K-pop, or Gayo in Korean, refers to popular music from South Korea. Although K-pop covers several music genres, it is best known for the fizzy dance music performed by highly produced girl and boy bands. Although its influence is spreading outside Asia, it is especially popular in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and of course, South Korea.
Although Korean pop music dates back to the 1900s, particularly with the Trot style, K-pop as most people know it today began in the 1990s when Seo Taiji & Boys released their first single Nan Arayo. Nan Arayo was the first time a Korean artist combined rap, dance and hip-hop. It still holds the record for the longest time a song was #1 on the Korean music charts.
In 1995, the K-pop idol act creation system began when singer and entrepreneur Lee Soo Man founded S.M. Entertainment, Co., the first and largest Korean talent agency. Other agencies, such as YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, soon popped up, creating and producing girl and boy bands by the dozen.
K-pop acts are more like professional sports teams than bands – while members come and go, the group itself endures. Members enter into exclusive deals with the talent agency, where the agency pays for the members’ training in vocals, choreography and languages. While conditions appear to be changing, such deals have been controversial; because K-pop acts are so expensive to produce, the artists themselves may receive very little compensation after the agency recoups its costs.
Below are some notable K-pop performers and idol groups. Please note that the lists are not all-inclusive.
Major Acts – Old School
Seo Taiji & Boys Seo Taiji & Boys consisted of Seo Taiji (a former bass player in the metal band Sinawe), Lee Juno and Yang Hyeon-seok. As mentioned before, their debut single Nan Arayo was a turning point in Korean pop music development. Before breaking up in 1996, they released four albums, each one more heavy metal and rock driven than the previous. Contrast Nan Arayo with Hayeoga, the latter which was from their second album.
Members of the group continue to be highly respected in Korea. Seo Taiji started his still-successful solo career, mainly in rock, after laying low for two years. After a brief solo career, Yang Hyeon-seok founded and is CEO of talent agency TG Entertainment. Lee Juno is currently the director of Ant Hill Entertainment and recently surprised the Korean public by publicly proposing to his 21 year old fiancée.
H.O.T. H.O.T., short for “High-five of Teenagers,” was one of the first major Korean idol groups. S.M. Entertainment created this act of five teenage boys after polling high school students to determine what their ideal music group is. Despite some controversies involving alleged plagiarism and “strong language,” the group members are respected for their songwriting and choreography skills. Their best known song is Candy:
The group disbanded in 2001, allegedly due to financial contract issues with S.M. Entertainment. The members remain involved with the Korean entertainment industry, whether as talent agency executives or solo artists.
S.E.S. S.E.S. was one of the first Korean girl groups. Also formed by S.M. Entertainment, this three member act was considered to be the female counterpart to H.O.T. Their debut single, I’m Your Girl, was a huge hit.
S.E.S. retained their fan base despite various image changes. They disbanded in 2002, going onto solo careers in music and acting.
Fin.K.L. Fin.K.L. was an extremely popular girl group which was created by DSP Media in 1998. Although considered to be S.E.S.’ rivals, Fin.K.L. focused more on R&B and ballads instead of catchy pop songs and limited single releases to at most two per album. They won two Daesangs, the Korean equivalent of a Grammy, the year they released their second album. One of their hits from that album is Forever Love:
Fin.K.L technically have not disbanded, despite all four members having left the agency and pursued solo and acting careers.
Shinhwa Originally formed by SM Entertainment in 1998, this six-member boy group has many firsts. It is the longest-running idol group at 14 years, is the first group to create their own talent agency and is the only group to retain all its members. They are also unusual in that they stayed together despite the poor sales of their initial album.
Shinhwa are known for their varied musical styles and complicated dance moves. They recently released their 10th album after a four-year hiatus, which includes the single Venus (thanks to enesbit15 for the video heads up):
Other acts of note include:
- Baby V.O.X.
- DBSK (now TVXQ)
- G.o.d.
- Sechs Kies
Major Acts – Current
BoA The undisputed Queen of K-pop, BoA was discovered by S.M. Entertainment after tagging along with her brother to auditions. Although her first album did moderately well, her big break came when she released her debut Japanese album in 2002. Although popular in most of East Asia, she is best known in South Korea and Japan. Her music consists primarily of dance pop, R&B or ballads. After attempting to cross over to the US market, she is set to make a comeback in the Korean market this year.
This is the title track from her best selling album, Valenti, which is one of her Japanese-language works:
Rain (Bi) The King of K-pop is best known in the States for his dance-off with Stephen Colbert. In Asia, however, not only is he a megastar singer and dancer, but he is also an actor, clothing designer and model. His songs are primarily pop, hip hop and R&B. He is currently enlisted in military service, which is mandatory for all South Korean men.
Super Junior Super Junior is the world’s largest boy group, at one point with 13 members. Currently there are nine active members. They have released 5 studio albums and often participate in various subgroups to target different audiences and music genres (e.g. Mando-pop, Trot and R&B ballads). They are also known for their hip hop and street dance style and often choreograph their own performances.
Girls’ Generation Girls’ Generation is a nine-member girl group known primarily for their sweet bubblegum pop. Like BoA, they are extremely popular in Japan as well and have released several Japanese-language albums. Their single Gee holds the record for the longest-running #1 song on KBS’ Music Bank (a Korean version of MTV’s Total Request Live).
2NE1 2NE1 would be Nicki Minaj/Lady Gaga to Girls’ Generation’s Taylor Swift. They are a four member girl group known for their edgier musical and sartorial style. Similar to their influences Madonna and Beyonce, 2NE1 songs often explore independence and female empowerment.
Other groups of note include:
- F(x)
- KARA
- Se7en
- SHINee
- T-ara
Have other performers you consider noteworthy? Want to share your favorite K-pop songs? Have your say in the comments.
Photo of Girls’ Generation courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
