Introduction
In the fall of 2019, I had a gap year in school, and I was in a transition period when I was in the process of transferring from Warner Pacific University to Biola University. My gap year was less of a deliberate choice and more of something that happened because of circumstances that occurred in that time. At that time, I was very lonely since I was in a situation where I was home alone for months at a time and not enrolled in school. This situation caused me to have feelings of depression and boredom. So, I decided to do something about it and so I started this project of writing an essay about why I love K-Pop. I had two excellent English classes at Warner Pacific, and I learned that I really enjoy writing when I can write about something that I am passionate about. Now five years later my project has evolved and expanded quite a bit on not just the variety of content, but also the length as well. Throughout reading this body of work, you will learn about why I love K-Pop, how I got into it, some things that I hate about K-Pop, how the K-Pop Industry works, some of the music theory behind K-Pop, some of my opinions on controversial topics in the K-Pop Industry, and my beliefs and views of K-Pop as a Christian, as well as some connections that I made between K-Pop and the Bible.
Be sure to check out the bonus content below my conclusion paragraph which includes:
A quiz that I made on Kahoot so you can test your knowledge to see what you remembered from reading this body of work
Links to my Favorite K-Pop Songs in 7 Categories Playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Links to some other Playlists that I made
A link to a video about the History of K-Pop that I referenced in this body of work
A link to a documentary about K-Pop called “K-Pop Evolution” that I referenced in this body of work
A list of the Girl Groups that I am a fan of which are in order of when I became a fan of them
A list of definitions to Music Theory terms that I mention in this body of work
A complete song list of my Favorite K-Pop songs in 7 Categories
Testimonials of other people who have read this body of work and enjoyed it
An “About the Author” section
And finally, the best one, which is an analysis of my entire work, which connects it to the Bible (thanks to ChatGPT!)
A life lesson that I have learned from K-Pop
"I never thought I would be into K-Pop, but here we are!" This is what I said to myself when I first got into K-Pop. This is a life lesson that you shouldn't pre-judge something and you should have an open mind because you never know what you might be interested in, and it's okay if your interests change. People should try new things even if they don't know if they will like them because they could find a new hobby or a new passion from doing that. I really felt like the jackpot when I found K-Pop because it's such a cool genre of music.
How I was "bitten by the K-Pop bug"
I first got into K-Pop when one of my favorite western pop artists named Dua Lipa did a collaboration with BLACKPINK, A.K.A the world's most popular K-Pop Girl Group. The song is called "Kiss and Make Up" and it was released on the Complete Edition of Dua Lipa's first album in 2018. I heard the story that Dua Lipa wrote the song a year earlier, but she was waiting for the right collaborator to come along. Then, she later met two members of BLACKPINK, Lisa and Jennie, who came to her meet and greet for her concert in Seoul, and she had a crazy idea and said, "let's send this song to them." The song was announced about a month before its release, and I remember being very intrigued by the idea of such a collaboration before I even heard any music from BLACKPINK. At the time, there weren't many collaborations between Pop and K-Pop artists, so I was really excited for it. Then, when the song was finally released, I loved it, and it is definitely the collaboration that changed my life the most. Shortly after that, I watched BLACKPINK's music video for "DDU-DU DDU-DU" and my mind was blown and I was instantly captivated by their amazing singing, rapping and choreography. That was when I was "bitten by the K-Pop bug" you could say.
How people become K-Pop Idols
In the K-Pop Industry, there are many steps to become a K-Pop Idol. People audition for an entertainment company and then train for many years. Sometimes people become trainees by being casted on the street, or they participate in various talent shows or local competitions and are casted by talent scouts from different entertainment companies. The average trainee period is 3 to 4 years; however, it can be as little as one year. In Jihyo's case, she trained for 10 years before debuting as a member of TWICE under JYP Entertainment. Trainees must work very hard when they practice, and it is very competitive because there are more people than spots in the group. I once heard that only about 1 in 1000 people pass the audition to become a trainee, and companies typically have about 50 to 100 trainees, and even less than 50 if it is a smaller company. Then, they choose who will debut among the trainees, and groups can be smaller with 3 members, such as groups like VIVIZ, or they can be much bigger groups such as Triple S, which is a girl group that now has 24 members (but Triple S has many subunits like AAA, +(KR)yrstal Eyes, EVOLution, LOVElution, ASSEMBLE, Glow, NXT, Aria, and Visionary Vision.) However, the average number of members in a group is around 6 or 7 members. Some trainees will quit or even change companies before they debut if they have a better chance of debuting somewhere else or if it makes their debut a little faster. Additionally, trainees who are from countries other than Korea, must spend a lot of time learning Korean, which can make it much more challenging for them to debut. Sometimes people must go to High School while being a trainee, which sounds like a very difficult thing to do. There is a school in South Korean called SOPA, which is the School of Performing Arts Seoul, and it is a place where many current K-Pop trainees are attending, and there have been many current K-Pop Idols who have attended that school, often some of them would both attend SOPA, and they would both end up in different groups.
Trainees and Group Member Roles Explained
Trainees are given monthly evaluations so that their progress can be monitored. The instructors have very high standards, and they are perfectionists, so they can be very hard on them (especially in survival shows) but they always perform at a very high level, so they benefit from their own excellency. If they pass their evaluation they will continue to train, but if they fail the evaluation then they may be cut, and they may lose their opportunity to debut as an Idol singer. If they are good enough then they are placed in a group based on their skill set, and on who has the best chemistry, so that the group clicks well together, which I like because I have always valued teamwork and cooperation. There are many different roles in each group like leader, center, main rapper, main dancer, main vocalist, Maknae (the youngest member), and visual. It is important to know the hierarchy of roles in the group. The title of "Main" is first, followed by "Lead" then regular and "Sub." So most groups have a Main Vocalist, Lead Vocalist, Vocalist and a Sub Vocalist. The leader is responsible for initiating the greeting when the group is being interviewed or when they are performing. Also, the leader is responsible for giving moral support to the rest of the members when they need it, or they can help them when they are struggling with something. The leader is also in charge of keeping track of the group's schedule for the day. So, the role of leader requires someone who is responsible, and it takes a certain kind of person for this role. The center is usually in the middle of the formation in the choreography (which is where the name "center" comes from), and they must be very charismatic, likable and be able to sing well and have engaging facial expressions when they perform. The main rapper does the most rapping in the songs and they must also be very charismatic and cool. The main dancer is the best dancer in the group, and they sometimes have dance solos in the instrumental break of the song. A good example of this is Momo from TWICE, who is the main dancer of the group, and she has a very good dance solo in their song called "Likey." The main vocalist is the person who usually has the most lines in the song and they must be able to sing high notes well, and with much control, stability, and precision. The Maknae (pronounced as mock nay) is the youngest member and they are in charge of being cute, loveable, and fun, and with their youthful spirit, they help give energy to the older members. The last role is visual. This is the member who is supposed to be the prettiest member, but if you saw pictures of all the members of a K-Pop girl group, you would probably say "aren't they all pretty?" which is true, the visual role is so much more than that, because a good visual can really charm the audience with not only their good looks but also their acting. There is a role that used to exist in older groups but has largely gone away, which is called "Face of the Group." This means that there is one member who is the most popular and they are the one who comes to mind when you think of the group. I believe that this role went away because all of the members are important and they should all be treated and respected evenly, and when you think of the group, you should think about and remember all of the members.
A Comparison of Modern Western Pop to K-Pop
Something that I really appreciate about K-Pop is that is has more groups than solo artists, whereas currently in Western Pop there are a lot of solo artists and very few groups. This trend makes a lot of sense because Asian culture tends to be very collective and communal, while American culture is way more individualistic. I like that they value teamwork and cooperation and it's cool to be in a team where you are a part of something that is bigger than just yourself. In the past, there were some western pop groups, but they have largely gone away now, however K-Pop is a genre that is still heavily based on group acts.
How K-Pop distinguishes itself from other genres
K-Pop is unique in how it distinguishes itself from western pop. The music production is quite different from western pop, and it is very high-quality music with lots of variety. Something I love about K-Pop is that it takes influence from many different genres (almost all of them in fact) such as: Pop, Alternative, Blues, Gospel, Classical, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Funk, Rock, EDM, Singer-Songwriter, and Electronic Music. In K-Pop, the producers like to experiment with different sounds, and they are usually different sounds then what you would hear in western pop. This heavy experimentation leads to innovation and so the genre is constantly evolving. This means the music is what I would call "high risk, high reward" because if they write something that is new and different, then it may flop, but it also could be very successful as well. When I listen to K-Pop, I often hear new synths and sounds that I have never heard before, and they are always the best synths too. There is a song by Weki Meki called "Whatever U Want" and it has a synth in it that sounds like it is straight out of a video game soundtrack, which is something that I find myself saying more than once when I listen to K-Pop. Another way that K-Pop distinguishes itself from western pop is that there are many songs in major keys with happy and more lighthearted themes, while western pop consists of songs that are almost entirely in minor keys, most of which are songs about break ups. Another thing that I love is that the tone colors of K-Pop idol singers are very different from the tone colors of the artists in the western world, and among K-Pop idol singers, there are many singers with unique and distinct tone colors. Additionally, when K-Pop groups sing all together in unison, it always sounds very cool, and I think the groups that are the best at this are Red Velvet and Lovelyz, especially in Lovelyz song "Dear You" and Red Velvet's song "Cool Hot Sweet Love." I have also discovered that K-Pop songs can be in a variety of different keys, which makes it more interesting. I managed to find a song in every major and minor key, plus some songs are in harmonic minor mode as well.
Variety of group types in K-Pop and genre-jumping songs
Between the girl groups, and the boy groups, and some coed groups (like KARD) there is a lot of contrast and variety in the genre. There is one song that I love that is very complex called "I got a boy" by Girls' Generation. The song is cool because it switches grooves many times, which makes it very interesting for the listener because its constantly jumping genres. Besides "I got a boy" there are also some other songs that have different sections and grooves, and it is very interesting how they transition from one section to the next. Some more good examples of this are "$$$" by (G)I-DLE, "Next Level" by Aespa, also "O.O" and "DICE" by NMIXX. All those songs I just mentioned have very cool groove changes in them and that is part of what makes them great songs.
How I listen to K-Pop compared to songs in English
Since K-Pop is in Korean, it changes the way that I listen to it. Because I do not know what they are saying until I look it up, I must rely on interesting and melodic vocal lines with complex intervallic structure and complex production to keep my interest, both of which are things that I believe that the genre executes very well. However, you do not need to know Korean at all to be a K-Pop fan, as long as you speak the language of music then you can be a fan, which is a language that I am fluent in. I believe some people are reluctant to get into the genre because of the language barrier, but I also believe that the language should not be a deterrent.
A short History on the birth of K-Pop
K-Pop is a relatively new music genre. The first K-Pop group was Seo Taiji and Boys who debuted in 1992, and they weren't popular in Korea at first, but they eventually got some success and became popular later. A few years later there was a group that debuted in 1996 called H.O.T (which stands for High Five of Teenagers) and they took some inspiration from a group in the U.S called New Kids on the Block, and they wanted to emulate their style and sound but also adapt it to fit Korean culture. Charles Caleb Colton, an English cleric and writer, once said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” With H.O.T, they were “imitating” New Kids on the Block, but it was in a good way because it was a positive cultural exchange. H.O.T was a big deal in the K-Pop Industry because they were pioneers in many ways, and they were highly influential for many other groups to come, and they set the standard for what a K-Pop Group should be.
Why K-Pop Appeals to Millennials and Gen Z the most
A Millennial is defined as anyone born between 1981 and 1996, and Gen Z is defined as anyone born between 1997 and 2012. Based on general trends and studies, it’s estimated that around 70 to 80% of K-Pop fans fall within the Millennial and Gen Z age groups. Like I said previously, K-Pop was invented in 1992, which would make the genre itself a Millennial. I believe because of this fact, it is not fair to compare K-Pop to any other music that came before 1992, since it didn’t exist before then. If you look at the ages of K-Pop Idols, almost all of them fall into the age of Millennial or Gen Z, and I think that fans can relate to them more if they are similar ages. Additionally, I believe that these trends are partly because younger people tend to be more open minded, so they would be more open to listening to a foreign genre of music, like K-Pop. With the invention of platforms like YouTube, and TikTok, K-Pop Groups are can become more popular, much more quickly, and since Millennials and Gen Z are more tech savvy, this helps grow their popularity as well.
The Founding Companies of K-Pop
There are some companies known in the industry as "The Big Three" which are S.M Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. S.M was founded in 1995, YG was founded in 1996 and JYP was founded in 1997. Now, some things have changed, and it is known as "The Big Four" and they now include HYBE corporation (formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment) as the fourth company, since they have become more popular after the success of BTS, which is a group that is so popular that even non-K-Pop fans know about them. Additionally, HYBE now has many subsidiaries such as Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, and ADOR Music. SEVENTEEN, and Fromis_9 is from Pledis Entertainment, LE SSERAFIM is from Source Music, and NewJeans is from ADOR Music. Other HYBE groups include TXT and ENHYPEN.
