What is Kpop? Why Is It So Popular?

Steven One Man
5 min readDec 13, 2021

What is Kpop? Maybe you’ve heard the term and want to know more about why it’s become so popular. Or maybe you’re curious about Korea and want to learn more about the music. This article will answer the question “What is Kpop?” and explain everything you need to know about this musical phenomenon.

What is Kpop?

Kpop is Korean pop music. It is a mainstream music that originated in Korea.

You may see Korean pop music written as K-pop, K-pop, K-Pop and KPOP.

What is Kpop music?

The term Kpop encompasses many different genres of music. In addition to Korean pop music, it can also include rock, hip-hop and electronic music. kpop is considered to be a fairly new form of music. The type of K-Pop music you hear today was formed around the 1990s. However, K-Pop’s roots began in the 1950s and has been influenced by different types of Western music and pop groups since then.

What were the earliest Kpop groups?

Unlike other genres of music, the beginning of contemporary Kpop can be attributed to a certain date: April 11, 1992, when two groups, Seo Taiji and The Boys, first performed their music on television. This was also the impetus for the formation of your favorite idol groups, SM Entertainment in 1995, JYP Entertainment in 1997, and YG Entertainment in 1998. The first K-Pop idol group to exist was “H.O.T.”, which debuted in 1996.

What is Kpop Idol?

If you’re still completely new to Kpop music, think about western pop groups like One Direction, Little Mix, and Fifth Harmony: they’re pretty close to the concept of idols.

Kpop idols are groups and artists formed by various entertainment companies that create catchy Korean pop music for a young audience. These musical groups are made up of a group of people who have a special talent in at least one of singing, rapping, or dancing. These idols often enter entertainment companies in their teens and then spend years training hard in singing, rapping, dancing, and foreign languages. Then, if they are lucky and talented enough, they are selected to join an idol group by their teenage years.

Kpop groups then regularly release musical singles and albums full of catchy melodies. Each week they go on many music shows to perform their hit singles for a month to two months. Although the songs are important, special care is always taken in the styling of the group’s members, with careful choreography, and high quality music videos.

This combination tells the concept of the style chosen by each era. One could say that these entertainment companies act like manufacturers, assembling the perfect idol group view and style for each cycle of performances and promotional music.

What are the most successful Kpop idol groups and songs?

Every month a new Korean pop idol group debuts, and public opinion on which group is the best changes accordingly. It is also typical for idol groups to stay together for up to 10 years doing music and promotion, and then move on to other careers, such as becoming solo artists or actors.

However, some idol groups are more successful and longer lasting. Some groups are so famous that many Kpop listeners from different generations know them!

What are some famous Kpop girl groups?

Girls’ Generation is a good example. They are the top girl group in Kpop and have incredibly catchy songs and concepts. For example, if you listen to the song “Gee”, you will have it on repeat in your head for at least a whole day!

Another huge girl group is the Wonder Girls, who are not as active as Girls’ Generation and don’t have as many hits, but their hit song “Nobody” is one of the biggest Kpop songs of all time.

Girls’ Generation

What are the famous Kpop boy groups?

Among the boy groups, the two most famous Korean boy groups have been TVXQ and Big Bang. TVXQ used to have the largest fan club in the world and was famous on the internet.

The Korean pop group Big Bang has a unique style that is easy to get hooked on, and their music evolves with each album. Now they have paved the way for a new idol group, but their style and music will not be forgotten for a long time.

Another favorite group is BTS, an idol group that has become more popular in the US and other countries than in Korea.

BTS

How did Kpop become a worldwide phenomenon?

There have been several attempts by different Korean music companies to break into the international music market. Some notable attempts were the music groups BoA and Wonder Girls. the world was introduced to Kpop in the summer of 2012 when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” hit radio stations around the world. it seemed like a fluke for a few years, but now that the world is going crazy for BTS, we can finally call Kpop a world phenomenon!

Many years ago, if you were lucky, if you lived in Asia, Europe or Brazil, you might have been able to attend a small club concert by your favorite Kpop artist. But now, you can also see groups like Blackpink perform their music at Coachella!

Gangnam Style MV

Why is Kpop unique?

The melodies are catchy, the choreography is impressive, the Kpop lyrics are meaningful and the group members are beautiful to look at. A lot of thought is also usually put into making the music videos look cool and high quality, even if it’s just the group members dancing. Each group has a specific style to help them stand out.

There is a special Korean slang term called 칼군무, which means “dancing in perfect sync”. You can use this word to describe your favorite Kpop performer.

What is Hallyu Wave and how is it related to Kpop?

The Hallyu Wave, also known as the Korean Wave, refers to the growing popularity of Korean culture worldwide, especially in the arts and cosmetics, which began in the early 1990s.

Kpop is part of the Hallyu Wave, but it also includes TV dramas, movies, and more recently Korean cosmetics. the Hallyu Wave was initially popular in East Asia, but today you can see it influencing current culture, music and movies and TV, as well as the interests and behaviors of people around the world.

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Steven One Man
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live in Macau, a small city where close to Hong Kong. I like eating, share reviews of local restaurants and recipes.