With global hits such as “Dynamite” by BTS and “DDU-DU DDU-DU” by BLACKPINK, K-Pop seems to have taken over the world this year. K-Pop, short for Korean Pop, is now a multi-billion dollar industry with a seemingly endless amount of fans. But what is it about the genre that makes it so appealing to audiences? 

Factors of Success

One theory around the rise of K-Pop outside of South Korea is that the artists themselves draw people in. What we call “pop stars” here in the United States are referred to as “idols” in South Korea. From a young age, K-Pop idols are trained to sing and dance and are mentored by managers or agents. They can be trained for years before they record their first song. Idols are also known for having unique and encapturing personalities, which keeps fans around for more than just music releases. 

Another factor of success is the fashion sense and costumes of the bands. With these groups, every make-up look and outfit fits into a greater theme or concept of the band. The use of bright colors and creative scenery creates an environment that just draws people in. In music videos, the talent of these performers to dance and sing stands out above other forms of media.  

Idols can do it all. They can sing, dance, and even act! Some idols act in the biggest shows in the country. Most K-Pop bands are multilingual, which helps them stand out among artists who only sing in one language. They can appeal to much larger audiences this way. 

Stuck in Your Head 

Along with the idols themselves, another reason K-Pop is so popular could be the unique music. K-Pop is known for storytelling. Story lines that make sense and make the listener feel as if they’ve been pulled into another world are common among the most popular groups. This storytelling, however, would appeal to audiences who can speak or understand Korean. So, how does the genre pull in fans from around the world? There seems to be one main reason: the melodies. 

Most pop songs from anywhere have catchy tunes or lyrics that just stick in your head all day long. K-Pop is no exception. It’s almost as if K-Pop groups have melody creating down to an exact science. Even people who have no idea what is being said can have the tune of these songs stuck in their head for days. 

When Did K-Pop Take Off? 

Looking back to 2012, one of the most memorable songs was “Gangnam Style” by Psy. The K-Pop song ended up in 47th place on the Billboard Top 100 songs for the year. For a lot of people, this was their intro to the Korean music industry. For most other people, however, their “K-Pop awakening” didn’t happen until much later, with a band by the name of BTS. BTS is a Korean boy band with 7 members. Their songs “Dynamite” and “Butter” hit the charts high this year and last, bringing them more popularity than ever. Their fans, called ‘The A.R.M.Y.’, are some of the most dedicated fans in the music industry. The fanbase name stands for “Adorable Representative M.C. For Youth”. 

K-Pop will hope to keep bringing in more dedicated fans to all groups, so we shouldn’t be surprised if we see more and more bands emerging into fame.