WHAT IS K-POP MUSIC?

Korean pop music, known as K-Pop, has gradually become a part of the mainstream in the Asian music market. K Pop incorporated hip-hop and Japanese pop music and created a distinctive style. In addition, K-Pop artists showed up with nice looks, perfect bodies, and impressive dance moves. Each of the K-Pop artists has a very strong personality. These features successfully attracted fans’ attention. Companies put a large amount of effort into publicity campaigns and marketing strategies. Overall, these elements gave K-Pop a unique “sound.”

There are some factors of K-Pop’s differentiation. First, most K-Pop performers are part of a group; there are few solo artists. Groups have from 3 to 9 members. This factor helps to increase the exposure because each member can be promoted differently based on his or her personality; also, performing in groups enhances the chance to attract consumers. For example, some people might support the whole group because they like just one of the members. Second, usually in Asian music market, melody is a very important element. However, K-Pop is not just limited to the songs. Even though melodies are still important, artists focus more on performance. This includes their dance moves, the artists’ personal styles, and the image of the entire group. The key of K-Pop’s success is the visual effect. In fact, consumers remember K-Pop artists because of their special dance moves rather than their music. Third, compared to entertainment industries in other parts of Asia, K-Pop gives higher quality performances, which includes the strict demand for skilled performers and impressive sets.
  
 For the western market, K-Pop is very different and fresh. K-Pop shares some similar elements with hip-hop music, so it is relatable for western culture. Moreover, a large amount of Korean immigrants are in the western market. Those people can facilitate K-Pop’s development, and this will be a significant support for K-Pop. They can take a small step in the beginning by participating in some music festivals. When they accumulate enough popularity, they can try to hold concerts to appeal more audiences. In addition, based on a recent article from BBC, concerts and advertisements are two major income sources for the music industry. Therefore, even though there may be some further considerations such as language barrier and cultural differences, entering the international market is a great opportunity for K-Pop.

Gangnam Style another success of the Korean music

I want to speak about another phenomenon in the korean pop music. Yes I am speaking about PSY, a South Korean singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, and record producer. Psy is known too for his humorous videos and stage performances, and internationally for his hit single "Gangnam Style."The songs refers to the luxurios way of living of the district of Gangnam, Seoul. The letter of songs is made by himself and but moreover Yoo Gun-hyung has colaborated with the music. It is a comic, funny video with a very original dancing steps made in everywhere. ENJOY!!

Famous people like Britney Spears or Ellen DeGeneres have valued this song.

 

 

Here is a new version of the GANGNAM STYLE by HYUNA,  a very famous singer that belonged to the group Wonder Girls.

What do you know about girls generation?

Girls' Generation (Korean: 소녀시대; Sonyuh Shidae) is a South Korean girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007.^[1][2] They are also referred to as SoShi (소시) or SNSD, both abbreviated forms of the group's Korean name, and are known in Japan as Shoujo Jidai. The nine member group consists of Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun.

They gained attention at the beginning of their career with songs such as "Into the New World" and "Kissing You" but it was not until 2009 when they gained significant popularity with their hit single "Gee", which would be named as South Korea's 'Song of the Decade'.^[3] The group solidified their place in the Korean music industry with follow-up singles "Tell Me Your Wish", "Run Devil Run", and "Oh!".
Here is the video of the song GEE, one of the most famous singles.

 In 2011, they returned to the Korean music scene with "The Boys", which was released in three languages: Korean, Japanese, and for the first time, English. They sold over 100,000 copies for each of their six Korean releases, making them the first female group in the South Korean music industry to do so in over six year.

                    The return of the K-POP group with the new song  I got a boy.

The boys song

                                                                    

It was a great success in Asian countries, doing an English version of the song. It was a great hit and the first time people abroad started hearing about korean music.

                          

 

GIRLS GENERATION LATEST VIDEO: I GOT A BOY

Do you like this video? And the song? I think it is a great advance in their career, and very modern and with lot of rithm.  You can comment :)

Asian culture

This blog is for those people like me that like Asian culture and want to know more and more about this fantastic continent. I'm refering to Korean and Japan countries. They are one of coutries that deserve to talk about for several reasons, and that I consder that we should learn from them about some aspects of life and culture. I will start with music.

Who has ever heard about Korean pop music?  Korean music has being very popular around the world. Their style is being very popular among the population of this countries. People want to mime their style of dressing so cool and different and with lots of popularity. A great example of this phenomenon is the GIRLS GENERATION pop singers, also known as SNSD. A group of girls that are doing really well and getting more and more fans around the world. So today I wanted to speak about this group for those people like me that like asian culture and music. I hope you like it. Little by little I will speak about more groups or famous songs from Korea and Japan.