K-pop: Is Korean culture taking over the world? Slang of k-pop subculture.

As promised, I return to the story of the Korean Wave, or K-pop, but from a different point of view, more historical. You can read about modern manifestations of k-pop in.

Korea in the 19th and 20th centuries suffered many historical upheavals, and the country was first under the auspices of the Chinese Empire, then the Japanese colonized Korea, and then, when the Second World War and the Korean War ended, South Korea began to experience a strong cultural influence West, primarily the United States. In this way, Korean modern culture has been shaped sometimes in spite of, and sometimes thanks to outside influences.

Korean historians and scholars, when they talk about the spread of Korean culture, they distinguish several stages and several key episodes.

So at the time when Korea was colonized by Japan, there was one very famous dancer, her name was Choi Seung-hee, she did performances that were based on the combination contemporary dance and national Korean dances. Seung-hee was so popular and famous that she performed on tour not only in Japan, but even in the United States and Latin America. But since Korea at that time was under the control of Japan, Japan pursued a policy of Japaneseization, including names, the dancer performed under the Japanese version of her name Sai Shoki (Sai ​​Shōki).

Representatives of the movement for the independence of Korea did not like her for this and accused her of collaborating with Japan. After World War II, it so happened that Seung-hee followed her husband and ended up in North Korea, where she was in a generally privileged position and ran a dance school until the late 1970s. In view of this unusual fate and tensions South Korea From the Northern figure, Choi Seung-hee was bypassed by South Korean academics and the public when discussing the formation of modern Korean culture. This taboo has now been lifted.

The next breakthrough of Korean culture is related to the adaptation of Western modern culture in the 1970s. A big success was the breakthrough of the Korean kittens, who also toured the world and even visited the BBC, where they covered the Beatles. Their phenomenon was that they sang in English, performed covers, were dressed according to the Western model, but at the same time, an exotic beauty for those times did its job.

The period immediately after the financial crisis of 1997 turned out to be very important for the Korean wave, the film industry declared itself. It was at this time that the Koreans decided to invest in the production of cultural products and reached a new qualitative level in the production of dramas ( korean series) and feature films that they began to be bought and shown outside of Korea. In 2002, the cult drama "Winter Sonata" was shown. It was so popular in Japan that it was shown twice in a year, and then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said that the actor who played leading role Bae Yong-joon is more popular than himself.

Parallel to Winter Sonata, the full-length romantic comedy My sassy girl, released in 2001, was a huge success. It was so successful that it was first remade by the Japanese, and then even ... Hollywood, in 2007. This was the first time Hollywood bought a film from Korea. But the American version failed... Nevertheless, the bastion was taken and the Americans continue to periodically re-shoot South Korean mega hits.

Such is very Short story development of k-pop, which continues to develop and is so successful that it generates $ 2 billion annually in revenue from overseas sales of various products of modern South Korean culture, which creates hundreds of fan clubs of dozens of k-pop teams in various countries, including Kazakhstan.

Success has back side- this is how the Chinese government at the state level limits the amount of airtime for programs and films of Korean production, because it came to the point that in practice the broadcasting grid of some channels consisted almost entirely of Korean media products; in Japan, small manifestations with anti-Korean sentiment periodically arise due to a glut of Korean programs and dramas; also, using the example of Manipur in India, fears are expressed that such a strong spread of Korean pop culture can not only move Bollywood, but undermine traditional culture, as young people prefer Korean style.

But nevertheless, if you choose between the original South Korean film and its adaptation, any of the countries, then you better watch the original.

Post 03/13/2017 Super User 2883

In our time, various trends in culture are sweeping one after another. What have we not seen in the last few years! However, there are things that are steadily gaining popularity and are spreading around the world. And today I will tell you about this popular subculture like k-pop and explain what it is and where it came from.

K-pop is a musical genre that originated in South Korea and contains elements of western electropop, hip hop, dance music, and contemporary rhythm and blues. Surely everyone remembers the stylish PSY, who took over the world in 2012 with his song Gangnam Style? So this was just the beginning, because K-pop continues to slowly but surely take over the world and the sympathy of young people.

K-pop artists are making steady progress not only in the Asian market, but also in the rest of the world. The Internet has allowed young guys with bright hairstyles not only to become stars, but also to make their creativity the basis of a new youth culture, which, in some cases, develops into a cult. Their concert tours take place on a national scale: the USA, France, Germany, Chile - the K-pop fever is spreading quickly and regardless of geography. And Russia is no exception.