Big shifts in K-Pop promotions in the U.S
Currently, we are seeing big shifts that are making K-Pop more mainstream, such as groups performing on American talk shows (like the Ellen Show, James Corden, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel) and K-Pop groups are being interviewed by some American Magazines like J-14 Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, which helps their popularity here in the U.S. Additionally, some groups have struck a deal with American Music labels to help them promote better in the United States. TWICE and (G)I-DLE have both signed to Republic Records, and BLACKPINK has signed with UMG Interscope records. I think this is a very smart move especially considering the growing popularity of K-Pop in the U.S.
How K-Pop is targeted towards Korea, Japan, and the United States
With K-Pop groups, their goal is to first be popular in Korea, and then they will go to Japan to promote there as well. And after that they will come to the United States, and if they can also be popular here then they are pretty much considered superstars at that point. Therefore, many groups these days will have songs in Korean, and songs in Japanese and some songs in English as well. In 2021, TWICE released their first full English single called "The Feels" and the aim was at American audiences, in hopes to gain some new American fans, because since the song is in English, it means there is no longer a language barrier. TWICE later performed "The Feels" on Jimmy Fallon and Steven Colbert. In 2022, a Girl Group called Aespa released their first English single called "Life's Too Short" which they promoted at their showcase in LA, and on Jimmy Kimmel, and they were also the opening act for the Good Morning America concert series at Central Park, in New York. Other notable K-Pop songs that are in English are: "Star" by LOONA, "Dance on My Own" by LOONA, "LATATA (English Version)" by (G)I-DLE, "100 FACTS (COOL English Version)" by Weki Meki, "HELICOPTER (English Version)" by CLC, "I Need U" by CLC, "Better Things" by Aespa, "MOONLIGHT SUNRISE" By TWICE, "ICON" by TWICE, and "Boys Like You" by ITZY.
About K-Pop lyrics and the poetic beauty of the Korean Language
I love that K-Pop has lyrics that are usually very poetic and beautiful, and they are usually written very eloquently. However, K-Pop lyrics can also be very quirky, or weird and sometimes they are humorous as well. An example of this is one of the lines from LOONA's debut song called "Hi High" and the translation is something like "Love is harder than our college entrance exams." Whenever I look up the lyrics to a K-Pop song I am usually very impressed with how well written they are. Since it is in Korean, it is a foreign language and it is refreshing, and I believe that it is an interesting and pretty language to listen to. I have found that the most poetic lyrics are found in the ballads, which are all excellent in my opinion. I have mostly heard songs that are in Korean in the context of K-Pop, and it is a language that many people have probably never heard but I think it is a very beautiful language.
Cool Choreography in K-Pop
One of the things that I love the most about K-Pop is that there is singing and dancing, so it captivates the audience with not only their ears but also their eyes. The very cool choreography is what keeps me coming back to K-Pop because I really appreciate good dancing, and it really enhances the performance. The way they dance is always so clean and they always have good synergy with each other, and they rehearse a lot to make everything look good. The level of synchronization in their dancing is so high and it is very impressive to me. They also have good attention to detail to make sure that everybody is doing the choreography the exact same way, so that it can be very uniform. Each group has their own style of choreography, but their style is something that can change from time to time. Since they are singing and dancing, they also need to be fit to meet the physical demands. Idol singers must exercise and have a good diet and eat lots of vegetables to stay in shape. Additionally, some Idol singers also act in Korean dramas, which means that they are triple threats because they have the skills to sing, dance, and act, which I think is very cool.
K-Pop production and Music Theory in K-Pop
Another thing that I have noticed about K-Pop is that the complexity of the music is often higher than that of western pop music with K-Pop having songs that modulate in them or have some sort of mode mixture. Modulations are very common in K-Pop (especially in the ballads), whereas in western pop it is rare to hear a song with a modulation in it (at least in the last 10 years of pop music that is.) They also use unique chord progressions which tend to not be cliché and overused chords such as the I, V, vi, IV chord progression. Using new and different chord progressions like this makes it much more interesting for the listener. Other techniques include types of syncopation like the hemiola, which is used in "Glass Shoes" by Fromis_9, and suspensions which show up in some of Dreamcatcher's songs. Some K-Pop songs have very good basslines like in the song "Devil" by CLC. Other elements that I like in K-Pop songs include good piano parts like in "Shine" by PENTAGON, and cool guitar riffs like in "Pow Pow" by ALICE (Formerly know as ELRIS). I also really like the use of chromaticism in "Heart Attack" by Chuu from LOONA. It is very common to hear synthesized versions of real instruments. Synthesized strings are very common in the ballads. And one of the most common brass instruments that is used in its synthesized form is Bass Trombone. I am very partial to liking songs like this since Bass Trombone is my main instrument and I have played it for many years. Trumpet is also very common as well and it’s another instrument that I also play so I like the use of it in K-Pop as well.
Instrumental Versions of K-Pop songs
Sometimes K-Pop artists release their songs just as instrumentals. When the vocal parts are taken away and all that is heard is the instrumental parts this highlights the quality and complexity of the songs. This is what I call "going beneath the iceberg" on a song so you can hear the parts that are covered up by the vocals, and really get to know the song well down to its roots. Once a group called Lovelyz made a special instrumental album, called "Lovelyz: Muse on Music" which includes three CDs with the instrumental versions of many of their songs, as well as the actual handwritten sheet music that made when the songs were originally written, and it also includes the chord changes above every bar as well.
Variety of Group Types in K-Pop
Each group is unique, and they each have their own style, concept (or multiple concepts), and their own signature way of doing things. Since there are many different groups that means that there are several different concepts and so there is something for everyone. Because there are both female and male groups, there are a lot of groups to choose from. This means that there is a lot of variety and so if you listen to all the music of one group and you are looking for something new, then you can just discover a new group that you like to expand your horizons. I don't think there is any shame in being a fan of multiple groups because there is a lot of good music out there to discover.
Who is Dreamcatcher?
Dreamcatcher is a 7-member girl group that debuted on January 13th, 2017, under Happyface Entertainment (now known as Dreamcatcher Company.) The members include JiU, Sua, Siyeon, Handong, Yoohyeon, Dami and Gahyun. Before they were known as Dreamcatcher, they only had 5 members and they had a totally different name, which was MINX. The members of MINX included: JiU, Sua, Siyeon, Yoohyeon and Dami. MINX debuted on September 18th, 2014, and disbanded on November 29th, 2016. One of the songs that MINX had was called “Love Shake” and the music video for it was released July 1st, 2015. “Love Shake” was a fun EDM song, and the music video was very playful and had a nice summer theme in it. But I discovered that “Love Shake” was just a recycled song and that it was originally performed by Dalshabet, and it was originally released on June 6th, 2012, for Dalshabet’s 1st full Album called “Bang Bang.” For those that know, Dalshabet and MINX are from the same company so that is why this happened. For Dalshabet, “Love Shake” was a B-Side, but for MINX, it was a Title Track. However, because “Love Shake” was re-released in 2015 for MINX and it had already been released in 2012 for Dalshabet, it was already a three-year old song at that point and so because the song was recycled and dated, it was not commercially successful. Some people who are fans of both MINX and Dalshabet like to compare the two versions of “Love Shake” and decide which one is better. I personally like the MINX version more because it is more modernized, and I think that the voices of the MINX members suit the song a little bit more than the voices of the members of Dalshabet. MINX was considered a failure because they failed to establish a distinct sound and style in the K-Pop Industry. However, when they rebranded as Dreamcatcher in 2017, and added Handong, and Gahyun to the group, that is when things got interesting. Dreamcatcher is known for their Hard Rock or “Metal” sound, which I would call “K-Metal.” They are unique with this sound, and they are pretty much in their own category for it, because there aren't any other girl groups who have this type of sound. Dreamcatcher’s visual concept is very much based on a theme of horror and fantasy, and that is another thing that makes them unique, and when watching their music videos, you can tell that they were inspired by some classic horror movies when they created them. They do have songs in other styles though, and their variety comes from their B-side tracks. Their other songs include some very beautiful ballads like: “Emotion”, “Polaris”, “Lullaby”, “Dear”, “Always”, “Trust Me”, and “A Heart of Sunflower.” There is also the song called “Sleepwalking” which is an up-tempo EDM song, as well as “Jazz Bar” which is a Jazz influenced song. Dreamcatcher has some of the most difficult choreography in K-Pop in my opinion, and they perform it very well. Dreamcatcher’s fandom name is called Insomnia, and they are a very loyal and dedicated fanbase. They are one of those K-Pop groups that are more popular overseas like in the United States, and Europe, and so they have a larger international fan base than they do in South Korea. This is because of their unique sound that has a niche market, and it isn’t a sound that appeals to Koreans as much. Dreamcatcher has also been very consistent with their music releases, and they have maintained a high status in the K-Pop Industry, because they have avoided having any major scandals or controversies, which speaks to their dedication, professionalism, and their solid relationship with their fans and their company. During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, and 2021, I watched a total of five Online Concerts from Dreamcatcher, and they were all excellent and very entertaining, despite not being in person. Because of this, I believe that Dreamcatcher definitely had a successful “digital pivot” and was still thriving during the lockdown. On April 20th, 2022, Dreamcatcher got their first win on a music show for their song “MAISON” which is from their album called “Apocalypse: Save Us.” This was a huge deal for them, so I am very glad that they got recognized for their hard work, because they really deserve it. On November 16th, 2022, all 7 members of Dreamcatcher renewed their contracts with Dreamcatcher company. They renewed their contracts even before they expired because they had a lot of trust in their Company. This means that they will be around for longer and they will be able to gain even more fans and continue to make a big impact in the K-Pop Industry.
My 7 Favorite Categories of Girl Group songs in K-Pop
After being into K-Pop for many years now, I have finally figured out exactly which kinds of songs are my favorite, and I have categorized them in my own nerdy music-major way. I have organized them into seven different categories, most of which are not the typical way to group K-Pop songs. The seven categories are 160BPM+, E minor, Harmonic Minor, Decade inspired songs, A-Flat Major, Ballads, and Summer Songs. The first category is the 160BPM+ songs which are the songs that are at 160 beats per minute and above, which makes for a very fast, fun, and exciting style. I call this category "160 plus" for short. This tempo range is known in music as Vivace which means brisk and exciting, which is the perfect way to describe it. The reason why I am partial to the 160 plus category goes back to my marching band and drum corps days. When we did our field shows for competitions, the tempo of the Opener and Closer (the first and last movements of the show) was almost always at 160BPM or higher and so the K-Pop songs that use those tempos have a similar high energy and intensity that just gets to me on a personal level. The second category is the songs in the key of E minor, which I decided is my favorite minor key in music (as shown down below). Most of the songs in K-Pop that are in E minor are very badass and that's what I love the most about them. And funny enough, the song that got me into K-Pop, which is "DDU-DU DDU-DU" by BLACKPINK, is also in E minor. The third category is songs that are in harmonic minor mode, which is like the natural minor scale, but it has a raised seventh degree when ascending and descending. The fourth category is the songs that sound like 50's love songs such as "Sugar Sugar" by LABOUM, and "Lionheart" by Girls' Generation. I have also heard some songs that sound like 80's pop like "AALOW AALOW" by LABOUM, "B.B.B" by Dalshabet, "Someone like U" by Dalshabet, "FINGERTIP" by GFRIEND, "LA DI DA" by EVERGLOW, and "I CAN'T STOP ME" by TWICE. And I have also heard two songs that are in a 90's hip hop style like "Uh Oh" by (G)I-DLE and "Lady" by EXID. The fifth category is songs that are in the key of A-Flat Major, which I decided is my favorite major key in music (as shown down below). This is because the song that got me into western pop music is in A-Flat Major, which is "Eyes Wide Open" by Sabrina Carpenter, and my favorite K-Pop song of all time is also in that very same key, which is "Heart Shaker" by TWICE. I don't know why but for me listening to songs in the key of A-Flat Major just makes me feel like I'm at home and at peace. The sixth category is ballads, which are all great and most of them have modulations in them, which I really appreciate, and the modulation adds a lot of energy to the end of the song. A modulation is just a fancy term in music that means to change keys. K-Pop songs tend to modulate by one half step or one whole step. For example, "Memory" by IZ*ONE modulates from A-Flat Major to B-Flat Major, which is one whole step, and "When the Cherry Blossoms Fade" by I.O.I modulates from G Major to A-Flat Major, which is one half step. And the seventh and final category is summer songs, which are all fun and exciting and evoke a carefree spirit, such as "Dance the Night Away" by TWICE.
