finally debut as an idol.
Idols are groomed to become what they are today. While we get a glimpse of their personality on variety shows, short interviews and behind-the-scenes clips, a bulk of their image is built on trends and strategies.
They sing chart-topping music that take the global stage by storm, but how much of the music actually resonates with those that perform them?
On the other side of K-pop are Korean musicians who are starting to give idols a run for their money. The country’s current music trend is shifting the focus on individual artists.
K-pop undeniably redefined the music industry, but its local market recognizes the need to go back to basics: Discovering artists who create their own content, and honing homegrown talent that no longer needs to be dictated upon. And the rest of the world is starting to take notice, too.
