The New Music Genre Everyone Needs To Know

Annyong Haseyo and welcome to my newest ramblings about fandom and stuff I feel the urge to talk about. Today´s topic will be about music but you probably got that by the title. First of all, do not get me wrong. I am not going to talk about the usual music favorites, current playlist or song recommendations. This time it will be something that is really different to what you have seen on this blog before. I will be talking about a music genre that really influenced me since Autumn last year. For all of you who are curious about what to expect from this post, I will tell you what exactly K-Pop is, what it is like to be an idol, the difference between K-Pop and western albums, a few nice advantages, and facts about fandoms and last of all my own experience. Please note that this post is a bit longer than usual because I wanted to give you as many pieces of information as possible. And as it is a topic I am really passionate about it will include a lot of personal thoughts, which is not really new right?

Ever heard of K-Pop before?
If you can answer this question with yes, hello fandom! But if you are finding yourself confused because you have never heard of this K-thing or whatever this person is talking about or you are really curious about it now, you have come to just the right person.

I think 2017 was really the year for K-Pop to get internationally well-known. It was also the same year when I finally got to know this music genre(even though I would prefer to have known it earlier). But how did all of my fascination, passion and obsession over this genre start? Well, looking back, it is kind of funny, because everything started because of my friend. She unconsciously introduced me to it by talking about this particular Korean boyband called BTS (I will go more into detail about them later, can you guess which band it is?)almost every day. If you are reading this, thank you so much to show me this new world of music.

At first, I was a bit skeptical like many other newbies with this music genre and wondered what was so special about Korean music. So I asked her: "Do you even understand what you are listening to?" and her response was: "Actually the meaning is what makes it special and you know what, we live in the 21rst century, so there are subtitles, you know!". Looking back I can only laugh at how I wrong I was and if I was asked the same question now, I would totally say the same thing. But nevertheless, I gave K-Pop another change and watched some music videos. If I can remember, my reaction was exactly like that: 

"wow...what an incredible video...oh they are actually pretty cute...they all look the same, but how can someone tell them apart?...uh they can dance...I wonder how they look so damn good..? Hmmh I think they are music is actually addicting...ops um hello fandom!

The talent of the Korean singers really surprised me and I wondered how it is possible to sing, dance and perform THAT good at the same time.  Therefore you could probably tell that I naturally started watching more and more music videos and groups. Gradually I began remembering all the names from the members of the groups(firstly BTS of course!) and tackled with this new kind of music culture. For me personally, everything about K-Pop is different, especially looking at the music and pop culture we are all used to these days. And I mean that in a positive way because everything unusual or different in some way is rather special and unique to me. I have talked about this with other K-Pop friends and we all think that listening to this kind of music not only shifted our mind in a positive way, it also affected our daily life and mood.

W H A T   I S   K - P O P?

The abbreviation K-Pop stands for Korean pop or Korean popular music and is a musical genre consisting of pop, electronic, hip-hop, rock, and R&B music. The genre has its origin in South Korea and evolved into a popular subculture among teenagers and young adults. Besides music and all the high-quality music videos and albums, many fans are also really interested in the Asian style of their favorite idols or groups. Apart from Korea K-Pop has even reached countries all over the world. Thanks to the great invention of the internet, it is now possible for almost anyone to enjoy K-Pop and be part of a great community. The genre has formed many lifelong friendships and can be a way of healing.

F A N D O M S

One of the things that really distinguishes K-Pop from all other genres is the community and the fandoms. I never experienced such a positive vibe and exchange between people who support each other and even make friendships for a lifetime. It all starts with music. 

Another thing that sets itself apart from other groups and bands are the specific fandoms for each group or idol. They even have names for their fans and spread love wherever they go. Every group acts a bit different about their fans but most of them really appreciate them. You can really see the relationship between the idol and fan, because they even create specific fan chants, plan events or write them long personal letters. I never thought I would even think about writing a letter to an idol, but after realizing how BTS, for example, helped me through hardships changed my opinion drastically. Being part of Army(which is the name of this fandom) not only helped me cope but also introduced me to a big community of positive and kind people, some of which even feel like real friends.  But I will go into detail about that later on. 

L I F E  A S  A N  I D O L

Some people may think life as an idol is like a dream come true and you can do whatever you want without working hard and having talent, but the reality is a bit different. First of all K-pop idols have to work extremely hard even before they have their debut. This includes rigorous training, auditions to find an agency and signing a contract with the company to become a trainee. If you are now thinking that is not a big deal, let me tell you something you have to keep in mind. There are hundreds of competing trainees and all of them have only a limited chance to make their debut in the end. You can be a trainee between for five to ten years and even if you did all you can you will never know if you get the chance to debut. This means they need to go through a lot of pressure and work until their limits. Also if you want to be an idol in Korea you NEED to have more than just one or two abilities. You need to sing, dance, act and speak more than one language to reach countries outside Korea. On top of that visuals are also part of being an idol and you need to be open to change your looks anytime. That is also why many people get really confused with keeping group members apart because for them they look "all the same"(gosh I hate people saying that) and with the constant change of their looks, it gets even harder to know who is who. But back to the topic. Underneath all the skills and talents you also need to have a physical and psychological strength which is something most of us are not aware of. When I think about their packed schedule it makes me reconsider if I could manage to do it.  For example, it is really likely that you have to start your day at 5 am in the morning and go to sleep at 1 am. They always need to show their best and even without a lot of sleep, they are forced to work and practice all day long. Another part of being an idol is your appearance and weight. Almost every idol had to go through extreme dieting to maintain their best weight and figure. It depends on the company but most of them have to do the diet. After signing the contract and finally being an idol you need to deal with exhaustion and health problems caused by the tight schedule and stress. Korean idols not only practice, produce or perform, they also promote their albums and creations on various platforms, have photo shoots and attend lots of shows and events. Lastly, idols in Korea have several comebacks every year. This means even more pressure and effort because they always need to exceed everyone´s expectations. 