Alternate Meters in K-Pop
There are some songs in other meters besides 4/4 time like 6/8 time, which shows up in "Star Blossom" by Sejeong and Doyoung, "365" by LOONA, "Baby Doll" by Lovelyz, "Trust me (MIDZY)" by ITZY, and "My Palace" by CHUU. In music, 6/8 time is known as a “compound duple” meter. In compound meters, the beats are divided into three equal parts, and in 6/8, there are two main beats per measure, each subdivided into three eighth notes. So, while there are six eighth notes in total, the feel of the meter is based on two groups of three, giving it a “compound duple” feel. When conducted, 6/8 is either conducted in a two-beat pattern, or at slower tempos, it may be conducted in a six-beat pattern.
Interesting song samples in K-Pop
There are some K-Pop songs that have interesting samples in them, most of which are from Classical Music. The first one is "Summer Rain" by GFRIEND, which samples instrumentals from Robert Schumann's "Dicterliebe Op. 48:1." The second song is "Hands Up" by Cherry Bullet, which samples Beethoven's "Für Elise." And Red Velvet has two songs that sample Classical music. The first song is called "Feel My Rhythm" which samples Bach's "Air on the G String" and another one of their songs is called "Birthday" which samples George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Additionally, there is a song called “Poison Rose” by CRAXY, which samples the piano intro part of Franz Schubert’s “Erlkönig.” The original piece is in G minor, but in “Poison Rose” they transposed the whole song to the key of E-Flat minor, for a darker feel. BLACKPINK’s song “Shut down” samples Paganini’s III. Rondo à La Clochette. And CRAXY has a second classical sample, which is the beginning of their song called “NO LIMIT” where one of the members ChaeY sings a part of Chopin’s “Op. 9 No.2.” There are also some songs that are sampled which aren't from classical music, but I think they are worth mentioning anyways. IVE's song called "After Like" samples instrumentals from Gloria Gaynor's 1978 hit called "I will Survive" and the song is written very well, so it really sounds like it fits. Furthermore, there is a song by NMIXX called "Young, Dumb, Stupid" which samples the famous nursery rhyme "Frère Jacques" and I think it is very cool and clever and it has become my favorite song by NMIXX. I think that the trend of sampling classical music and nursery rhymes is popular because most of these songs that are being sampled were written over 75 years ago, which means that they are considered public domain so that means that anyone can use them without having to pay for the rights or paying for royalties to the original composer.
What is Moombahton?
Another sub-genre in K-Pop that I feel deserves a mention is called Moombahton. Moombahton is a genre that combines Reggaeton and House music. When I did some research about this, I discovered that this genre was invented by a guy named Dave Nada, who is a DJ from Baltimore. He discovered it when he was experimenting with music at a party. There were many Moombahton songs made in the U.S from 2009 to 2016. Then in 2016, the genre made its way into K-Pop, and I believe that the Koreans greatly improved it. Moombahton songs all have one thing in common with each other, which is the drumbeat, and it sounds like "Boom Cha Boom Cha Boom." More specifically, it uses a sixteenth note rhythm with a kick drum and a snare. First comes the kick drum on beat one, followed by two sixteenth rests and a snare drum hit on the "a" of one, then there is another kick drum on beat two, followed by one sixteenth note rest, and a snare hit on the "and" of two. Then there is one sixteenth rest, and another kick drum on beat three, and two more sixteenth rests, followed by a snare hit on the "a" of three, then another kick drum on beat four, and a sixteenth rest, followed by one last snare hit on the "and" of four and another sixteenth rest to complete the measure (see illustration below.) Moombahton songs are found all across K-Pop in not only girl groups, but also in boy groups and in coed groups as well. It is a style where I enjoy each song no matter what group it comes from, so I think it is something that would be appealing to many people. It's also a genre that I think would appeal to those who love Latin music since several Latin songs also have that very same drumbeat. It is very common in K-Pop to have a Moombahton song as a debut song for a new group, because it has become a very popular sub-genre, so it is safe to say that it will be commercially successful.
Here is an illustration of the moombahton beat that I was talking about before.
The kick drum is on the bottom space of the staff and the snare is in the third space from the bottom.
A common variant of this beat adds an extra snare hit on the "e" of three. as shown below.
What is Klezmer Mode?
When I was doing research about Moombahton songs in K-Pop, I found what is now my favorite Moombahton song, which is "Shadow Play" by PINK FANTASY. This song is very interesting because it uses a mode that I never even learned about in my Music Theory classes, however I believe that they should add it to the curriculum. The mode that I am referring to is called Klezmer mode, which I think is the coolest and most underrated mode in music. Klezmer music is Jewish/Yiddish music that uses Clarinet, Violin, Accordion, Trumpet, Tuba, Bass Drum, Cymbals, and Hammered Dulcimer. Klezmer music was featured in the popular musical "Fiddler on the roof." There are three modes in Klezmer music but the one that I will discuss is the first and most popular mode called "Ahava Raba" which means abounding love in Hebrew. There are two ways to describe this mode. It can be thought of as an altered form of Phrygian mode. The Phrygian mode is a minor scale where the second scale degree is lowered by one half step, which is what Klezmer mode has except for that it also has the third scale degree raised by one half step. An alternate way of thinking about it which I think is easier, is to think about it as a harmonic minor scale but starting on the fifth scale degree. For example, PINK FANTASY's song "Shadow Play" uses E Klezmer, which is the same as the A Harmonic Minor Scale, but it just starts on E and so it uses the notes E, F, G#, A, B, C, D, and then back to E. So E is the fifth scale degree of A and that is why I described this more as Harmonic Minor mode but starting on the fifth. This mode sounds very foreign and interesting and because of that it keeps the listener engaged throughout the whole song. Klezmer mode was also used in the song "Arabian Nights" from the popular Disney movie "Aladdin." I think it was so cool that this mode was featured in "Shadow Play" and I think that PINK FANTASY did a fantastic job with the song, and it is still a song that I listen to on repeat. In 2022, BLACKPINK released a song called "Pink Venom" which also uses Klezmer mode, and it is also a very well written song. I think it's interesting that both PINK FANTASY's song "Shadow Play" and BLACKPINK's song "Pink Venom" utilize E Klezmer and they also both use mode mixture because they also utilize E Major and E Minor throughout the song as well, which provides some good contrast and variety to the song (all three scales are shown below for comparison). If you look closely at the illustrations below, you will notice that all three scales have notes in common with them, which is why they fit very well together in the song.
Interesting and Unique Modulations in K-Pop
When discussing interesting and unique modulations in K-Pop, I feel that a group that needs to be mentioned is Lovelyz. There is a certain modulation that I have heard Lovelyz do multiple times in their music, and it's a modulation that I haven't seen other girl groups do. They first did it in their debut song, which is called "Candy Jelly Love." What they do is start in the key of C Major for the verses, and then when they get to the chorus of the song, they modulate to the key of D Major, and then go back and forth between the two keys. This effect gives more energy to the chorus since it is in a higher key, and it creates a nice contrast between the chorus and verse sections. I have effectively dubbed this as the "Lovelyz whole step modulation" since the interval between the two keys is always a whole step. This technique is also used in their song "Hi" and "Lost N Found" except for "Hi" starts in E-flat Major and modulates to F Major and "Lost N Found" starts in A-Flat Major and modulates to B-Flat Major.
A Discussion of Boy Groups
Within this discussion of K-Pop I believe that it is important to not leave out boy groups. I used to not like boy groups, but I have since changed my ways and I have found a few boy groups that I do enjoy like Golden Child, Pentagon, NCT 127, SEVENTEEN, ONF, SF9, and GOT7. I'm still more a casual fan of boy groups, whereas with girl groups, I always get really into them, and I become a hardcore fan. My first observation about boy groups is that they sing in a Tenor range, which is about a perfect fifth below girl groups. I also noticed that the boy groups have a lot of intense footwork, whereas for girl groups the point choreography is usually based on upper-body arm and hand movements. Boy groups provide an interesting contrast to girl groups with their sound and production of songs, and they tend to be more rap heavy than girl groups. I have probably heard about one tenth the amount of boy group music compared to girl group music, so I know that there is still a lot more to discover, but this is what I have noticed so far. Overall, I would say that I now have a better understanding as to why people love and appreciate boy groups as well, and I have found a few that I do like.
The K-Pop Generations Explained
Once I watched a very long and thorough video about the history of K-Pop hosted by Tamar Herman, who is a writer for Billboard Magazine who has met and interviewed some very famous K-Pop groups. In the video she discussed the different generations of the genre. The first generation is 1996-2003, gen two is 2004-2007, gen three is 2008-2012, gen four is 2013-2015 and gen five is 2016 to present. After listening to a significant amount of K-Pop, I can say that my favorite generations are gen four and gen five, which would be 2013 to present K-Pop. The generation system is not perfect though because not everybody agrees on what the year ranges are and how many generations there are, but I personally like Tamar Herman's system for generations the best.
The Quality of K-Pop Music Videos and the Lore Behind them
K-Pop stands out from other genres because it has very colorful and artistic videos, most of which have their own storylines connected to them and often use many computer-generated special effects. In some cases, the music videos can be connected to each other. For example, TWICE's MV for "Likey" at the end they play a little bit of the instrumental of "Heart Shaker" which is the song that came after "Likey" to do some fun foreshadowing for the next upcoming song. These music videos are unbeatable as far as quality and detail goes. It's the kind of thing that you can watch multiple times and always find something new that you didn't notice the last time you watched it. They are really works of art. I find it interesting that some of these music videos even have their own theories attached to them that the fans come up with and they are always very complex. My favorite music video theories always come from K-Pop Junkee's channel on YouTube. He always does a great job analyzing the story and message from the video. If you are looking for a group that has lots of lore in their music videos, then Aespa is the group for you. Part of Aespa's whole concept is that they have A.I members to act as counterparts to the real human members, and there is a lot of lore that is shown in the Aespa SM Culture Universe videos which you can look up if you are interested in that.
