The fact that you've landed here means that you've come across the term “K-Pop” at least once. Maybe someone you know listens to K-Pop, or you've picked something up yourself. But what exactly is it?
Catchy music, colorful music videos, lots of boy and girl groups and a ton of screaming fans. That's the first thing the media says in answer to this question. In general that's true, but of course there's a lot more behind it!
In this article, we'll clear up a few questions about the topic that you might be looking for an answer to:
- What exactly does the term "K-Pop" stand for?
- How did K-Pop come about?
- How did the genre become known worldwide?
- What makes K-Pop so special for fans?
- Why is it so much fun to collect CDs by K-Pop artists?
What exactly does the term “K-Pop” stand for?
It's an abbreviation for “Korean Popular Music” or “Korean Pop” and simply refers to Korean-language pop music. However, K-Pop isn't necessarily pure pop music, but often also contains hip-hop, rap, electronic or techno elements, to name just a few examples.
The best-known are the boy and girl groups, who are notorious for their good looks and the complex dances that accompany their music. One example would be the hugely popular boy group BTS or the girl group Blackpink. K-Pop artists are usually called “Idols”.
In fact, though, many K-Pop fans have very different tastes in music. If you asked 10 of them, they would all name different groups they like to listen to. The selection is huge, so there's really something for everyone!
How did K-Pop come about?
The origin of the genre is traced back to a trio called “Seo Taiji and Boys”, who were active in the early 1990s. The trio mixed Korean pop with Western music. Among other things, they released one of the first Korean rap songs and wove English lines into their lyrics. They then accompanied the new music with hip-hop choreography and synchronized dance moves. In 1996, the boy group H.O.T finally made their debut. They are considered the first K-Pop group, because they combined the new music style with catchy melodies, coordinated outfits and rehearsed, synchronized dances. They also put a focus on good looks.
How did the genre become known worldwide?
As early as 2012, a K-Pop song went around the whole world: “Gangnam Style” by Psy. The music video found its way into the Guinness Book of Records because it was liked more often than any other YouTube video before it! The whole world danced to the crazy song, but even at that point, hardly anyone could have said that it's a Korean song. And in the following years, not even one in ten people could make anything of the term “K-Pop”.
The big breakthrough was achieved by BTS! The now world-famous boy group debuted back in 2013. They worked their way up slowly and, with the single “I Need U” in 2015, made it into the top 5 of the Korean charts for the first time. Their next releases not only reached the top of the Korean charts, but also appeared on the American Billboard charts. In February 2017, BTS broke sales records in South Korea with the album “You Never Walk Alone”. At the end of the year, the boy group was also the first K-Pop artist to play completely sold-out concerts in the United States.
BTS's international breakthrough was also a breakthrough for the entire K-Pop genre. Suddenly the term “K-Pop” was no longer a foreign word, and new fans discovered other talented K-Pop artists, such as the girl group Blackpink. Today there are hundreds of thousands of K-Pop fans all over the world and countless Korean singers and groups who regularly fill concert halls in America, Europe and on other continents.
What makes K-Pop so special for fans?
The biggest aspect is of course the music itself. Many people get excited about cheerful, poppy songs that spread good vibes, but they love the quieter songs with profound lyrics just as much. And there are quite a few of those. Among other things, they deal with depression, insecurity and many other problems that young people struggle with. Fans can relate to the lyrics and so feel connected to the singers.
On top of that comes everything around the music. Fans can not only listen to the artists' music videos, but are offered much, much more content. Whenever they release a new album, the singers appear on numerous entertainment shows, some of which are even produced just for them. In addition, stage performances and behind-the-scenes footage are broadcast, and dance videos are released, with which fans can learn the complex choreographies themselves or simply admire them in detail. So if you want, you can spend time with your favorite singers every day without ever getting bored. At some point fans know their stars so well that they feel almost like friends. They comfort fans or simply distract them from boring everyday life.
Why is it so much fun to collect CDs by K-Pop artists?
You can probably already see at first glance that K-Pop albums are different. Buyers don't just get the CD, but also a photo book and a number of extras; small gifts like bookmarks, stickers, buttons and photocards. On top of that, every album is different. Sometimes they are big, sometimes small, thin, thick, black, yellow, rectangular or square. Sometimes they are bound books, sometimes magazine-like booklets and sometimes proper boxes. Each album on its own is a unique collector's item!
The included extras also differ from album to album, but photocards are pretty much always in there. Which photocard a buyer gets is usually random, so each one is like a little surprise. Fans trade them with each other, put them in collector binders or display them on their shelf. So K-Pop fans simply collect photocards instead of stamps.
In our shop you can order the albums and other fan merchandise to your home with just a few clicks. We get the products from South Korea and spare you customs and high shipping costs.