Representatives of this genre with their music make their way to the lines of the most authoritative charts (for example, the American Billboard). bts one of famous k-pop groups, with their album Wings, held for 2 weeks at position 26, next to Adele. Before that, no K-pop group could reach such heights, which speaks of the power of their songs and the speed of their popularity.

But how do people get addicted to this genre? To understand this, I decided to talk to two Russian-speaking K-pop fans and find out how they discovered this culture.

Alina: "My sister told me about K-pop because she was studying Korean at the time. I was 12 years old at the time. At first I wasn't attracted to k-pop songs. But after 2 years, I accidentally stumbled upon one of those songs that my sister played for me and I decided to listen to it. As a result, I spent 2 hours listening to the songs of this group. When my sister found out that I liked the songs, she started sending me other groups and dramas. I was struck by the synchronicity and complexity of the dance of k-pop artists. Everything was so easy and beautiful with them, but if you try to repeat it, you will understand that it is a hell of a job to learn their choreography. That's how I got into k-pop."

Irina: "I met K-pop by accident. One day I was looking for something to watch and I was offered one "movie" (later I realized it was a drama). The drama was called "Let's Go Pretty Boys". And after watching it, I started looking for music and met the Boyfriend group. Since that time, I began to get involved in Korea and this culture. It was about 4 years ago. So slowly I learned about k-ror. Maybe it's fate. What attracts me to k-pop is that most of the songs have deep meaning. Sometimes they helped me a lot in difficult moments. Well, where without their choreography, it is, as always, complex, beautiful and rhythmic. The attitude of the artists to the fans shows their sincerity, they show themselves for who they really are, and it's very touching."

In Russia, K-pop has just started to gain its popularity, but it is doing it faster and faster. Thanks to the activity of the community of Russian fans, k-pop artists began to be published in the Vse Stars magazine, well-known for young people, and their clips were shown on Russian television. All this tells us that, having emerged as a musical genre, K-pop has become an entire subculture with millions of fans among young people around the world.

Everyone has probably heard or seen the word "K-pop" at least once, but what does it mean?

Organization and management

Popularity and influence

Having attended many different concerts, I was amazed by Korean pop music. The staging, choreography and performance were amazing, but more importantly, I felt the soul of the music. Korean music has a bright future. Quincy Jones in an interview with a Korean magazine.

Japan is the largest consumer of Korean pop music, accounting for 7.81% of its music market and this share is growing. In 2011, domestic sales of Korean artists exceeded $300 million, up 22% from last year, despite a general decline in sales in the Japanese music market.

More and more American artists agree to work with Korean ones, among them such famous musicians like Kanye West and the Jonas Brothers. In addition, Korean pop music has been positively reviewed by such well-known music producers like Quincy Jones, Teddy Riley, and Grammy producer Alicia Keys.

Since 2011, Billboard magazine has begun publishing the K-pop Hot 100 (Billboard Korea K-pop Hot 100), and YouTube, at a meeting with the President of South Korea, announced the opening of a special channel at "youtube.com/KPOP". The New York Korean Pop Festival attracted over 40,000 attendees, while the French concerts sold out to 14,000 people. Korean singer Rain topped the list of 100 the most influential people 2011 by Time magazine readers, and CNN named K-pop as the third reason to visit Korea. Big Bang hit the top 10 on iTunes, SHINee became the first Korean group to hold a concert in London, while others Korean groups began to appear frequently in the tops of the German MTV. The Wonder Girls became the first Korean pop group to top the Billboard Hot 100.

Analysts attribute the success of the Korean pop industry to the fact that its marketing model differs from global practice. First of all, this is a developed system of fan clubs, thematic establishments and services for fans, as well as the active participation of idols in communicating with fans through social networks. This was also facilitated by the active support and dissemination of products and information via the Internet through social networks, portals and video resources.

Considering modern musical directions, it is impossible not to pay attention to the increasingly popular genre of K-pop. In Korea itself, where it originated, K-pop is not just music, it is youth subculture, whose fans are millions of young people around the world. So, let's try to figure out what kind of direction it is, and what features it has.

How and where did K-pop originate?