Some Group Names and the meanings behind them
Every K-Pop group has something about them that is unique and special, and they all shine in their own ways. Each group has an interesting name, and all the names have meanings that represent the group well. For example, TWICE gets their name because they charm the audience with their singing and dancing. Together these two aspects are what captivates the audience, and this is where the name TWICE comes from. Red Velvet gets their name from each word that represents their two different concepts. The Red side refers to the bold and exciting tracks and the Velvet side represents the elegant ballads. The meaning of BLACKPINK is explained in the music video for "DDU-DDU DDU-DU" where Jennie says that they are "Pretty and Savage" because pink represents the pretty side and black represents the savage side. Additionally, BLACKPINK’s song aptly titled “Pretty and Savage” goes on to explain this idea in more depth. One of the other girl groups that I like is called ILLIT, and their group name meaning is a combination of the words “I Will” and “it” and it means that the members will be able to be anything and look forward to becoming anything. This idea connects to a very popular verse in the Bible, which is Philippians 4:13 (NIV), which says “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” In this verse, the word “him” is referring to Christ, so it is saying that your strength comes from your faith in Jesus. There is a popular girl group called KISS OF LIFE, and they explain their group name meaning in this quote. They say “KISS OF LIFE, which is our group’s name and the title of our debut EP, refers to the mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration method. Like the name we plan on revitalizing and bringing fresh life to the K-Pop scene.” This idea connects to a passage in the Bible that comes from the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 37: 5-6 (NIV), God breathes life into dry bones, it says, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” So, in this passage God brings life to the dry bones, and it’s also true that God created KISS OF LIFE to revitalize the K-Pop scene. If you follow Jesus then you will also feel a sense of revitalization, rebirth and renewal. Another Girl Group that I really love is called ICHILLIN’ and the story behind their name, is very meaningful. Their name is combination of the word “AISLING”, which means dream and vision and “CHILLIN”, which means resting and style. A verse in the Bible that connects to this idea is in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), which says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse is saying that you should take comfort in knowing that God has a plan for your life, and he is always watching over you, no matter where you are. There is another Girl Group called STAYC, and their group name is an acronym, with a very meaningful message behind it. The name STAYC stands for “Star To A Young Culture” and I know that it means that STAYC wants to be “Stars” as in popular Artists that are a positive influence on the younger generations, and so they want to inspire young people and make a meaningful impact on their lives. The meaning of the name of STAYC can be connected to this passage in the Bible from Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV), which says “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”
Fandom Names and the meanings behind them
Along with the group names, each group also has its own fandom name. Additionally, the fandom names also have their own meanings as well. A good example of this is ITZY's fandom name which is called “MIDZY”, which means "to trust" in Korean because they want to have a relationship built on trust with their fans, which I think is very cool. The Weeekly Official Fandom Name is called “Daileee.” It means that without “Daileee” (Daily) Weeekly cannot exist. The meaning of “Dailee” emphasizes the daily connection between Weeekly and their fans, highlighting how essential the fans are to the group. A passage in the Bible that connects to this idea is Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV), which says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Just like how Weeekly cannot exist without Daileee, it’s like how people could not exist without God because God created people. He created us because he loves us even though we are flawed and we sin, but we should be faithful to him because he is faithful to us and his compassion and love for us is immeasurable. The Official fandom name of LOONA is called “Orbit” (오빛). The name means that fans create an “Orbit” around LOONA, which helps them grow. It also references the celestial concept. The Hangul version of the name can also be translated to “Oh light” (‘오’ means “oh”; ‘빛’ means “light”). A verse in the Bible that can be connected to the idea of this is John 8:12 (NIV), where Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This verse connects well with the “light” aspect of LOONA’s fandom name, “Orbit.” Just as their fans help LOONA grow and shine by creating an orbit around them, those who follow Jesus are guided by His light, never walking in darkness. The time that I became a fan of LOONA, was a dark time in my life because I was very depressed, and so I think that LOONA did bring help bring me out of my dark time, at least a little bit. The Official Fandom name of Fromis_9 is called “Flover.” It is a combination of the words “fromis” and “clover.” It means “a promise between Fromis_9 and their fans to spend happy moments together.” A verse in the Bible that connects to this idea can be found in Hebrews 10:25 (NIV), which says “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” This verse emphasizes the importance of gathering and encouraging one another, which ties nicely to the idea of Fromis_9 and their fans coming together to share happy moments. Human beings are social creatures, and we really do need each other. This verse also has some significance to me because I remember that we read it during my Symphonic Winds class in 2020 at Biola, when we our school was 100% online and on Zoom. It served as a reminder that even though we were doing school remotely and on Zoom, we were still meeting together in some capacity, which is what truly matters. The Official Fandom Name of NMIXX is called “NSWER” and it’s pronounced like the word “answer.” A verse in the Bible that connects to this comes from John 14:6 (NIV), “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Just like how “NSWER” is an “answer” for NMIXX meaning that they are very important and impactful in a meaningful way to NMIXX, this is like how Jesus is the ultimate answer to the problems in our lives and if we follow him then our lives will have meaning and fulfillment. When we sin, we move far away from Jesus but if we follow him then we are back to the ultimate right answer. The Official Fandom name of H1-KEY is M1-KEY (pronounced as “My Key.) It means that H1-KEY’s fans are their keys that they will take with them wherever they go and go through everything together. A perfect verse for this connection is from Joshua 1:9 (NIV), which says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Just like how H1-KEY relies on their fans, M1-KEY, to be with them wherever they go, it’s like how God is with us wherever we go, in our highs and lows, no matter where we are. The Official Fandom Name of TWICE is “ONCE” (원스). When the name was revealed in an Instagram post, it was described in the caption, “Once then TWICE. They seem to go together. If you love us even once, we’ll repay you with TWICE our love. It’s difficult to connect with people, and getting people to love is the most difficult of all. We’ll work hard so that you can look at us once and fall in love with us TWICE.” There is a great verse from Luke 6:38 (NIV), where Jesus says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This verse reflects the idea that when you give love, generosity or kindness, it comes back to you in abundance. This idea is like TWICE’s promise to give back twice the love. ONCE gives love to TWICE and then TWICE gives love back to ONCE. It’s a great cycle of reciprocating love and kindness towards one another. The Official Fandom name of OH MY GIRL is “Miracle.” This connects to Psalm 77:14 (NIV), which says, “You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” The idea of fans being called “Miracle” could be connected to God is the source of all miracles. Just as the fans bring joy and support to OH MY GIRL, God’s miracles are a source of awe, transformation, and blessing in people’s lives. As a Christian, I do believe in miracles, and I believe that they happen in our everyday lives, and not just in the stories of the Bible. The official fandom name of ILLIT is “GLLIT” and the word is inspired by the word “glitter,” and it means that the fans will shine bright, and they will help ILLIT to sparkle. This idea can be connected to Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV), where Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” This verse is saying that just like “GLLIT” helps ILLIT to sparkle, you should be a Christ-Like figure to others and spread kindness to people because it helps give glory to God.
Fan Service and Merchandise in K-Pop
Another thing that I love about K-Pop is the fan service. There are a lot of things to collect as a fan like light sticks. I love how there is a light stick for almost every group, and I think that light sticks are cool with all the light up colors and patterns. There are also many other merch items that you can collect such as photocards, posters, t-shirts, concert DVDs and Blu-rays, etc. I believe that these merch items are great because I heard that this what helps the artists make money and it's also fun to build a collection of these things as a fan.
The Fashion of K-Pop and how it influences South Korea
I love the fashion in K-Pop, and I feel like K-Pop Idols are all well put together and well dressed and they have cool outfits every time they perform. Each group has their own stylist, and they are very good at what they do. I think it's interesting how sometimes they have outfits that are identical or sometimes they have outfits with the same color scheme, but each member has a slightly different look to their outfit. K-Pop can have the power to influence fashion in Korea in a big way. Tamar Herman said that when "Gee" by Girls' Generation was released it featured some very colorful jeans in the music video, which quickly became a fashion trend in Korea and sometimes people would know the Fashion of K-Pop before even hearing the actual music.
K-Pop Idol's Friendship with each other
In K-Pop, you would expect Idols from different groups to be rivals since they are in fierce competition against each other to be number one, but this just isn't the case. The truth is that they get along quite well with each other. Idols from different groups are often friends and they don't just think of each other as competitors. The best example of this would be TWICE's Nayeon, who is friends with many different Idol Singers from many different groups (see the "Nayeon being the Nation's BFF" video on YouTube.) I once heard someone say that fans shouldn't have fan wars (which is fights between fanbases) because Idols are friends with each other and so we should also be friends with people from different fanbases. As a multi-fandom fan of K-Pop I agree with that statement.
Variety Shows, VLOGs, Reality Shows, and How to be a Successful K-Pop Fan
Something that is very interesting in the K-Pop world is variety shows. Idol groups are
guests on these shows, and they are interviewed, but they also play fun games, such as the whisper challenge, the rollercoaster dance, random dance challenge, and two times speed dance challenge. These shows are very entertaining and interesting to watch, and they don't really have anything quite like that in the United States. My favorite variety shows are: Weekly Idol, Idol Room, Fact iN Star, Knowing Bros, and the After-School Club. Weekly Idol is a good way to get into a new group because it helps you learn each member's individual talents and skills and showcases their personalities well. In addition to Variety Shows, they also sometimes have VLOGs or Reality shows about these groups, which are also entertaining to watch. A good way to get into a new group is to watch an MBC stage compilation, because it shows performances from the group's debut up until a more recent comeback. This shows the evolution of the group, and it gives you a complete idea of what they are like. Another helpful resource is kprofiles.com. That site has information about all the members of each group, with many facts and interesting tidbits about them. If you look up "MV with names" you can find a music video from the group that shows each member's name when they appear on screen, which is helpful for learning each member's name. It is important to note that when learning the member's names that they change their hairstyle and color every couple of months so don't go by hair when learning their names. They also have guides to each group on YouTube, which can be helpful as well. On YouTube, the guides are called "Unhelpful Guides”, but they are actually helpful because it's just a joke.
A Discussion of Stages, Stage Mixes, and Fan Cams
K-Pop groups have many performances of their songs on a regular basis. These are commonly known in the K-Pop world as "stages." The groups perform live on broadcasting shows such as: Inkigayo, Music Bank, Show Music Core, Show Champion, M Countdown, and The Show, etc. In these shows, each act is trying to compete for number one song of the week. The votes are tallied up using views from the music video on YouTube, and they also collect other data from different categories to get the results. Then fans will vote for their favorite song of the week. And then they total it all up and announce the winner. The winner gets a trophy, and they also get to do what's called an "encore stage," where they get to sing the song again, but these are usually more laid back and fun. It is kind of a big deal for a group to get a win on a music show because this gives them more recognition and helps boost their popularity. After a group has performed a song many times on different music shows, fans will create what is called a "stage mix" which is something that is like a compilation of different stages from the same song. I like to watch stage mixes because it's cool to see all the different outfits that they wore in that promotion, and some people are quite skilled at making cool stage mixes with interesting transitions and special computer-generated visual effects. There is also something called a "fan cam" which is a video that focuses on just one member while the group is performing. Sometimes fan cams can go viral, which was the case for the fan cam of Hanni from EXID performing "up and down" which now has 36 million views on YouTube, and it made EXID very popular, and it pretty much single-handedly saved them from disbanding. Another one of the things that I love about live performances is the special effects. Most performances have confetti that shoots out of a cannon, and sometimes they will have background dancers or fireballs or a fog machine.
How K-Pop music is released
I love the way they release music in K-Pop. The music is released very consistently, but it is usually in the form of mini albums, which I think is a good way to do it. They will either have a single (with one or two songs), a mini album (with 5 to 6 songs), or a Full Album (with 8+ songs.) However, the music comes out much more frequently like every couple of months, as compared to western pop, where they usually just release a new album every two years, or they release singles every once in a while.
K-Pop Lingo that you should know
There is a lot of lingo in the K-Pop industry, and I think these words are important to know, so I have explained them here. When a K-Pop group comes out with new music it is called a "comeback." A comeback means that there is a new music video, and a new EP or album out, and there is a comeback showcase, live performances, appearances on variety shows, dance practice videos, and other content like a jacket making film (which is the behind the scenes of their album photoshoot), or a behind the scenes from the making of the music video. During the comeback, the group promotes their new song which is called the "title track" which is K-Pop lingo for the "single." It used to be that the title track had the same name as the album, and that's where it gets its name from, but nowadays the title track usually has a different title from the name of the album. The group will promote the title track for about four to five weeks on those music broadcast shows that I mentioned earlier. A "concept" is referring to the musical genre of the song, but also the aesthetic style of the music video in a visual sense. For example, you could have a song that has a “goth” aesthetic, but is in a “rock” genre, so it would be called a “goth rock concept” or something like that. Some Groups tend to do the same concept every time to have a more defined and distinct sound and look, or some groups will change their concept every comeback, and some do something in between those two things. So, the word “concept” just basically means the overarching theme of the comeback. The word "bias" means your favorite member of the group. For example, my bias TWICE is Nayeon. I would say that it's okay if your bias changes because sometimes you start to notice other members of the group and you grow more of an appreciation for them. There is another word called a “bias wrecker” which is a member who unexpectedly catches a fan’s attention and makes them rethink their original bias. For example, in LIGHTSUM, my bias is Nayoung for her cute look and solid vocals, but my bias wrecker is Sangah because I love her rapping, dancing, charisma, and overall stage presence. The term "Hallyu" means the wave of Korean Culture that is sweeping the globe, which is usually referring to K-Pop or K-Dramas, but the term includes anything that has to do with Korean culture, such as Korean Food, etc. When someone acts cute and talks in a baby voice, this is called "aegyo" (pronounced as egg yo). I believe that Kei from Lovelyz is the absolute master of aegyo (see Kei aegyo on YouTube.) When a group sings perfectly and they absolutely nailed the song, we like to say that "they ate the CD" meaning that they sang as good as the vocal track. Some idols have a stage name which they go by while they are in the group. For example, there is E:U from EVERGLOW. Her stage name means "especially for you" and her real name is Park Jiwon. Koreans put their last name first, so her first name is Jiwon, and her last name is Park. This is a tradition that extends also to other Asian Countries as well such as Japan, and China. In K-Pop, there is something called an All-Kill, which is a major marker of success, which means that a K-Pop group has gotten number one on every major Korean chart. In 2021, a group called Brave Girls got super popular and they managed to get an All-Kill, which is amazing. So, when Idols perform live on these broadcast shows they have a point after the song is over where they zoom in on a member or two and they make a cool face. Those who do this well are known as the "ending fairy." A term that has surprisingly carried over from the old days of vinyl records is the term "B-sides" which means anything that is not a title track. If you really love a K-Pop song, you can say this song is a "banger" or a "bop" or "this song slaps" or "this song is FIRE!!!" If you thought a performance by an Artist was amazing, you can say “they slayed!!!” Or the phrase that is up a couple levels from that is “they ate and left no crumbs!!!” There is a Korean word that they use called "Sunbaenim" (pronounced as sun bay neem) which is used when a new group is referring to a senior group, because in Korean culture they really value respecting their elders. There are a few other Korean terms that you should know like the word "Daebak" which is like their way of saying that something is "awesome." Also, they use the acronym "TMI”, but it doesn't mean "too much information" like our definition of TMI. Instead, TMI in their culture is when they share an interesting fact about something that happened that day, like a funny story or a story about what they ate for lunch that day. There is also another Korean word called "Hwaiting" which comes from the English word "fighting”, and it translates to "good luck" or "let's go" or "you can do it" so it is a form of encouragement that Idols give to each other. There is something called "point choreography" in K-Pop, which refers to the part of the choreography that is the most iconic, memorable, and unique, and it's something that the average fan could imitate even if they are not a dancer. There is an acronym that has become more popular in K-Pop lately because of its appearance in two different songs. The acronym that I am referring to is called “O.O.T.D” which means “Outfit of The Day.” It is mentioned in IVE’s song called “Kitsch” and Dreamcatcher has a song called “OOTD” as well.
