What Is Kpop
a) What is K-pop (an abbreviation of Korean pop or Korean popular music) is a musical genre consisting of dance, electronic,electropop, hip hop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea. In addition to music, K-pop has grown into a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults around the world. b) History of KPOP * Before 1970 An old-fashioned style of Korean pop music called Trot, influenced by a Japanese pop music of Enka during Japanese rule over Korea (1910-1945), was popular in South Korea until the 1980s.
As Korea was liberated from Japanese annexation in 1945, the country was divided into two nations: North Korea and South Korea. Western culture was introduced into South Korea on a small scale with a few Western style bars and clubs playing Western music. The Kim Sisters, Yoon Bok-hee and Patti Kim were the first singers to debut in such countries as Vietnam and United States. * 1971-1990 In the 1970s, the new career of DJs became popular, deeply impacting the teenage cultures. Guitars and jeans were the symbols of youth.
This resulted in the introduction of more folk singers, such as Chang Sik Song, Cho Nam Young , and Hee Eun Yang. In 1977, the Seoul International Song Festival was launched, which encouraged cultural exchanges with other countries. In 1980, the Asia Music Forum was launched. National singers from five different Asian countries competed in the event. Cho Yong-pil won first place and earned a high reputation as a Korean singer in Japan. * 1990s In the 1990s, early versions of Korean pop incorporated American popular music styles like rap, rock and techno in their music.
Since the debut of Seo Taiji & Boys, multiple singers began to switch their positions while singing and dancing, a strategy called “formation changing” and a turning point for the establishment of K-pop style choreography. The founding of South Korea’s largest talent agency and record label, SM Entertainment, in 1995 by Korean entrepreneur Lee Soo Man led to the first K-pop girl groups and boy bands. By the late 1990s, YG Entertainment, DSP Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and FNC Music had burst nto the scene and were producing talent as quickly as the public could consume it. * 2000 – now South Korea is emerging in the 21st century as a major exporter of popular culture. K-pop has been embraced by the South Korean government as a tool for soft power abroad, particularly towards youth. K-pop has come from humble beginnings to gain a huge fan base not just in Asia but also other parts of the world, and is considered by some to be South Korea’s greatest export because of its popularity and growing influence.
As South Korea continues to develop its IT infrastructure, K-pop music is being shared over the internet and through mobile devices more rapidly than ever. In 2011, Billboard launched the Korea K-Pop Hot 100 chart and YouTube created an official K-pop channel. K-pop music videos were viewed more than 2 billion times during 2011, almost three times the 800 million views in 2010. One of the biggest examples of the globalization of KPOP is the emergence of PSY’s “Gangnam Style” on the market.
In October 2012, Psy became the first South Korean artist to hit the number 1 spot on top UK charts. On 11-11-2012, PSY won Best Video in Europe Music Award for “Gangnam Style” The the K-pop Wave or Halyu, a term coined by Chinese journalists to refer to the significant increase in the popularity of South Korean entertainment and culture since the late 1990s, first spread to China, Japan and other Asian countries, including Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong,Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.
The wave has had considerable impact on the South Korean economy, as well as on the political and cultural influence of South Korea. For example, in 2011 based on international activity the Korean wave added approximately USD$3. 8 billion dollars of revenue to the South Korean economy