The abbreviation itself - K-pop - comes from the English "Korean pop" - Korean pop . How does it differ from the usual foreign "pop"? K-pop combines hip-hop, electro-pop, dance music and rhythm and blues. The style originated in South Korea in the early 90s. One of the authors of the music magazine Rolling Stone described K-pop as "a mixture of trendy Western music and high-energy Japanese pop" that "hunts the heads of listeners with hooks, sometimes in English." In K-pop they mix various styles, combined singing and rap, but Special attention here is given to action and powerful visual effects. It is noteworthy that the Koreans themselves call almost any direction of Korean pop music K-pop, however, world listeners take only compositions performed by so-called idols (or idols) as this style.

Their position is to be a pure and bright ideal for their fans. The appearance of performers is very important. Slenderness, grooming, perfect makeup and hairstyle, fashion clothes, bright hair color, an abundance of accessories - all this distinguishes young Korean stars.

Development and popularity

Initially, K-pop was known only within the Asian region. But the development of Internet technologies allowed him to break through this barrier and gain immense popularity around the world. Popularization of K-pop was carried out rapidly through the use of social networks and numerous applications for mobile devices. With the growing number of K-pop fans, interest in common culture South Korea, and this interest is so great that the BBC released documentary about K-pop "Nine Muses of the Star Empire". According to BBC spokeswoman Fiona Foruzanyan, this work is designed to introduce people from different countries to the world of Korean show business. In motion picture there is a story about how ordinary Korean girls spent a year preparing to become stars, what obstacles stood in their way, oh difficult relationship with producers and managers, etc. The tape was presented to the general public at the Amsterdam Film Festival and was received very well by the audience.

"Star Factory" in Korean

The preparation of future K-pop stars is very interesting. Many bands are managed by music agencies that oversee the professional training and career of the future performer, which costs, according to some sources, about 400 thousand dollars. A whole strategy for the preparation of young artists has been developed here. Boys and girls of 9-10 years old are invited (they are called "trainees" - trainees), who live in the same house, as in a camp, where strict rules are set. During the day, children go to school, and in free time attend lessons in singing, choreography, acting. Perhaps that is why fans are amazed by their impeccable preparation and pomp of theatrical performances, excellent choreography and excellent performance of Korean artists. Vivid images musicians, rhythmic melodies, colorful clips, various vocal parts with a touch of hip-hop - all this characterizes K-pop.

Criticism

Despite the millions of fans, there are also quite a few opponents of K-pop music, who criticize it for its "assembly production" and "commercial focus". Critics believe that many K-pop artists simply mindlessly imitate American pop musicians, their lyrics are superficial and, at times, even meaningless. The compositions are "infectious, but not original," according to the New York edition. Some say that this musical style oriented to more not to the music, but to the external effect. For example, most of the participants K-pop groups improve their data with plastic surgery, and fans like not so much their songs as the attractive appearance of the performers.

Performers

The most popular group from South Korea is a boy band of 5 Big man Bang, which debuted in 2006. In their country, the team received the title of "Artist of the Year", and in Japan became the best newcomer. In 2011, Big Bang represented the Asian region at the MTV EMA, where she was awarded the Best International Artist Award. Other boy groups include EXO and Super Junior.

Among women's groups it is worth noting Girls` Generation or SNSD. The girls have long been at the top of the charts in South Korea and Japan, but they also strive to conquer the Western audience by performing songs in English. In addition to SNSD, 4minute, 2Ne1, Wonder Girls and others are popular in Korea.

Among solo artists thundered all over the Internet singer PSY with his video "Gangam Style", which broke all records for views on the YouTube portal.

On music channels and on the Internet, new outrageous bands from Asia began to flicker frequently. With unique style in clothes, excellent choreography and incomparable songs, they are gaining more and more fans around the world. The name of this phenomenon is K-pop.

The starting point of its procession of k-pop in its modern form can be considered the early nineties. In 1992, a trio called Seo Taiji & Boys performed on a local television talent show, performing a hip-hop song with a distinctive western sound. Now such groups as “Girls Generation”, “Super Junior”, “Big Bang” perform in this genre, which have become widely known not only in Asia, but throughout the world.

K-pop is known to Russians only thanks to the famous video of the artist PSY "Gangnam style", which has received more than two billion views on YouTube. But in fact, this clip is only a small tip of the iceberg of Korean popular music.