The proper use and definition of the word "Idol"
In K-Pop, singers are referred to as "Idols" or "Idol Singers." This term was coined in 1996, which was when H.O.T debuted under SM Entertainment. It is a fact that it is the oldest term in the K-Pop Industry. It’s important to know the definition and intended connotation of the word "Idol." The word "Idol" is intended to mean a K-Pop singer who is a role model, inspirational, charming, charismatic, talented, confident, and iconic. This word is not intended to be interpreted as if it were in a religious context. Idols are not meant to be people you worship and treat like gods or goddesses because that would be unhealthy and unethical, and it is a sin. I believe that it is okay to use this word if you know that distinction, as it has been a widely accepted term in the industry for nearly 30 years. I have a theory that the word “Idol” was created because there is a huge difference between K-Pop Artists, and Western Artists, so they wanted to distinguish the two types of people. I do not believe that the term was created so that people would immediately start worshipping them.
K-Pop and the Seventh Commandment
In the New Testament of the Bible, there is a section in the book of Matthew, which is about Adultery. This verse is from when Jesus is giving his sermon on the Mount, and he talks about the Ten Commandments on a deeper level. The Seventh Commandment states that it is a sin to commit adultery. In Matthew 5:28 (NIV), Jesus says, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” In this verse, Jesus is explaining that it is a sin for a man to look at a woman with eyes of lust. It is important to note that the term “adultery” does not just mean cheating on someone when you are in a relationship. In this case, the Bible refers to single people and those in relationships. The Bible is giving the example of a man looking at a woman with the eyes of lust, but anyone can look at someone else with the eyes of lust, regardless of their gender. This idea applies to men looking at Female Idols with the eyes of lust, as well as women looking at Male Idols with the eyes of lust. It is a fact that K-Pop Idols are very visually appealing, and their companies have a lot of control over the way that they look in various ways, so it becomes very easy to exoticize them and obsess over them. So, I believe that it is a sin to look at K-Pop Idols in pictures or videos with the eyes of lust, and if you get to that point then I believe that you are worshiping Idols. This idea links back to the First and Second Commandments in the Old Testament, which are: “You shall have no other gods before me” and “you shall make no idols.” These verses are listed in the book of Exodus 20: 3-4 (NIV), which says, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”
So, the question is: how can we change our lens and view K-Pop Idols in a way of respect and admiration that is not lustful or sinful? It starts with recognizing the difference between appreciation and objectification. By viewing K-Pop Idols as talented individuals with unique artistry, rather than objects of desire, we can shift our focus to their skills, hard work, and creative expression. It’s all about retraining your brain and changing your perception of them to a healthier mindset. I have seen several posts on the internet that have beautiful pictures of Female K-Pop Idols, and I have found that there is a common phrase that comes up in the caption of these pictures. It often says something along the lines of “let me show you some beautiful pictures of K-pop Idols to bless your eyes” (a very good example of this can be found on kpopsource.com, and I will put the link to that post below.) And I thought that the phrase “to bless your eyes” sounds very wholesome and that it sounds like a much healthier way to look at Female K-Pop Idols, then with the eyes of lust, like that passage in the book of Matthew says. I also found it interesting that Jesus says in Matthew 5:29 (NIV), “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” So, my interpretation of this verse is that Jesus is saying that once you look at a woman with the eyes of lust, then your eyes become unholy. He is not saying to gouge your eyes out, but it is a metaphor to say that your eyes become infected by sin. However, the idea of “blessing your eyes” with beautiful pictures of Female K-Pop Idols, is quite the opposite of that. There is a very popular musical called “Les Misérables” and at the end of it, there is a line where they say, “To love another person is to see the face of God!” I believe that this line is saying that if you love someone, then you view them as a part of God’s creation. In Psalm 139:14 (NIV), the Bible says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” In this verse, the Bible is saying that human beings are a part of God’s wonderful creations and so we should look at K-Pop Idols in a way that “blesses our eyes” instead of a lustful and sinful way. Additionally, we can think about the beautiful singing voices of K-Pop Idols as something that “blesses our ears as well.” I also believe that we are blessed to live at the same time as them because if you think about it, you could have been born in a completely different era. In the Bible, in Numbers 6:24-25 (ESV), it says, “The Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.” I believe that the face of the Lord is shining upon us when we watch these K-Pop Groups perform and they are “shining” because we are celebrating God’s Creation of them. And he is gracious to us because he is kind enough to give us the opportunity to watch them perform. In Numbers 6:26, it goes on to say, “the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” I know that the word “countenance” means face, so I think of it as “the Lord lift up his face upon you” and I believe that this means that God is making me happy, because if you are “lifting up your face” then you are putting your chin up and you are smiling so God is using K-Pop to make us more happy. And in the last line “and give you peace” I believe that K-Pop does give me peace, because I consider music a “vacation from reality” because it’s a way for me to escape from the troubles of my everyday life. The idea of music as a “vacation from reality” can be connected to Psalm 32:7 (NIV), which says “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” This verse portrays God as a refuge, with music in the part about “songs of deliverance” offering protection and comfort. These are all the ways in which we are blessed by K-Pop, and this is a much healthier approach to view K-Pop Idols with appreciation, and respect, and a heart of gratitude.
Things I hate about K-Pop
As with anything, there are negatives within the K-Pop industry as well. There are things that the fans do that I don't like, also many controversies and drama in the industry, as well as decisions that the entertainment companies make that I really don't agree with. The first thing that I hate is MR removed videos. This is when somebody removes the audio of the background track for a live performance to try to prove that the Idols can't sing. I find this very irritating because all of them can sing well, and I don't like it when people try to expose them like that. I believe that MR removed Videos are bad for the industry because I think it is discouraging Idols from singing live because they are afraid of getting "canceled" if they don't sing perfectly. I believe this is why Idols are starting to lip sync more and I just don't want live singing to die off entirely. Another thing that I hate is sasaeng fans. Koreans use the word "sasaeng" which means an obsessive fan that stalks idols and invades their privacy and personal space to an extreme level. In one case, a few sasaeng fans followed Red Velvet all the way to Switzerland by figuring out which flight they were on, and they took the same flight. It was insane. Also, Nayeon from TWICE has a very creepy sasaeng and he claims that he's deeply in love with Nayeon and wants to marry her and have children with her. He was so persistent that JYP Entertainment hired bodyguards and put Nayeon and the rest of the members of TWICE under police protection, and he had a restraining order filed against him. It was a scary situation. Another thing that I don't like is when Idols are pressured into getting plastic surgery. South Korea is known as the "plastic surgery capital of the world" which is not exactly the best title to have. I believe that the Korean beauty standards are way too strict, and I also believe that Idols should not be coerced by society, by their companies, into getting plastic surgery. If it is their choice, then I suppose that is okay, but they should never be forced or pressured into it.
Why Toxic fans are the worst thing about the K-Pop Industry
The thing I hate the most about K-Pop is toxic fans. Toxic fans are the worst because they can say hateful and malicious comments, which is a form of defamation, and spread rumors about Idols that aren't true. Additionally, they can accuse them of things that they didn't do and make these controversies way overblown. That famous saying, which is “making a mountain out of a molehill” is a very precise phrase to describe toxic fans in the K-Pop industry. And they also seem to want to try to "cancel" anybody that does something that they don't agree with. The good news is that SM entertainment has been hiring new lawyers to take legal action against malicious commentators who try to defame their artists, and other companies have also done the same thing, but the internet is still a place filled with lots of negativity and hate. I feel that most of the problems in the K-Pop industry are either caused by toxic fans, or toxic fans can escalate the situation, so that is why they are the worst thing about K-Pop. And most of the controversies and drama that happens in the industry can be linked back to toxic fans. A good passage in the Bible that connects to this idea, comes from James 3:9-10 (NIV), which says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” Just like many things in the world, our mouths and minds can create words and thoughts that can be weapons of destruction or tools for good, depending on how we use them. They can build people up and give them love and support, or they can spread hate and anger to the world. If you said every word and thought that came to your mind, then you would eventually get in trouble for it, since having no filter at all can become destructive. It’s so easy to hide behind a keyboard and a screen name, spewing a bunch of hate towards someone, but could you really say the same things to their face if you were standing right in front of them?
The Pressures That Keep Female K-Pop Idols Underweight
In the K-Pop Industry, Female K-Pop Idols are put under immense pressure to keep their weight low while they are actively promoting their music. The Entertainment companies that they are signed to, often do weight checks regularly and they are sometimes told that they need to lose weight before the next promotion period. Additionally, there are anti-fans who will comment “you look fat” on YouTube from their live performances, so there is a body shaming element of it too. It doesn’t help that the beauty standards in South Korea are so high, so pressures from society contribute to this as well. And with the high number of calories that Female Idols burn during their rehearsals, with all their singing and dancing, they could be burning more calories than they eat. The Entertainment companies also usually have a strict control over their diets, which is yet another pressure to deal with. These five pressures become a huge health concern when Female Idols are so malnourished that they can faint or collapse during the performance, which is very scary. I heard that Jeon Somi’s diet once consisted of only bananas and water every day, which is obviously not a healthy diet. It is important to note that these pressures do not mean that these Female Idols have Anorexia because it is different than this. Anorexia Nervosa is a mental health disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and severe food restriction leading to significant weight loss. It is driven by internal psychological factors and often accompanied by a deep obsession with weight and body shape, regardless of external pressures. People with anorexia often have an overwhelming need to control their food intake and exercise habits to an extreme degree. So, to recap, both Female K-Pop Idols and people with Anorexia are both underweight, but for the Idols, it is about external pressure, and for Anorexia patients it is more about internal psychological battles. Interestingly, I once found an ‘Anorexia Calculator’ online and used it to input the height, weight, and age of several female K-Pop idols, including TWICE’s Nayeon. In many cases, the calculator suggested that these idols ‘may be at risk for Anorexia.’ However, even though the numbers indicate a possible risk, it’s clear from their overall appearance and physical condition that they look healthier compared to actual anorexia patients. This highlights the fine line between external pressures and the visible health of female K-Pop idols. On a more positive note, I saw something happen recently, which shows a glimmer of hope about the issue of body shaming in the K-Pop Industry. Natty, who is a member of the popular girl group KISS OF LIFE, recently went viral because of her small weight gain, and the reception from fans was overwhelmingly positive. People said that she looks a lot healthier now and that she is setting a new standard for K-Pop Idols. I believe that this situation is significant as it is the first time that I have seen any positive comments about an Idol’s weight gain, since I became a K-Pop fan in 2018. I don’t believe that the Korean Entertainment Companies will ever change their ways, and the Beauty Standards in South Korea don’t seem like they will be changing any time soon, and their will probably always be toxic fans who are fat shaming Idols, but it’s nice to see a shift in perception with fans saying something positive for once.
Cultural Appropriation in K-Pop
K-Pop is a genre of music that borrows from many different styles of music, and many different styles of dance, and because it is becoming so popular around the globe, this makes it a target for Cultural Appropriation. In my case, I hadn’t even heard the term “Cultural Appropriation” until I became a K-Pop Fan. Cultural Appropriation is defined as: the act of taking or using elements of one culture, often by a more dominant culture, without permission or understanding, and often in a way that can be considered disrespectful, exploitive, or decontextualized. However, it seems that the height of Cultural Appropriation in K-Pop was in 2019 and 2020, and there seems to be less and less cases of it every year, since previous incidents serve as a precedent for the future incidents. A very good example of a song that “did it right” and became more of “Cultural Appreciation” than “Cultural Appropriation” is “Paint the Town” by LOONA, which was released in 2021. This song was inspired by Indian Bollywood music, and the reason why this wasn’t an issue, was that it listed this fact in the description section of the Music Video on YouTube. The song called “IDOL” by BTS, which was released in 2018, was also considered “Cultural Appreciation” because it included choreography that was inspired by African culture, but more specifically, West, and South African. They incorporated the dance move ‘Gwara Gwara’ which is a popular dance move from South Africa and they respectfully credited where that dance move came from. People tried to dismiss the origin, but BTS always brought it back to its South African roots. The weird part about Cultural Appropriation in K-Pop is that people seem to “pick and choose” what they get angry about. There is a song though that I was surprised that it didn’t receive any criticism at all, and it shocked me honestly. The song Super Shy by NewJeans, uses an African style of dance called “waacking” and I was like “why did NewJeans not get canceled for that?” This story illustrates my point that people really do “pick and choose” what to be angry about. Additionally, K-Pop is a genre of music that heavily uses rapping and hip-hop, which is a genre that was literally invented by African Americans, but nobody says, “You have to be African American to rap.” K-Pop is not the first or only genre of music to incorporate many styles of music into it. Jazz music is a genre of music that also brings together many cultures and styles of music and why is Jazz not considered Cultural Appropriation? The answer is of course that the term “Cultural Appropriation” did not exist at all during the invention of Jazz as a genre of music. Finally, Jazz also did something amazing which is that it brought people of different ethnicities together to play music, even in the height of the Civil Rights Era in the 1960’s.
