A Beginner's Guide to Kpop!

In case you missed the Korean wave, you missed the fun and upbeat obsession that is K-pop (short for Korean pop music). K-pop isn’t just a hobby in Korea, it’s a full on religion complete with devoted followers and concerts to "worship" at around the calendar.

If the pop smash "Gangnam Style" by Psy and Boy band BTS are the only things that comes to your mind when you think about Korean pop music, you've obviously never had the chance to know South Korea before. For your convenience, we've put together a nice and tidy list that covers all of the most important aspects of the phenomenon that is K-pop.

FACTORS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE K-POP NEWCOMERS

• Agencies (aka record labels) are the industry's true power players.

In most of the countries, Record labels are typically not as well-known as the artists with whom they collaborate. The general public isn't usually that interested in or knowledgeable about the companies that manage them. In K-Pop, the artists are called Idols. Idols are firmly linked to their labels, that can have just as much power as the artists they generate.

In K-pop, record labels are in charge of all aspects of a group, including music, general image, idea, and more. With time and expertise, idols are able to express more creative control and provide more input, although they are still not on the same level as Western pop stars. Even the most experienced artists rarely have complete creative control over their musical or artistic decisions.

The effect of a K-pop company on idols isn't only restricted to music. Record label, entertainment company, management agency, public relations, teaching and training too.

You might hear a lot about "The Big 3", which refers to the 3 famous agencies: SM entertainment, JYP entertainment and YG Entertainment. For the past 2 decades, the K-pop entertainment market was dominated by them. Even though they aren't the biggest or wealthiest labels in K-pop right now, they continue to generate some of the most popular and well-liked groups in the industry.

 

• Most of the Idols have stage name 

 Having a stage name is one of the KPOP traditions which most of the idols follow till to date, sometimes company itself chooses the stage name or leaves it up to their artist. The main reason to have a stage name is to be recognized easily and to promote themselves as a Idol. Stage names are unique and official press release contains Artist's Stage name rather than real name, So as you start your journey as K-pop fan, we personally think you should know Idol's stage name as well as real name so, that you won't get lost when someone mention either Stage name or Real name.

Ahn hye jin (stage name "HWASA")

• Idols and groups aren't always involved in the production of their songs (though this is slowly changing)

Before 2014, Only few groups actively participated in the creation of their songs. There were a few, but they weren't extremely common. This is likely due to the fact that idols rarely have complete creative control over their songs and frequently have to listen to their management for important decisions. 

However, Self-producing boy groups such as BTS, GOT7, SEVENTEEN, iKON, and others rose to prominence in the mid-2016s. Due to their success, idols are now frequently featured as songwriters and producers on K-pop albums, primarily on B-sides but also on title tracks. The most common way idols engage in song production (— especially for girl groups) is by writing lyrics, but many also write music and a few arrange songs.

BTS: Since their debut in 2013, BTS has been highly involved in the writing and production of their music, and they are currently the K-pop group with the most creative freedom. Their deeply moving and touching melodies are a big part of why they've grown so popular all across the world.

• Each member in the group has a particular position to play.

The companies assign one of three positions to all K-pop idols in groups: vocalist, rapper, or dancer. (Dancers still sing and/or rap, but their essential duty is to highlight the performance.) Each of these roles is also further divided into three categories: main, lead, and sub. the “main” position is basically whoever’s the most skilled in that area. For example, a main dancer is usually recognized as the strongest dancer in the group. It’s also pretty common for idols to have more than one position, meaning that someone can be a “lead” in one area and a “main” in another. 

There is also the "leader" position, who is the leads the group. and then there is the "visual" - the member who is regarded to have the most appealing or attractive appearance, and who is more likely to receive the most endorsements and be featured in the centre of the group. 

For example, let’s look at how things work with the members of BLACKPINK:

VOCAL: Rosé is the main vocalist while Jisoo is the lead vocalist. Jennie and Lisa usually have few singing parts but not more when compared to the other two.

RAP: Technically, Jennie is the main rapper and Lisa is the lead rapper. But in most of the singles, it's Lisa who has the fastest raps.

DANCE: Lisa is the main dancer. she is considered one of the best female dancers in the K-pop industry. Rosé is the lead dancer, however she usually gets lots of attention for her singing.

LEADER: BLACKPINK doesn't have an official leader post. But most of the K-pop groups have one.

