What is K-Pop? (케이팝) // The Korean Music Sensation Explained

Everything You Need to Know to Understand Kpop (케이팝)!

💭 If you are here wanting to learn Korean, you most definitely will have heard of K-pop, also written as Play 케이팝 in Korean.

This popular music genre has captured the hearts of fans worldwide, and for many, it might be the very reason you’re interested in Korean language and culture.

Whether it’s the catchy songs, the dynamic performances, or the vibrant culture, K-pop has a unique way of drawing people in.

Let’s uncover how K-pop started and why it became such a global phenomenon.

We’ll also learn about idol culture, Korean Kpop vocabulary and of course, how Gangnam Style changed the game!

What is K-Pop | Meaning of K-Pop

What is K-Pop | The Beginning of K-Pop

What is K-Pop | Pioneers of K-Pop

What is K-Pop | How K-Pop Reached Global Audience

What is K-Pop | K-Pop Vocabulary

What is K-Pop | Quiz

What is K-Pop | FAQ

Meaning Of K-Pop

The word K-pop refers to something more than just popular music in Korea. K-Pop could also be written as kpop or K Pop, involves the music artists also known as ‘idols’ (아이돌) also pronounced ‘idols’ in Korean.

💭The name idol has been given to K-pop artists to exude an image of an idealistic character who looks great, sings great, and also holds themselves in a great way, or to put it simply, just generally great in everything they do.

It sounds like a tough job and Koreans also believe it really is.

They carry an enormous 팬덤 (pen-dum) or fandom in English, that has become a culture of its own.Therefore, talking about K-pop involves the music, performances, and overall character of the artists and fandom culture altogether.

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The Beginning of K-Pop

⚡The beginning of K-pop dates back to the 1990s when a boy band called 서태지와 아이들 (seo taiji wa aideul). 서태지 (Seo Taiji) is the name of the leader of the group and 아이들 (ai-dul) means young kids.

In this context, the 아이들 refers to Seo Taiji’s friends thus the translation of boys fits the context best. 서태지와 아이들 (Seo Taiji & Boys) debuted with a rather fresh genre of music to a rather conservative music industry. 

Before Seo Taiji & Boys, Korean music often referred to as 가요 (kayo) was fairly reserved and tied to restrictions due to the Confucius and political-focused society.

Seo Taiji & Boys brought in more Western-style music, dance, and outfits that came as a surprise to the music industry. They weren’t very welcomed by society in general due to their rebellious nature but became phenomenal idol figures to teenagers.

⚡Fandom culture also emerged at this time.

Around the late 1990s, three major entertainment groups, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment debuted boy bands and girl band groups that shaped what modern K-pop came to be. Modern K-pop shaped an even bigger cultural wave that is making history in the entertainment industry, the Hallyu Wave. More on Hallyu Wave later and back to K-pop. 🇰🇷

After Seo Taiji & Boys entered the music industry, more K-pop idols that Koreans refer to as the ‘pioneers’ of modern K-pop emerged!

Pioneers of K-Pop

🔥H.O.T – could also be written as 에이치오티 (written as pronounced in English)

This boy band debuted in 1996 and became one of the most popular boy band groups in the history of the Korean music industry. The group follows the English name H.O.T and does not have a Korean name.

보아 or BoA – English name is also pronounced the same as her Korean name.

🎙The 13-year-old female solo artist that shocked the music industry with her dance performance and vocal skills. The name 보아 (boa) is her actual name. 

Her full name is 권보아 (Kwon Boa)

G.O.D (written as 지오디 in Korean)

G.O.D is the acronym for Groove Over Dose, written 지오디 in Korean. They were one of the popular boy bands in the 2000s. They owned a huge fandom with their catchy music and performances.  

🎙The pioneers of K-pop could be compared to American pop artists like the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Britney Spears.

By this time, K-pop was a subculture that all young people in Korea were raving about. 

However, this was just the beginning of the enormous heights it will reach shortly. 

How K-Pop Reached Global Audience

🎙오빤 강남 스타일 (oppan gangnam style) — if you are a K-pop fan, the melody should come up in your head right when you read this phrase.

If we look back to when the global recognition for K-pop started, we can’t miss out on Korean rapper PSY’s Gangnam Style. In 2012 when the song was released, it became a worldwide smash hit. Psy’s slicked-back hair and horse-riding dance was a music genre too good to miss out.

Since then, more global audiences started to show interest in K-pop. Koreans could proudly say that Psy was the first artist to pave the way to an even greater recognition of K-pop a decade later.

⚡Now, here comes BTS.

The must-speak-about group in K-pop. The success story of BTS is a story worth uncovering as their popularity has taken over the world.

BTS is the acronym for 방탄소년단 (Bang Tan Sonyeondan). 방탄 (bangtan) means bulletproof, 소년단 means boy scout. So the meaning of BTS will translate to bulletproof boys. 

When BTS first debuted in South Korea, they had a rather humble start. A boy band group coming from a new entertainment group came out with a concept different from their rivals of the major three entertainment groups that dominated the music industry at that time. It was a bold start for a new company to rival against the big three. BTS didn’t hesitate to express their difficulties and challenges through music. 

Unlike other K-pop boy bands who followed a similar concept and theme with similar music, BTS took a different path. They gained popularity through relatable societal subjects.

Let’s not forget that all five individual artists in the group are very talented and perform well as a solo and as a team. 

🔥Timing also played an important role for BTS to gain international recognition.

Social media played a big role in garnering an international fan base. Coming from a rather new entertainment company, they were given fewer restrictions allowing them to interact with their fans on a personal level. 

Aspiring to become a K-pop ‘idol’ has become increasingly popular. However, becoming one isn’t as easy as it seems. Idols-to-be often start as early as 7-8 years old to train to one day become an idol.

They train rigorously for hours to master dance moves, foster other talents, and even step into acting to become multifaceted public figures.

Unfortunately, only a few of the many K-pop stars that debut become popular and continue to become global superstars like Blackpink (블랙핑크), Big Bang (빅뱅), Girl’s Generation (소녀시대), NewJeans (뉴진스) and of course BTS (방탄소년단). 

The future of K-pop looks brighter than ever. Many fans of K-pop are excited for more talented artists to emerge. Although K-pop has already reached global audiences, with new technologies and platforms being created, this subculture will most definitely reach greater heights in the near future.

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K-Pop Vocabulary

👇 We should have you pretty well covered with the following vocabulary and phrases:

👉 BONUS | Interested in other languages too? Why not check out our mega list of 500 Chinese words to learn, the 100 most common Japanese words and the most commonly used words in Vietnamese.

What is K-Pop | Quiz

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What is K-Pop | FAQ

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