Hi Asia 327,
Evidently, Korean music has become an international chart phenomenon in recent decades due to their infamous mixture of addictive melodies, polished choreography, production, and attractive Korean performers. In this essay, I will be discussing how videos and performers in the Korean music industry have changed and stayed the same. However, I argue that due to its constant evolving industry that K-pop produced today has largely transformed in comparison to K-pop produced over two decades ago.
It is evident that in aspects where K-pop has remained the same in the 1990s and today is with the large amount of money spent and time put into their productions. Many of the artists go through years of training in all aspects of how they present themselves, dance lessons and vocal training. In terms of musicality, K-pop in the 1990s and today are both internationally appealing with their catchy upbeat tunes. In addition, while comparing to music videos now and the 1990s, I noticed a familiarity in production themes with American/European artists. While watching the Youtube playlist of K-pop videos from the 1990s, I noticed that Baby Vox’s video for “Betrayal” had similar themes with the Backstreet Boys in their “As Long As You Love Me” video with the choreography, flashy reflective clothing and the music beats of the song. In addition Baby Vox, an all-girls group, I found similarity with the Spice Girls production. On the other hand, when I watched K-pop rappers from the 90s, their videos had similar characteristics to Eminem and other American rappers where the resemblance was uncanny. Moreover, K-pop has been largely known for its cultural hybridity in which many K-pop songs also feature English lyrics to reduce language barriers which are still found today (Baek 2015: 731).
In Jung’s article, it discusses how the music industry has been largely impacted by the diverse availability of cultural products which has actively increased their international popularity. In the 1990s, the early Hallyu or Korean wave was driven by TV hits however now the latest international exposure has been through Korean idols and bands (Jung 2015: 74). This transnational pop has gained this recognition through major social media spaces which can be easily circulated or consumed on a wider scale which includes Youtube. With this, the industry and consumers both become equally important players in the social networking relationship which has taken over a decade to establish (Jung 2015: 85). Therefore, making it easier for the industry to exploit to their maximum using minimal efforts in time and money. With this being said, the performers are largely affected by the media as it also evolves their performances and behaviour on camera.
In Son’s article which focuses on “trot” which is Korean music historically known as a symbolic composite of traditional values which is popular among older adults (Son 2006: 67). What is interesting is that trot focused on old traditional values which are now slowly coming back to current music. Nonetheless, in supporting my argument on how music has changed, trot is a prime example in how Korean music has evolved with different meanings through the negotiation of music, politics and public consciousness in Korea (Son 2006: 72).
In ways, the music evolved historically in Korea especially since the mid 19th century, Korean music was focused on pureness as their politics changed as they used to see American values as the opposite of communism (Son 2006: 58). So in the 1990s, Korean music became more focused on culture and international appeal rather than being heavily centred on nationalism which is where their music originated from. Hallyu/the Korean Wave in which K-pop stars have always been internationally famous however like the global music industry it is always changing. With discussion on the Kim Sisters, their music evolved during their growth as their music always catered to an international audience particularly the American audience. Music and culture tie hand in hand, therefore as societal perspectives change such as sex appeal, norms, and style, the music evolves as well.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that Korean music has largely changed since the 90s or not?
- Melissa
Baek, Young Min. “Relationship Between Cultural Distance and Cross-Cultural Music Video
Consumption on Youtube” Social Science Computer Review, Vol.33, No.6 (2015): 730-748.
Jung, Eun-Young. “New Wave Formations: K-Pop Idols, Social Media, and the Remaking of the Korean Wave” In Hallyu 2.0 The Korean Wave in the Age of Social Media, edited by
Sangjoon Lee and Abe Mark Nornes, 73-89. Michigan.: University of Michigan Press, 2015.
Son, Min-Jung. “Regulating and Negotiating in “T'ûrot'û," a Korean Popular Song Style.” Asian Music, Vol.37, No.1 (2006): 51-74.
Good, productive discussion!
Dear Melissa,
While you address how Korean music has changed since the mid-20th century, I wish you had focused a little more on how K-pop has changed since the 90s. Actually, comparing some of the music videos you mentioned to more recent ones in more depth may have made for a super cool essay.
Hi Melissa, I definitely agree that Korean music, especially Korean pop music, has changed largely since the 90s. Popular music in general evolves to suit people’s tastes and the current social, political, and cultural climate like Hailee said. What’s popular now definitely won’t be popular in the future. I like that Jenni talked about the traits that have remained in Kpop too. Even though popular music changes, there are still elements that remain the same throughout time. Hailee brought up how Kpop performers are now seen as idols and representatives of Korea and I think that is in part due to the evolution of technology and platforms like YouTube and Twitter. In the past, they were simply performers and the only…
Hi, Melissa
Thank you for sharing your perspective on the evolution of Koran music with precise examples. I agree with you on the point that K-pop music has changed profoundly compared to what it was back in 1990s. However, just like what you had pointed out, there are still remaining characteristics from over two decades ago and I think those traits have remained because they are in the core of what had brought so much fame and popularity to K-pop industry. Those remaining characteristics from 1990s are catchy, upbeat melody and well-performed choreography. There were many K-pop groups before 1990s like Kim Sisters that we’ve learned in class and they could be considered as ‘idol’ in today’s perspective. However, people…
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for sharing your insights on the evolution of K-Pop music. I, too, believe that our current cultural, political, and social norms are the basis for creating music. As our belief system changes throughout time, so does our music. I don’t know if I’d necessarily say that K-pop has changed drastically, however I would agree that it has evolved to incorporate contemporary issues of modern society. It has also evolved to include better graphics, higher video quality, and more rigorous choreography. K-Pop artists seem to be putting more time into the creation of their music videos, dance routines, and appearance all together. As K-Pop grows, it seems as though that artists are working harder to put more…