Finally! You’re back to your sweet home, tired of school and start doom scrolling through social media and stumble across a K-Pop group that has been popping off everywhere. Cortis. You hear a snippet of their song, “FaSHioN.” It’s really catchy, you can’t lie but for you, liking K-pop is just not it. 

For you, K-Pop is just something childish and very cringe to like. The boys in the K-pop group look like girls, the songs sound the same, and you just think it’s too repetitive with the lyrics.

K-Pop is a very popular music genre that many people dislike and love. It has its ups and downs and grew over the years. It has struggled to overcome the criticism that many have given but thankfully, it has been starting to get better and has been gaining much more popularity than before, especially this year. This year, a new Netflix movie was released called K-Pop Demon Hunters, which broke records and introduced people to this genre.

K-pop first originated and gained popularity during the 1990s with a group called Seo Taiji and Boys and has spread around Asia in the early 2000s, then later in 2012 PSY’s “Gangnam Style” became a worldwide viral hit, since then it became an international sensation with groups like Bts who paved the way and other groups like BLACKPINK, Twice, Girls Generation, Red Velvet, and Aespa.

It spread like wildfire, one person introduce it onto their friends and it goes on, look a freshman, Britney said, “I was hanging out with my friend and she played some K-pop music, i asked her what it is and she started telling me about this group called Bts and made me listen to mic drop by Bts and i was interested so when i got home i searched up K-pop songs on TikTok and basically started listening to different types of groups like Ateez which is now my favorite group ever.” 

“Hallyu” or Korean wave is the global spread of South Korean culture from music to movies, television dramas, fashion, films, beauty trends and many more. K-pop has made cultural exchange collaborations with international artists like Bts collaborating with Halsey in “Boy With Luv” and BLACKPINK collaborating with Lady Gaga in “Sour candy” expanding and introducing it to new audiences. They have also influenced fashion as well! 

Idols have different styles and dress in the most stylish way, V from Bts is known as the “king of fashion” in a website called ‘The marketing journal’ they said, “K-pop’s fashion choices have also influenced the music industry. K-pop artists are known for their bold and trendsetting fashion statements, pushing boundaries and experimenting with diverse styles. Their distinctive stage outfits and everyday fashion choices have garnered attention and admiration from fans and fashion enthusiasts worldwide. Many K-pop idols have become fashion icons, gracing the covers of fashion magazines and collaborating with renowned fashion brands.”

The more the years progressed K-pop did as well and so did their fanbases, Caroline, a freshman that says “I don’t really know a whole bunch about kpop but what i do know is that the fanbases can be really bad. I’ve fully listened to two k-pop projects – that one LOONA project from 2019 I think, and Yves new solo project. They are pretty cool.”

All K-pop groups have fan bases that a lot of the people in these communities support their idols by streaming their songs to get on chart performances, buying merchandise they sell, participating in voting for music awards to help idols get recognition or just posting online about an idol they love. But, most of these fan bases can be toxic and can be terrible for your health, idols as well can be affected by this too. 

A deeper dive into these fan bases can be a bit disturbing, I think that people shouldn’t be associated with the dark side of these communities but it shouldn’t stop you from joining it all! I recommend being cautious, if you find accounts spreading negativity like fan wars block them immediately, don’t engage or try to change their minds. Just stay away from the toxic side and stay safe. 

Idols go through intense training and work super hard to get into groups, they don’t only work on vocals but also do choreography’s Michelle, a freshman who said “I think K-pop is pretty rad and it can be enjoyed by many. I specifically enjoy it because of the rhythm of the song by the groups. I like the dances as well and seeing how they put their energy into it and also singing at the same time is super impressive.” Idols nowadays get casted around 13 years old because they can adapt to the harsh training, Seowon who is in a K-pop group Unis became a trainee in a survival show, she was around 11 at the time, and debuted as the 5th member of a 8 member group.  

Idols also create their own music, for example I-dle whose leader is Soyeon takes the lead for producing and writing many of the group’s songs, she recognizes each member and knows that each of them have their own vocals which she highlights, and instead of making them sound similar she focuses on making them sound unique. Soyeon says, “I know the members attributes. I know what a member has to do to sing better. And I know that they have a better voice.” Soyeon isn’t the only one who creates the group’s music, Minnie and Yuqi are regularly credited on some of their music. 

I-dle as well create deep meanings for their songs, in one of their songs called ‘wife’ it talks about “ “Wife” is a song talking about the stereotypes of women, and how they are expected only to be wives. In the music video, all of the (G)I-dle members are wearing the same wig and clothes with locks on their shoes. The similar clothing wasn’t picked for no reason. Actually, it was to show how men see women as accessories, as though they have no individuality. In addition, the locked shoes were meant to portray how women are “stuck”, fulfilling the needs of men no matter the context.” Idle is such a great example of woman empowerment! Their concepts connect their deep meaningful songs and help women feel connected to the the group. One of my favorite songs from them is “Lion” and it’s about overcoming struggles  and becoming the leader of your own life. 

K-pop isn’t that bad as much as you think it is, and you shouldn’t judge it all! If you give it a try, some recommendations I give are to try to listen to groups like Newjeans who are really popular, Bts, Seventeen, Twice, Enhypen, and Artms who isn’t really well known but release wonderful music! These groups are great for people who want to get into K-pop.