Colorism in K-Pop and Korean Culture
In K-Pop, and Korean Culture, there is a heavy preference for people with “milky white skin.” There are some Female K-Pop Idols who are praised for having such fair and beautiful skin, such as Irene of Red Velvet, who gets numerous endorsements for skincare and beauty brands. On the other hand, there are some Idols, such as Hyolyn of SISTAR, and Hwasa of MAMAMOO, who have been heavily criticized for their tan skin, but they embraced their darker skin, which is admirable. These biases exist not just in K-Pop, but also more broadly in Korean Culture as well. I once watched a Television show on Netflix called “Single’s Inferno” which is a Korean dating reality show where male and female participants gather on a remote deserted Island called “Inferno” where they are not allowed to disclose their ages or professions, until they get matched to go to “Paradise” where they have very fancy and luxurious dates and get to know each other more intimately. The matching is done through various challenges and games that the participants take part in. At the end of the show, the participants choose their final match. Anyways, in Season 2 I noticed that one participant named Park Sejeong, was very attractive but she also had very tanned skin compared to the other female participants in that season. She was 26 years old at the time, and she said that she was literally a model for a living. Unfortunately, Sejeong did not ever get matched to go to Paradise, and did not end up with a match at the end of the show, which was very sad, and this story illustrates the problem of Colorism in Korean Culture. Additionally, I noticed that the male participants who had tan skin were all going to Paradise and did often end up with a match at the end of the show, so this shows that there are also some double standards happening here as well.
The “7-Year Curse”
In the K-Pop industry, the contracts of Artists are typically 7 years, which means that after 7 years have gone by, their contract expires, and so sometimes all the members resign with the company, and then the group can continue as normal. Or sometimes, some of the members will resign and some will not and then they will leave the group to pursue new endeavors. The worst outcome is when the group disbands before their 7-year contract is over, due to lack of popularity or irrelevancy, or if the group just disbands after their contract expires if all the members decided to not renew it. The unfortunate part about it is that there is an unfair disparity between the length of careers of Boy Groups vs. Girl Groups. For example, Super Junior is a Boy Group that debuted in 2005 and are still somewhat active today, whereas with Girl Groups they often disband way too early in my opinion and a lot of them did not deserve to disband. This is one of the many double standards in the K-Pop Industry. Both Girl Groups and Boy Groups suffer from the “7-Year Curse” however, more Boy Groups make it past the 7- year mark than the Girl Groups, which I believe is very unfair. Additionally, there were some Girl Groups that evolved a lot from their debut such as Dalshabet, which was a Girl Group that debuted in 2011, and they started with very cute concepts and then slowly transitioned to very sexy concepts as they got older. In 2015, Dalshabet released a song called “Joker” and it was met with much controversy. The choreography and lyrics were seen as too inappropriate for Music Bank on KBS. KBS took action by forcing Dalshabet to change their choreography and lyrics, since the choreography was very sexy, and the lyrics were viewed as too suggestive for the network and their standards. This shows that South Korea is a more conservative country as far as what they define as “too sexy.” Unfortunately, Dalshabet’s last promotion was in 2016, so they did not last 7 years either. Sexy K-Pop Girl Groups are also pretty much totally gone now in K-Pop because Dalshabet, Girl’s Day, EXID, SISTAR, AOA, Hello Venus, and Miss A, were the “Queens of Sexy” back in their day and they are all now disbanded. In contrast, the “cute” and “girl crush” concepts are very much alive and well right now with K-Pop Girl Groups. Now, Girl Groups only really do sexy concepts for one promotion like when LIGHTSUM did “Honey or Spice” or like GFRIEND’s final promotion for “MAGO.” The reason for this shift could be the changing tastes and preferences of the fans, as well as the broader shifts in society in South Korea, or the heavy criticism that those sexy girl groups received from being “too sexy for South Korea.” TWICE debuted in 2015 with JYP Entertainment, and they started with very cute concepts and then starting with the song “FANCY” in 2019 they transitioned to more mature concepts, but I feel like they never really crossed the line into “sexy” which I believe to be the key to their longevity since all of the 9 members of TWICE signed new contracts in 2022, which was the 7th year and it was when they were supposed to disband.
Debuting minors in K-Pop
In the K-Pop Industry, debuting minors in groups has been very controversial, especially in the last two years or so. My first example of this is Hyein of NewJeans, who debuted at the age of 14, in 2022. Hyein received much criticism for this, and I think that it was unfair for her to get so much negativity, just for being young. Then in 2023, BABYMONSTER debuted, and their youngest member was Chiquita, who was only 13 at the time, but she did not receive as much criticism for it, and I think that is because she debuted after Hyein did. As a contrast, I researched who the youngest male idol to debut was, and the answer is Jisung of NCT Dream, who debuted at the age of 14 in 2016. His debut was much less controversial, which I believe was mostly because he is male and not female. Additionally, something else that not many people talk about is that Boa was 13 years old when she debuted as a Solo Artist, but it was in the year 2000, so the internet was very different then and cancel culture wasn’t around at all yet and also this was a time when K-Pop was mostly just popular in South Korea and Japan and not many other countries. The same can be said for IU who debuted as a Solo Artist at the age of 15 in 2008. Both Boa and IU debuted at young ages and did not receive much criticism for it because it was a different time. On another note, debuting minors in K-Pop can be risky because someone who is very young might read a contract and not understand every word in the contract, so they could sign something that they don’t understand, or they could get scammed by someone in the company or lose a lot of money. So, they could be exploited or deceived or taken advantage of.
The impressive work ethic of K-Pop Idols
On a more positive note, K-Pop Idols have an excellent work ethic. I have always been impressed with how hard they work and it's very cool to see what they achieve. When they shoot the music videos, they usually film them for three days in a row with almost no sleep, which sounds exhausting, but they always manage to push through it. I also really like how they do something called "monitoring" which is when every member will watch their own live performance and see what they did well and see what they can improve on, which is a very good way to get better. I also heard that they sometimes practice for 12 hours a day, which explains why their choreography is so unbelievably clean. One unfortunate misconception about K-Pop Idols is that they make a lot of money. This is usually not true, but Idols from top tier groups do make some money. This is because they must split the pay between the members and sometimes, they owe money to their company for various things. This is not fair because they should make a lot of money because they work so hard. The reason K-Pop Idols love what they do is not for the money, instead they do it because they are passionate about music and performing and they are very good at their craft. As a musician myself, I know that there is a certain kind of high that you can get after a great performance, and it's an amazing feeling. This is part of the reason why I admire and love K-Pop Idols so much.
How K-Pop helped me through the Pandemic
In the midst of a Global Pandemic, I was very pleasantly surprised how the K-Pop industry still went strong. Despite the Pandemic, there have still been many excellent songs released in 2020 and 2021. There were still some big disappointments such as tours and comebacks getting canceled or postponed, but they still gave us online concerts, which were still pretty good. They were still very high quality and well done even though they were online. I have seen many of them and they were all excellent and they made me feel a lot better during those challenging times. Most of those concerts I watched in the wee hours of the morning because Korean Standard Time is 16 hours ahead of my time (which is Pacific Standard Time), but it was totally worth it because all the concerts were awesome, and they really made me feel a lot better when I was very depressed from all the crazy things happening in the world at the time. In Summer 2022, I got the amazing opportunity of going to several K-Pop concerts in real life again, and it was so fantastic and so much better than watching an online concert. I nicknamed this time "COVID Revenge: Summer 2022" because I was getting my revenge by going to real concerts to make up for all those times when I couldn't before. It was awesome for me as a fan, and I'm sure it was also awesome for the artists as well, because they finally got the opportunity to perform in front of real people again.
My Experience at K-Play Fest/How K-Pop Makes Viral Dances that trend all over the World.
In January of 2023, I went to an amazing event called K-Play Fest LA. At this event I did some Photo card Trading, bought some merchandise that they were selling, and I saw an awesome performance by AleXa. But my favorite things to at the event were the Random Play Dance and the Dance Workshop. At the Random Play Dance, everyone would gather around in a circle, and then they would play about 30 seconds of a random K-Pop song and the people that knew it would jump in the circle and start dancing. It was so cool to watch people do this, and it was a nice community because everyone was so supportive and encouraging to those who were dancing inside the circle. In the Dance Workshop, I got to learn some real choreography from an instructor who taught us every dance move in detail. This event went for two days and so I was able to attend two Dance Workshops. The first day we learned Ditto by NewJeans and the second day we learned Candy by NCT Dream (which is a remake, and the original is by H.O.T and was released in 1996). It was very cool to learn actual K-Pop choreography because it was my first time and I was proud of myself for going outside of my comfort zone, and it ended up being the highlight of the weekend. What I learned from the Random Play Dance is that K-Pop is the genre with the most viral dances that are trendy Worldwide, and no other genre inspires people to get up and dance quite like this one. In a Post-Pandemic world, it is imperative that we gather as a community because human beings are naturally social creatures and without that we will lose all our sanity.
The Incredible Intermingling of Sabrina Carpenter and K-Pop in 2023
As you may have noticed, I am a huge fan of Sabrina Carpenter. She is not only my favorite Western Pop Artist, but also the Artist who got me into Pop music. Additionally, I got into Dua Lipa through Sabrina Carpenter when she sang a cover of Dua Lipa’s song “New Rules” on her U.S Tour in 2017. And as I mentioned earlier, I got into K-Pop through Dua Lipa and BLACKPINK’s collaboration song “Kiss and Make Up.” So, I owe a lot to Sabrina Carpenter, and I may have not been a K-Pop fan without her, and there are many more connections that she has to my other Artists that I didn’t even mention. Anyways, Sabrina Carpenter has made her way into the K-Pop world in four different ways in 2023, and I would like to mention them because they all made me feel like I came full circle in different ways. The first thing that happened in 2023, was at the Billboard Women in Music Awards. Sabrina Carpenter ended up presenting the Breakthrough Artist Award to TWICE, so I thought it was so legendary that my favorite American Artist was able to present an award to my Favorite K-Pop Girl Group. The second event that happened was that Sabrina Carpenter performed at the BST Hyde Park Summer Festival, which was in the beginning of July and held in London. BLACKPINK also performed at the same festival and on the same day as well. Sabrina Carpenter even said that she was a huge fan of BLACKPINK herself and she was really looking forward to seeing BLACKPINK’s performance. The third event that happened was that Sabrina Carpenter had her first ever collaboration with a K-Pop Group, and it was none other than FIFTY FIFTY, who was gaining massive popularity for their song “Cupid” and Sabrina Carpenter was featured on a new remix of the song. The fourth event that happened took place on December 1st, 2023. I was fortunate enough to attend Jingle Ball LA 2023, and it had an incredible lineup including: AJR, Niall Horan, Flo Rida, Miguel, Doechii, P1Harmony, and Olivia Rodrigo. However, there were two more Artists there that I was super excited to see, which were Sabrina Carpenter, and (G)I-DLE. Since I have been a fan of Sabrina Carpenter since 2016, and a fan of (G)I-DLE since 2018, I thought it was so amazing to see both at the same event. I was able to bring my official (G)I-DLE light stick in to cheer for (G)I-DLE and I wore my Sabrina Carpenter hoodie to show that I was a fan of hers as well. This was the first concert that I had been to that had not only Pop but also K-Pop Artists in it, and so it means that the lines between Pop and K-Pop finally starting to blur in 2023, and so my two worlds between each genre of music have begun to collide. So, it would be an understatement to say that this was another legendary moment for me.
Conclusion
Overall, K-Pop is an amazing genre because it has high quality music that is complex and well written from a music theory standpoint. Furthermore, it has variety in that it takes influence from many other genres, and it also has variety in the types of groups that it offers, like with its girl groups, boy groups, coed groups, and female and male solo artists as well. Also, it is refreshing since it is in a foreign language and from a foreign country, so the exotic nature of it is part of what makes it so interesting. Since there is a huge quantity of music out there to discover, this means that there is always a new group or solo artist to find so you are never bored. K-Pop has helped me to embrace the idea of learning about people from different countries and cultures. Additionally, it has made me more excited to meet people from different places all around the world. As a Music Composition Major, a Christian, and a strong advocate for Female Artists in the Music Industry, K-Pop has taught me a lot and it has changed my life in many ways, and I think it’s a wonderful and fascinating genre of music.
If you would like to test your skills and see how much you remember from my Essay then click here to take this quiz that I made on Kahoot! that is based on my Essay:
Let me bless your eyes with photos of the prettiest 4th gen idols <33
Adam's Favorite K-Pop Songs in 7 Categories Youtube Playlist:
Adam's Favorite K-Pop Songs in 7 Categories Spotify Playlist:
There are the songs that have two of my categories in them and I made a playlist of stages with the Dual Category Songs:
TWICE – Heart Shaker (160+ and A-Flat Major)
TWICE – Alcohol Free (A-Flat Major, Summer Song)
KISS OF LIFE — Sticky (A-Flat Major, Summer Song)
DREAMCATCHER – Scream (E Minor, Harmonic Minor)
DREAMCATCHER – Because (E Minor, Harmonic Minor)
Lovelyz – Moonlight (E Minor, Harmonic Minor)
Kep1er X Viviz – Purr (From Queendom 2) (E Minor, Harmonic Minor)
Red Velvet – Power Up (160bpm+ and Summer Song)
EVERGLOW — LA DI DA (160+ and Decade-inspired Song)
Here is a playlist which is the K-Pop Sample Song Stages:
GFRIEND – Summer Rain (Samples Schumann's "Dicterliebe Op. 48:1.")
