The Evolution of Kpop
by Wonderlands22

Kpop. As of late, many can now argue that Kpop, (Korean Music) has finally become mainstream with Korean artists breaking into the Western music world such as CL, BIGBANG, EXO, and BTS. But the question is, how did Kpop first begin and how did it become so popular?

Although Kpop has been around for ages (dating back to the beginning of the 1900s), Kpop first started blowing up in Korea in the early 90s. The first big group in the industry was called Seo Taiji and the Boys. Seo Taiji and the Boys debuted in 1991, consisting of members Seo Taiji, Lee Juno, and the soon to be founder and CEO of what is now YG Entertainment, Yang Hyunsuk.

Seo Taiji and the Boys soon became a massive hit, due to that fact that their group led to a new genre being introduced to Korean music (which was a first-ever occurrence), where kids could feel different from the older generations and the standards Korean music had always faced. Before Seo Taiji and the Boys, music mainly came from broadcasting stations, a place where the artist did not have much say and overall creative control. Seo Taiji and the Boys changed that, Seo Taiji writing the group's own music and designing performances. This new change in music style had never been done before and soon, in the next upcoming years gave way to other big groups that would dominate the early 2000s.

Big groups soon broke out such as TVXQ, Epik High, Shinwah, Brown Eyed Girls, SHINee, U-KISS, Wonder Girls, Super Junior, Girl's Generation, Kara, 2 AM/PM, f(x), 2NE1, and BIGBANG. This first generation of Kpop started by mixing Western music with their own music, using hip-hop and ballads, making it their own in a unique way by adding choreography, injecting 'catchy' English words into their songs, and eye-catching music videos. That simple formation of dancing, singing, and rapping along with sensational and highly produced music videos is what we now know as the foundation of Kpop today.

You may be asking where all these talented artists are coming from. Well, as Kpop starting becoming more and more popular, Entertainment Companies started popping up. Kids and Teenagers, known as "Trainees" while training in their designated company (which they were scouted at a young age to become a part of), would learn to develop a broad range of skills such as dancing, singing, producing, rapping and even acting, so that in the near future, they could debut in the next group. Some of the biggest companies to date include: SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, BigHit Entertainment, JYP, Pledis Entertainment, and CUBE Entertainment.

Along with entertainment companies, popular TV shows such as Produce 101, became popular where trainees competed for a spot in the next upcoming group such as the 9 members of the girl group, TWICE, whom competed on the reality show, Sixteen.

With trainees learning different skills, this gave way to groups having more members such as Girl's Generation (SNSD) Seventeen, and EXO, Super Junior. Although groups usually range from 4 members and up, having more people in the group lets each member have their own personality and role in the group which then led fans to be able to relate to one member more. That 'favoring' of one member soon became known as having a bias and is a common phenomenon even today.

As Kpop started to gain more momentum, companies started adding new things into the mix. Take Yang Hyunsuk (also known as 'YG') for example. As I said previously said, he was in the group Seo Taiji and the Boys, before founding the company YG Entertainment. YG and his entertainment company have continued to train and put out new groups, but arguably the first biggest boy group that YG Entertainment ever produced was the group BIGBANG which debuted in 2006, consisting of members, Seungri, Taeyang, G-Dragon, TOP, and Daesung.

BIGBANG was one of the first groups to not only just focus on the vocals and dance, but to also put emphasis on rap and hip-hop in their music. On top of that, BIGBANG was one of the first ever boygroups to gain international attention, leading more and more foreigners to be swept into the world of Kpop, the success of Kpop now known as the Hallyu Wave.

As Kpop continued to evolve as the years carried on, groups starting 'assigning' roles to the members, such as rapper and lead rapper, leader, main vocalist and vocalist, dancer and visual, the 'visual role' being assigned to who was considered the best-looking member of the group.

As these roles became an official part of the Kpop routine, groups continued to evolve so that they would become more popular and seen as different than other groups in the industry (and lets be real, more attractive...I'm just saying) such as putting more money into their music videos, coloring their hair, having piercings, wearing colored contacts, interesting clothing choices, and producing numerous amounts of merchandise fans could indulge themselves in. Tattoos are also part of the mix but are still as seen as taboo in Korea, so a tattooed idol is not the most common thing to see.

As the new generation of Kpop came into play, Entertainment Companies continued to make new groups and continued to market their current groups. New artists debuted such as, EXO, TWICE, WINNER, iKON, Red Velvet, IU, Mamamoo, Got7, Ailee, BTS, Day 6, Monsta X, Momoland, Pentagon, Wanna One, and Astro, all whom started adding more and more to the momentum of Kpop and its reach on the world.

Kpop is an industry that continues to grow and evolve, and they do an amazing job at marketing. In fact, marketing is what helps the industry go 'round so to speak, companies continuously making and producing new products that their fans can buy. Such things include but not limit to; albums, shoes, posters, hand creams, facial products, lightsticks, plushies, clothes, and photocards, the latter being a big part of trading amongst fans.

On top of the products these companies produce, idols (the name for the artists in the kpop industry) continue to promote their products and their albums. As I said earlier, these groups guest star on variety shows, act in Korean dramas (known as Kdramas), and perform on music shows such as M Countdown, and King of Masked Singer. Coupled with performing, groups and idols constantly interact with their fans, on things such as Twitter, touring, Instagram, YouTube, fan cafes, or in person at fanmeets.

Entertainment Companies and the industry of Kpop as a whole do an amazing job at making the fans feel involved and do an amazing job of continuing to keep their fans interested in their current groups.

Fans do not have to wait for their favorite group's music for long, kpop groups and idols constantly making new content and having comebacks, which are introduced like clockwork. Having this 'new material' for lack of better word, makes kpop in itself become addicting almost, fans always able to see new material in the form of photos, music, posts online, acting jobs, or merch.

Unfortunately the fast-paced life of the kpop music industry can be very damaging to the idols and their mental and physical health. They spend numerous hours of training living in cramped dorms with little to no pay, and many times are constrained to be a certain weight. They are 'idols', and have to be perfect, plastic surgery being very common in the industry. Korea is not a place for slip-ups, and if you are in the public eye, the pressure is even more immense. The public is not forgiving, and after one mistake, an idol's career could be over, their image damaged forever. Like I said, idols are put under an immense amount of stress, dealing with having to look perfect all the time, having to have a spotless image, sleepless nights, fans, and the schedule of performance, which is a non-stop thing. That is why it is important for fans to understand that the members of their favorite groups are human, and that they need time to rest as well.

Kpop is a very hardworking industry that definitely knows what it is doing. Kpop will continue to grow, more and more groups breaking into the Western music world. Being a fan of kpop since early 2013, I have watched the industry grow and I cannot be any happier about it! Although us fans face a lot of criticism such as racist comments or confusion as to why we like a music that is in a different language, we have to remember that Kpop is something to not be ashamed of. The world of Kpop is fascinating and incredible and it will continue to reach unimaginable heights. So, take a listen!

What's your experience with Kpop music?