VISUAL: Jisoo is often referred as the Visual member of BLANKPINK 

BLACKPINK MEMBERS (from Left to Right)
Rosé, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

• A professionally choreographed dance routine features in almost every K-pop song.

Dance or performance is mostly what that really draw people to K-pop. Dance is an important part of their industry, and debuts and comebacks – and sometimes B-sides all have their own  choreographies. (Unless, of course, the group or soloist wishes to perform a ballad, which is not as common). 

People will remember a dance if it is absolutely popular - some older idols can even recall choreography from hit songs from the 1990s. Covers of senior artists' songs are routinely performed by younger idols, especially during common end-of-year award ceremonies and festivals. For example, 'Growl' By EXO is a famous song and there are numerous cover of that song by younger idols.

EXO's 2013 song "Growl" became a smash hit for it's catchy tune and popular dance routine. It's so iconic that there are lots of other new groups who have covered this song.

• Visuals and how things look are extremely important in K-pop.

Although K-pop is a music industry, it is not solely focused on music. While appearances are important in all aspects of entertainment, they are especially so in K-pop, where each group has a designated "visual" member who best meets Korean beauty standards and will presumably attract a lot of media attention.

If you've ever seen a K-pop music video, you'll know that they're usually extremely high-quality, with lavish production design and effects. During their many different performances, groups will also wear a variety of different synchronised clothes. Merchandise such as photobooks and photocards will be sold alongside the album. As a result, the title track and album are only a small portion of the overall comeback, as fans will be looking forward to the concerts, music video, costumes and styling, and so on.

NCT 127's recent full length album has lots of different concepts and genre with creative wardrobe and style. 

• Groups are more common in K-pop. 

There aren't many pure pop groups in Western music; there have been a few hugely successful ones throughout the years, but being a solo artist is far more typical. 

Why do agencies appear to favour producing groups? 

It's because most K-pop stars rely significantly on their fan groups for income. As a result, having a group of talented and attractive people with a wide range of skills, looks, and personalities makes it much easier to attract a huge number of followers. Most groups contain 6 to 8 members, but it's not uncommon for there to be more — up to 12 or 13! However, it seem like large groups aren't always in style these days, since several more well-known brands have debuted smaller groups of 4 or 5.

NCT of SM Entertainment debuted in 2016 and currently has 23 members – the most of any K-pop group on the industry! They spend the majority of their time releasing music in sub-units of 7-9 people, but they all come together for large-scale projects every now and then.

• Solo artists are less common than groups, yet they can be more well-known in South Korea.

To be clear, we are referring to K-pop soloists, not R&B, hip hop, indie, ballad, trot, or other genres. K-pop acts usually require large fan bases to be financially successful, so soloists may be at a disadvantage because they cannot compete with a group of 4+ people's broad range of appealing charms and talents. 

Many well-known K-pop soloists are still members of a group, and only began a solo career when their record labels determined that they had a large enough fanbase for their releases to succeed. While soloists may have a harder time getting started, they have an advantage over groups in that their music is often more in touch with the tastes of the Korean people.  

EXO Baekhyun's solo "candy" MV teaser.

BAEKHYUN: One of the main vocalists of the popular boy band EXO, began his solo career with the support of a large fanbase of EXO-Ls. However, his popularity grew when his music became popular with the general public. He's the first Korean soloist in roughly 20 years to sell over one million physical albums – something only a few K-pop groups have done – and he's done it three times! 

IU (aka Lee ji eun) for W "best looks of 2020"

IU: She is by far one of the most popular soloists in South Korea. Almost every Korean person absolutely loves her, and her songs consistently top the charts for weeks or even months. She is also known for her lead roles in kdramas like "Hotel Del Luna". 

Welcome to Kpop world, We hope this blog helped you gain some basic knowledge and facts about Kpop, we wish you find yourself, love yourself and build yourself with the help of Kpop cause it does changed our lives, Hwaiting !!! (*all the best in Korean).

Image credits: allkpop (compiled image of the Big 3 agencies’ logos – original article here), 

V Live ( Hwasa - photoshoot click here ),

BTS’s Twitter (photo of BTS at the 2022 PTD concert at Las Vegas --The original tweet here), Blackpink (Olens pictorials- Original blog click here ,(NCT 127- original article here), SM Entertainment (Baekhyun's solo "candy" MV teaser click here), W (IU - "the best looks of 2020 cover picture click here).
Video credits: Youtube, SM Entertainment ( “Growl” by EXO).

Blog by Harini and Rachel.