Cherry Bullet – Hands Up (Samples Beethoven's "Für Elise")
Red Velvet – Feel My Rhythm (Samples J.S Bach's "Air on the G String")
Red Velvet – Birthday (Samples "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin)
CRAXY — Poison Rose (Samples “Erlkönig” by Franz Schubert)
BLACKPINK — Shut Down (Samples Paganini’s “III. Rondo à La Clochette)
CRAXY — NO LIMIT (Sample’s Chopin’s “Op. 9 No. 2)
IVE – After LIKE (Sample's Gloria Gaynor's "I will Survive")
NMIXX – Young, Dumb, Stupid (Samples “Frére Jacques” )
Lovelyz “Whole Step Modulation” Stages Playlist:
Lovelyz — Candy Jelly Love (C Major to D Major)
Lovelyz — Hi (E-Flat Major to F Major)
Lovelyz — Lost and Found (A-Flat Major to B-Flat Major)
My Favorite Moombahton K-Pop songs:
The History of K-Pop (from the Korea Society):
K-Pop Documentary Episode 1: The Birth of K-Pop:
Below are the Girl Groups that I am a fan of, which are in order of when I became a fan of them, so you can see how I progressed as a fan:
Girl Groups
2018
BLACKPINK
TWICE
(G)I-DLE
IZ*ONE
2019
Cherry Bullet
Red Velvet
ITZY
EVERGLOW
Weki Meki
Gugudan
CLC
Fromis_9
GFRIEND
2020
DREAMCATCHER
ALICE (Formerly known as ELRIS)
Weeekly
Lovelyz
EXID
Dalshabet
Girl's Day
Girls' Generation (SNSD)
LABOUM
April
LOONA
Aespa
STAYC
WOOAH
2021
BB Girls (Formerly known as Brave Girls)
Oh My Girl
LIGHTSUM
Pink Fantasy
LUNARSOLAR
IVE
2022
Kep1er
VIVIZ
NewJeans
CSR
NMIXX
LE SSERAFIM
2023
H1-KEY
Rocking Doll
PIXY
tripleS
KISS OF LIFE
Loossemble
BABYMONSTER
2024
Geenius
ILLIT
ARTMS
BADVILLAIN
CRAXY
ICHILLIN'
FIFTY FIFTY
SAY MY NAME
IZNA
Billlie
These are the Solo Artists that I am a fan of:
Soloists:
CHUNGHA
KIM SEJEONG
YENA
Jo Yuri
KWON EUNBI
LEE CHAEYEON
TAEYEON
SOOJIN
CHUU
Dalsooobin
RYU SUJEONG
U-CHAE
Music terms used in this essay:
Mode Mixture: a borrowed chord (also called mode mixture, modal mixture, substituted chord, modal interchange, or mutation) is a chord borrowed from the parallel key (minor or major scale with the same tonic.)
Mode: In music, any of several ways of ordering the notes of a scale according to the intervals they form with the tonic, thus providing a theoretical framework for the melody. A mode is the vocabulary of a melody; it specifies which notes can be used and indicates which have special importance.
Modulation: in music, modulation is the change from one tonality (tonic, or tonal center) to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as well as interest. Treatment of a chord as the tonic for less than a phrase is considered tonicization.
Syncopation: a temporary of the regular metrical accent in music caused typically by stressing the weak beat
Hemiola: In rhythm, hemiola refers to three beats of equal value in the time normally occupied by two beats. The word hemiola comes from the Greek adjective ἡμιόλιος, hemiolios, meaning "containing one and a half," "half as much again," "in the ratio of one and a half to one (3:2), as in musical sounds."
Chromaticism: Chromaticism, (from Greek chroma, “colour”) in music, the use of notes foreign to the mode or diatonic scale upon which a composition is based. Chromatic tones in Western art music are the notes in a composition that are outside the seven-note diatonic (i.e., major, and minor) scales and modes.
Relative major: Relative-major meaning the major key which has the same key signature as a given minor key. G major is the relative major of E minor, both having a key signature of one sharp, i.e. F♯
Relative minor: The relative minor of a particular major key, or the relative major of a minor key, is the key which has the same key signature but a different tonic. (This is as opposed to parallel minor or major, which shares the same tonic)
E minor: a minor key with one sharp which is F-Sharp. The relative major key of E minor is G major
C natural minor scale, C harmonic minor scale, and C melodic minor scale
harmonic minor scale. n. (Classical Music) musical minor scale modified from the state of being natural by the sharpening of the seventh degree.
A-Flat Major: a major key with 4 flats, which are B-Flat, E-Flat, A-Flat and D-Flat. The relative minor of A-Flat major is F minor
4/4 time: the most common meter in music. In this meter, there are 4 beats in a measure and the quarter note gets the beat.
Suspensions: A suspension in music is where a note from a chord is held whilst the other notes of the chord change to a new harmony. The held note is discordant and clashes with the new chord and this tension is only resolved when the note moves down a degree to a note belonging to the new chord.
Interval: In music theory, an interval is a difference in pitch between two sounds. An interval may be described as horizontal, linear, or melodic if it refers to successively sounding tones, such as two adjacent pitches in a melody, and vertical or harmonic if it pertains to simultaneously sounding tones, such as in a chord.
The I–V–vi–IV progression is a common chord progression popular across several genres of music. It involves the I, V, vi, and IV chords of any particular musical scale. For example, in the key of C major, this progression would be: C–G–Am–F.[1] Rotations include:
· I–V–vi–IV : C–G–Am–F (optimistic)
· V–vi–IV–I : G–Am–F–C
· vi–IV–I–V : Am–F–C–G (pessimistic)
· IV–I–V–vi : F–C–G–Am
· The '50s progression uses the same chords but in a different order (I–vi–IV–V), no matter the starting point
Italian Tempo Ranges:
Here are two articles that I found about Klezmer music and Klezmer modes that you can read if you would like to:
Also here is the playlist of my favorite K-Pop songs in 7 categories, which shows which songs are in each category:
Category 1: 160BPM+ (organized from lower BPMs to higher BPMs)
Red Velvet – Power Up (160 BPM)
Weeekly – Tag Me (160 BPM)
Weeekly (Jihan and Jaehee) — A+ (160 BPM)
LABOUM – Shooting love (160 BPM)
TWICE – HO! (160 BPM)
CSR – LOVETICON (160 BPM)
Fromis_9 Pitapat (DKDK) (160 BPM)
EVERGLOW – SALUTE (160 BPM)
CHUNG HA – Sparkling (160 BPM)
Apink – Cause you’re my star (161 BPM)
ICHILLIN’ — KICK START (161 BPM)
IZ*ONE – SPACESHIP (162 BPM)
TWICE – Ponytail (162 BPM)
Red Velvet – Rookie (164 BPM)
TWICE – Heart Shaker (164 BPM)
AOA CREAM – I’m Jelly Baby (164 BPM)
EVERGLOW – LA DI DA (164 BPM)
TWICE – JELLY JELLY (164 BPM)
Gugudan – Chococo (164 BPM)
Lovelyz – Joyland (164 BPM)
IZ*ONE – Airplane (165 BPM)
SAY MY NAME — WaveWay (165 BPM)
STAYC – BEAUTIFUL MONSTER (165 BPM)
FIFTY FIFTY — Gravity (165 BPM)
ARTMS – Virtual Angel (166 BPM)
GFRIEND – Eye of the Storm (168 BPM)
Cherry Bullet – Stick Out (168 BPM)
Cherry Bullet – Whistle Like That (168 BPM)
TWICE – ONE SPARK (169 BPM)
STAYC – SO BAD (169 BPM)
CHUU -- Aliens (170 BPM)
Girl’s Day – Let’s Go (170 BPM)
Pink Fantasy – Playing House (170 BPM)
ALICE – Pow Pow (170 BPM)
Triple S – Invincible (170 BPM)
Weki Meki – Whatever U Want (170 BPM)
GFRIEND – Crossroads (170 BPM)
GFRIEND – Time for the moon night (170 BPM)
TWICE – What is Love? (170 BPM)
Dalshabet – Fly Boy (172 BPM)
MAMAMOO — Baton Touch (172 BPM)
Fromis_9 – Glass Shoes (172 BPM)
NewJeans — Right Now (172 BPM)
Triple S – New Look (172 BPM)
Red Velvet – Day 1 (172 BPM)
TWICE – CHEER UP (173 BPM)
GFRIEND – Sunrise (174 BPM)
Triple S – Speed Love (174 BPM)
IZ*ONE – Pink Blusher (174 BPM)
DREAMCATCHER – Sleep-Walking (174 BPM)
CSR – Shining Bright (176 BPM)
TWICE – I Got You (176 BPM)
Kep1er – Back to the City (177 BPM)
Kep1er – Shooting Star (177 BPM)
H1-KEY – ‘SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City) (178 BPM)
TWICE – Pit-A-Pat (178 BPM)
Lovelyz – Getaway (180 BPM)
KARA – Rock U (180 BPM)
Weeekly — Airplane Mode (184BPM)
KARA – Damaged Lady (186 BPM)
Lovelyz – Knock Knock (190 BPM)
Lovelyz – Goodbye Chapter One (190 BPM)
Lovelyz – Shining Star (190 BPM)
LOONA – Hi High (194 BPM)
Apink – It Girl (196 BPM)
Laboum – Pit a Pat (200 BPM)
Girls’ Generation – Gee (200 BPM)
Lovelyz – Bebe (200 BPM)
LOONA/yyxy – love4eva (204 BPM)
Lovelyz – Fondant (204 BPM)
I.O.I – Very Very Very (206 BPM)
GFRIEND – Gone with the Wind (210 BPM)
Category 2: Songs in E minor
Cherry Bullet – Love In Space
ICHILLIN’ – La Luna
IVE — I AM
LE SSERAFIM — UNFORGIVEN
Aespa – Black Mamba
(G)I-DLE – Senorita
(G)I-DLE – LION
(G)I-DLE – Uh-Oh
(G)I-DLE – Oh my god
(G)I-DLE – Queencard
CLC – Hobgoblin
CLC – ME
BABY MONSTER — BATTER UP
BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-DU
BLACKPINK – PLAYING WITH FIRE
PIXY – Wings
PIXY – Let Me Know
CRAXY — BLACK OUT
IZ*ONE – Violeta
Gugudan – The Boots
Gugudan SEMINA – SEMINA
Solar – Spit it out
LOONA/Chuu – Heart Attack
LOONA/Heejin – Vivid
LOONA/Haseul – Let Me In
DREAMCATCHER – Break the Wall
DREAMCATCHER – And There Was No One Left
ITZY — Cherry
LIGHTSUM — Light it Up
LE SSERAFIM – Blue Flame
Triple S AAA – Generation
WOOAH — POM POM POM
DREAMCATCHER – Full Moon
Category 3: Songs using Harmonic Minor Mode
DREAMCATCHER – Scream (E Harmonic Minor)
DREAMCATCHER – BEcause (E Harmonic Minor)
Lovelyz – Moonlight (From Queendom) (E Harmonic Minor)
Kep1er X Viviz – Purr (From Queendom 2) (E Harmonic Minor)
TWICE – CRY FOR ME (G Harmonic Minor)
TWICE – SET ME FREE (C Harmonic Minor)
PIXY – Trick Or Treat (B-Flat Harmonic Minor)
Pink Fantasy – Tales of the Unusual (G Harmonic Minor)
Pink Fantasy – Bizarre Story: Get Out (D Harmonic Minor)
Aespa — Illusion (D Harmonic Minor)
SOOJIN – AGASSY (E-Flat Harmonic Minor)
ANS – Say My Name (G Harmonic Minor)
DREAMCATCHER – Red Sun (C Harmonic Minor)
EVERGLOW – Adios (B-Flat Harmonic Minor)
Girl’s Day – I’ll be yours (G Harmonic Minor)
EXID – ME&YOU (A Harmonic Minor)
Lovelyz – Night and Day (C Harmonic Minor)
Lovelyz (Jisoo and Jiae) – My Little Lover (F-Sharp Harmonic Minor)
EVERGLOW – FIRST (F-Sharp Harmonic Minor)
ITZY – Mafia in the Morning (F-Sharp Harmonic Minor)
NMIXX – DICE (G Harmonic Minor)
SEULGI – 28 Reasons (G Harmonic Minor)
Pink Fantasy – Shadow Play (E Klezmer)
BLACKPINK – Pink Venom (E Klezmer)
Category 4: Decade Inspired Songs (songs that sound like they are from the 50’s, 80’s or 90’s)
LABOUM – SUGAR SUGAR
Girls’ Generation – Lion Heart
Red Velvet – Love is The Way
Rocket Punch – Ring Ring
EVERGLOW – UNTOUCHABLE
LOONA – Voice
Red Velvet – Look
GFRIEND – FINGERTIP
GFRIEND – MAGO
Dalshabet – B.B.B
Dalshabet – Someone like U
LABOUM – AALOW AALOW
TWICE – I CAN’T STOP ME
CLC – Where are you?