*Kim Taehyung aka V,  BTS*

W H A T  I S  A  B I A S?

Besides this entire post, this is really what I was looking forward to talking about, the bias. Some of you probably know or can tell by the name what a bias is, but for the others that have no clue, here is my explanation: The term bias is derived from having a bias towards a particular person. A bias is your favorite member of an idol group(V of BTS for me). You may have one ultimate bias and many other biases from other idol groups. But you may only have one ultimate bias. There is also the term of bias wrecker which is the person who makes you rethink or question who your bias actually is and you are close to having them as your bias. Here are some of my biases to give an example:

BTS: V(every member is my bias wrecker)
Monsta X: Kihyun(bias), I.M.(bias wrecker)
EXO: Baekhyun
Stray Kids: Hyunjin(bias), Felix(bias wrecker)

M Y  E X P E R I E N C E

Furthermore, I would like to share my personal experience with you and how K-Pop literally changed my life. For me, it is always so interesting and inspiring to hear what music makes you feel and I totally believe that music can be healing and help you with anything. Until I found out about this music genre I probably would have never thought that it would have such a positive effect on me. So, to get to the point, K-Pop and especially the group BTS have really helped me through a hard phase of my life. Whenever I am feeling bad or something negative happened, I just need to listen to their songs and feel better right away. It feels like magic and I can not really describe what it does to me, but it works! Also, I think this effect I experienced can occur differently and individually for everyone. But even if it works for me, that does not mean that it will give you the same result. All I am telling you right now are just my own experiences and if you feel the same way, that is great! And if not, that is also totally fine and I am sure there is a kind of music out there that will work for you. To conclude, K-Pop and BTS helped me cope with so many problems and insecurities in a way which healed my soul.  Some people would say it is so cliché to feel that way about music, but I really noticed how different my view of life is and that is all that matters to me.

A L B U M S  A N D  A E S T H E T I C

If someone would ask me how to describe a K-Pop album I would instantly call it the definition of aesthetically pleasing. It is hard to explain, but if you have ever seen some of their albums you would immediately know what I´m talking about. And I´m not exaggerating when I say they spend so much more work into every single album comparatively to all the popular American albums. Starting from the layout, color scheme and the whole packaging it is really different from all the ones we are used to in Australia, Europe, and the US. Until now the only K-Pop album I have bought is the BTS Love Yourself-Her album in all the four different kinds. It includes not only the CD and song lyrics but also a lot of pictures of the members, which are high quality themed art pieces. 

A List Of Some Groups And Idols You Need To Check Out

Male Groups                                      Female Groups                                Idols
BTS                                                           Blackpink                                               LOONA
Stray Kids                                                (G)-I-DLE                                              Suzy
Monsta X                                                 Red Velvet                                              CHUNG HA
EXO                                                          MOMOLAND                                         Ashley
BIGBANG                                                TWICE                                                     TAEYEON
GOT7                                                                                                                         BAEKHYUN
Seventeen
Astro
Wanna One
WINNER
24K
Day6
iKON


C U R R E N T  F A V O R I T E  S O N G S - all the songs you need in one playlist



Last but not least I want to show you two music videos from the group BTS which are both pretty popular. Each of them has different vibes and it is for you to decide which one you like better, for me, there is no such thing because I love both equally. The song Young Forever really hits my sensitive spot and motivates me in such a deep level while IDOL makes me want to celebrate and dance like crazy kiddo(yes I used that word).

This entire post took me a really long time even though it does not seem like it, because I wanted it to be perfect. Even though I am not 100% happy with the photography, I am so glad to finally share this with you and I hope you do not mind me including more pictures as usual in this post. This topic is between new and well-known which is why I wanted to please both sides. If you like what you just read or are interested in more of this kind of things I would be very happy to hear more about it in the comments below. I know not everyone wants to leave a comment, but it means so much to me if someone takes just a few minutes or even seconds of their time to share their opinion. Of course, I am always open to criticism and I appreciate every single comment. As always I hope you are having a great day and guess what I am looking forward to say in the end: Annyonghi kasayo!(it means goodbye in Korean)

Have you ever heard of K-Pop or what do you think about it?
Leave your honest thoughts in the comments below.
Kirsten