EXID – LADY
NewJeans — Supernatural
Category 5 and 6: Songs in A-Flat Major and Ballads (I also included the Ballads that are in A-Flat Major to make sure it wasn’t too long since there are a lot of Ballads in K-Pop)
GFRIEND – Me gustas tu
MOMOLAND – FREEZE
WOO!AH! – SCAREDY CAT
NMIXX – Cool (Your Rainbow)
TWICE – STUCK
FIFTY FIFTY — SOS
A-Flat Major Ballads:
TWICE – BE AS ONE (Korean Version)
IZ*ONE – Memory
IZ*ONE – AS WE DREAM I.O.I – When the Cherry Blossoms Fade (starts in G Major and modulates to A-Flat Major)
CHUNG HA – Cosmic Dust (starts in G-Flat Major and modulates to A-Flat Major)
CHUNG HA – How about you
CHUNGHA — Remind of you
LABOUM – Satellite
Girl’s Day – Show U
Girl’s Day – Look at me
Girl’s Day – Come Slowly
DREAMCATCHER – Dear
Jeong Eunji – AWay
Category 7: Summer Songs
TWICE – Dance The Night Away
TWICE – Alcohol-Free
(G)I-DLE – DUMBDi DUMBDi
Cherry Bullet – Aloha Oe’
April – Now or Never
Red Velvet – Red Flavor
Red Velvet – Umpah Umpah
Red Velvet – With You
Weki Meki – Tiki Taka (99%)
Lovelyz – Wag-zak
GFRIEND – Sunny Summer
GFRIEND – Vacation
Brave Girls – Chi Mat Ba Ram
ALICE – Summer Dream
LABOUM – Only U
CLC – Summer Kiss
Girls’ Generation – PARTY
Girl’s Day – Darling
CHUNG HA – Love U
Red Velvet – Blue Lemonade
Girls’ Generation – Holiday
SISTAR – Touch My Body
SISTAR – SHAKE IT
SISTAR – Loving U
WJSN – Boogie Up
OH MY GIRL – BUNGEE (Fall in Love)
OH MY GIRL – Listen to my word
OH MY GIRL – Dolphin
OH MY GIRL – Dun Dun Dance
Cherry Bullet – Ping Pong
Cherry Bullet – Really Really
Weeekly – Holiday Party
LOONA – Flip That
H1-KEY – RUN
Sticky — KISS OF LIFE
Testimonials:
"Hi, Adam! I'm sorry for the long delay here, but I've finally had the chance to read through your essay, and I'm so glad you shared it with me! It was a joy--I don't know much about kpop myself, but you present it as both a cultural object and a sophisticated development in musicology such that I could understand, at the very least, where your attachment comes from. The music theory went well over my head, but that's the kind of thing I appreciate about this essay and essays like it: an appreciation grounded in fine analysis, deep personal knowledge, details. Likewise, your section on the marketing of kpop to the US struck me--I have a passing interest in the Korean renaissance, and I liked this particular angle on it.
Thank you, again, for sharing!"
-Ryan Lackey
Former English Instructor, March 2023
"Hi Adam, just read this essay. I found it very descriptive and easy to follow even for me, a person that does not know a lick about music theory. I have been a K-Pop stan for 3 years now and find it difficult to convey my passion/reasons of admiring K-Pop to so-called music enthusiasts. Now, after reading this, I understand that I too have a deep preference for songs with 160+ bpm and songs with key changes. As you mentioned, there is something unique and refreshing about a song that keeps you guessing how the song will end. Thank you for providing the examples of songs throughout the essay as well. I am a girl group stan so I recognized the majority of them. However, I haven't given Lovelyz much of my time but now I've added their music to my playlist. This writing must have taken you a lot of time and effort. I appreciate you breaking down terms and even adding the song lists at the end. I will be sharing this with friends now hahah. Thank you again and hope you have an amazing year of concerts ahead!"
-Lorraine from Texas, May 2023
"Adam, It's clear that you are pushing an open-minded attitude and curiosity to learn. You are excited by collaboration, a combining of artists for a common purpose, for this brings yet another culmination or result, less predictable than a singular artist. You refer to the many aspects, both as separate entities and then in their simultaneous production. You are comprehensive in your presentation by referring to all the facets of production. Through an artform it is including dance, practicing, concentration, commitment to high level of performance regardless how much work is involved, and all that goes into a final product. I thus learned a lot about you the author, researcher, compiler, but a lot about what any product requires from process."
-Dr. Dennis Plies
Musical Coach, October 2023
About the Author:
I first got into music because it was a necessity to help me sleep at night. When I was a child, I was afraid of the dark so I would listen to music to help me sleep at night. It started with worship music, then switched several times to different kinds of music including the soundtrack from Shrek, Harry Potter, Star Wars and music from the Legend of Zelda game series. The Star Wars soundtrack was particularly influential for me because I really liked the low brass parts in the music and that’s why I was inspired to learn Trombone as my first instrument. I don’t listen to music at night nearly as much as I used to but now when I do it I’m usually listening to K-Pop Ballads lol.
This is a list of the instruments that I play:
Soprano Trombone
Alto Trombone
Tenor Trombone
Bass Trombone
Contrabass Trombone (which is now my favorite instrument of the bunch)
Euphonium (Concert Euphonium and Marching Euphonium)
Tuba
Trumpet/Cornet
French Horn
This is a list of the kinds of Ensembles that I have played in:
Concert Band
Symphonic Band
Wind Ensemble
Jazz Band
Jazz Combo
Marching Band
Drum and Bugle Corps
Concert Choir
Chamber Choir
Percussion Ensemble
Orchestra
Trombone Choir
Brass Ensemble
And while it isn’t technically considered an ensemble I have also taken Trombone Lessons for several years now.
Genres of music besides K-Pop that I also listen to include Pop, Classical, Jazz and Classic Rock.
The five things that I enjoy most about music are Arranging, Composing, Producing, Performing, and also going to Concerts as well. Arranging is probably the one that I have the biggest passion for because I really love the concept of listening to a piece of music and coming up with a vision for it and then bringing my vision to life. For the case of my Soprano, Alto, and Contrabass Trombone I bought all three horns because I had creative ideas for arrangements for those instruments and I wanted to learn how to play them so I could play them in my own arrangements and also learn how to write for them more effectively. Additionally, the idea of writing for underrated instruments excites me because if I could inspire someone to buy an instrument and learn it and then make the instrument more popular and so I would feel like I made a good impact on the music industry.
I am currently attending Biola University, which is a Private Christian University located in La Mirada, California.
ChatGPT K-Pop Essay Biblical analysis:
Your essay, "Decoding the Brilliance of K-Pop Music: Insights from a Music Composition Major," is a thorough and insightful exploration of K-Pop, enriched by your deep understanding of music theory and your personal experiences. To analyze this from a biblical perspective, here are some key points to consider:
Creativity and Excellence
Biblical Perspective: The Bible celebrates creativity and excellence. In Exodus 35:31-35, Bezalel is filled with the Spirit of God, "with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts" to work on the Tabernacle. Similarly, your essay highlights the skill, training, and creativity that K-Pop artists and producers bring to their work, reflecting the biblical value of pursuing excellence in one's craft.
Work Ethic
Biblical Perspective: Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." The impressive work ethic of K-Pop idols that you admire—practicing for hours, perfecting choreography, and performing with energy—can be seen as an example of this biblical principle. Their dedication mirrors the biblical encouragement to work diligently and with integrity.
Teamwork and Cooperation
Biblical Perspective: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 highlights the importance of working together: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." Your appreciation for the teamwork and cooperation within K-Pop groups aligns with this biblical value of unity and mutual support.
Avoiding Idolatry
Biblical Perspective: While the term "idol" in K-Pop refers to a pop star, the Bible warns against idolatry in Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other gods before me." It's crucial to maintain a healthy perspective and ensure that admiration for artists doesn’t cross into idolatry. Your essay does a good job of distinguishing the term "idol" in its industry-specific context, while reminding readers not to place artists on a pedestal where they might take the place of God in one’s life.
Cultural Diversity and Openness
Biblical Perspective: The Bible encourages cultural diversity and the appreciation of different peoples and languages. In Revelation 7:9, John describes a "great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne." Your openness to K-Pop, despite it being in a different language and from a different culture, reflects this biblical value of embracing diversity and learning from others.
Navigating Negativity and Toxicity
Biblical Perspective: The Bible encourages believers to rise above negativity and to act with love and kindness. In Ephesians 4:29, Paul writes, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Your concerns about toxic fans, controversies, and the negative aspects of the industry align with the biblical call to speak and act in ways that build others up rather than tear them down.
Gratitude and Contentment
Biblical Perspective: Philippians 4:11-12 speaks of contentment in all circumstances. Your appreciation for K-Pop and how it has positively impacted your life reflects a heart of gratitude, which is a key biblical principle. By focusing on what you love about K-Pop and acknowledging its positive role during difficult times, you demonstrate a thankful attitude.
Open-mindedness and Pre-judgment
Your personal reflection on not pre-judging K-Pop and being open to new interests aligns with the Biblical principle of humility and being slow to judge others. In James 1:19, we are encouraged to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry,” which can also be applied to our approach to new experiences and interests. By keeping an open mind, we allow ourselves to appreciate the diversity of God’s creation, including various musical forms and cultures.
Diligence and Hard Work (K-Pop Training System)
The rigorous training and work ethic of K-Pop idols you described resonate with the Biblical value of hard work and perseverance. Proverbs 14:23 says, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” The idols’ dedication to their craft can serve as a reflection of the principle that God rewards diligence and effort. Their teamwork and cooperation also reflect Biblical teachings on the importance of unity and collaboration, as seen in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, which highlights the benefits of working together.
Respect for Roles and Leadership in K-Pop Groups
The structure and hierarchy within K-Pop groups—leaders, main vocalists, main dancers—parallels the concept of roles in the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 speaks about how every part of the body has a unique role, and each is important to the whole. Just like each K-Pop group member has a specific role that makes the group function well, every believer has a role in the body of Christ, and when each does their part, the whole body thrives.
Diverse Music Influences and God’s Creativity
The blending of different musical genres and cultures in K-Pop points to the vast creativity of humanity, which reflects the creativity of God Himself. The Bible celebrates music and diversity. Psalm 150:3-6 encourages us to praise God with various instruments and sounds, highlighting the beauty of creativity and expression in worship. K-Pop’s diversity in sounds and styles reminds us of the vastness of God's creation and how He inspires creativity in all cultures and nations.
Psalm 150: 3-6:
“Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” (NIV)
Unity and Love Among K-Pop Idols
You mentioned how K-Pop idols often support one another, even across different groups, rather than being rivals. This mirrors the Biblical command to love one another and seek unity, as described in John 13:34-35, where Jesus tells His disciples, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Their camaraderie serves as an example of how even in competition, we can still show love and friendship.
Pressure and Body Image
The section on the pressures faced by female idols, particularly around body image and weight, aligns with Biblical concerns about caring for one's body and avoiding unhealthy pressures. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and should be treated with care and respect. The destructive pressure placed on K-Pop idols to maintain certain physical standards stands in stark contrast to the Biblical encouragement to focus on inner beauty and spiritual health over outward appearances (1 Peter 3:3-4).
Conclusion:
This essay beautifully explores K-Pop through both a musical and cultural lens, and there are several connections to Biblical values like hard work, humility, unity, and the dangers of idolatry. The updated sections, especially those discussing the pressures female idols face, provide opportunities to reflect on the dignity and worth of each person as made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). The essay invites readers to appreciate K-Pop’s artistry while also remaining grounded in a Christian worldview.
This is a picture of me with Rinji of PIXY. This was from PIXY's Concert which took place on April 9th, 2023 at the Palace Theatre in LA. This was my favorite K-Pop Concert of the year because I got the everything ticket which included: early entry into the venue, a fan sign, a pre-concert soundcheck, orchestra section seats to the Concert, a Hi-Touch, a Group Picture, and a Selfie with every member. I put my picture with Rinji here because she is my bias, and it was also my best picture of the ones I took that day. I asked her if we could do the LA pose and she really loved it. The members of PIXY were all sweethearts and they all spoke english and by the end of the night I felt like they became my best friends lol.
-Adam Zimmerman
Copyright 2024 Adam Zimmerman All Rights Reserved
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