K-pop and its features

K-pop is a musical genre that originated in South Korea. The melodic part incorporates many other styles, such as: electronic and dance music, rock, hip-hop, can even contain elements of classical and country music.

She is being performed idols (Eng. Idol)- guys adolescence who have been specially trained in vocals and dances by production centers since childhood. K-pop groups are either all-girls or all-boys, and their number in the band ranges from five to nine people. So what is so special about this popular music that makes it so fascinating?

Of course, these are the songs themselves - simple melodies, mostly with a strong emphasis on dance music. electronic music, which "clings" to the ear. Tracks are sometimes so mesmerizing that it doesn't matter that they are performed in an unfamiliar language. Although in Lately there is a tendency to insert English words into the song in order to attract listeners from all over the globe and let them know what the story is about.

The themes of the songs are very diverse, from food and lifestyle to romantic relationships, and some songs can be full-fledged stories containing deep thoughts. It is worth noting that such music not only draws its attention to Korean culture, but also includes many references related to other countries and peoples.

Idols: "fake idols"

These are Korean artists who have signed a contract with some kind of music promotion agency. Before becoming popular and recognizable, young guys undergo complex training courses in vocal, dance and acting skills, and thanks to this, they not only perform songs from the stage, but also act in various TV shows.

Also k-pop artists are trained foreign languages, and the producers bring their appearance to perfection, and in the most literal sense. Almost all idols have rescheduled plastic surgery and keep themselves in shape by sitting on the strictest diets and actively engaging in exhausting exercises. Usually, private life such guys are not made public, which brings a certain halo of mystery and mystery to their personality.

Images and dances are cooler than Michael Jackson

One of the main factors of attraction of this genre is the visual content and the image of the performers. Asia has long been famous for its artistry, subtle artistic approach which has played a significant role in the local entertainment industry.

In all their videos, K-pop stars are professionally made up, have an individual style, expressed not only in catchy hairstyles, but also in extravagant clothes. There is an opinion that the image of performers overshadows many Western stars in terms of its spectacularity and originality.

Idols are not at all shy about bringing something new and interpreting current trends in their own way. good example rapper G-Dragon and singer CL, who have become style icons by introducing new trends among the youth, whether it be clothing elements or new hairstyles, can serve.

Korean bands are famous not only for their vocal abilities, but also for their elaborate dances that require vocational training. It takes an insane amount of time and effort to prove that artists dance live just as well as they do in their videos. Men's dances are based on hip-hop, while women's are more sophisticated and simple.

Analogues of the genre in the world

K-pop is by no means a unique genre, but all similar analogues are found in the Asian part of our planet. The big and main competitor of Koreans is J-pop, which, it’s easy to guess, comes from the country rising sun- Japan. It also features music performed by idols, and you can see the similarity of the concept. But there are differences between them, and this affects the popularity of Japanese and Korean music abroad:

J-pop clips don't have such powerful visuals and impact, what happens on screen is almost static, there is no such strong choreography, everything is based on its own identity, and because of this, the clips seem strange;

K-pop places a strong emphasis on social portals. Each group has its own YouTube channel, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, where they constantly post their photos, talk about their shows and even hold competitions. The Japanese, on the other hand, do not strive for such aggressive propaganda, preferring to work for their “home” audience;

K-pop works according to its well-established pattern, trying not to deviate from the existing canons, focusing on the West and electronic music. J-pop is more experimental, which is reflected in the sound, number and variations of instruments, as well as mixing more styles, often uses guitar music;

lovers Japanese music abroad, as a rule, it is the fans Japanese cartoons- anime. Popular music Korea is independent of other media art.

K-pop conquers the world

The fan base of k-pop is getting wider, standing out as a separate subculture. This is especially noticeable in Latin America, USA, Europe - and is just beginning to develop in Russia. In our country, fans arrange dance competitions among themselves, copying the choreography of their favorite Korean performers, and also perform at events dedicated to Asian culture.

Various festivals are organized every year, including the "K-Pop World Festival" - the largest of all in existence. Every year it is held in different countries, but the final of the festival always ends in South Korea, in the city of Changwon. It is attended by young talents from all over the world, as well as famous Korean singers. It is worth noting that the South Korean government financially supports the entire infrastructure musical activity which helps them to strengthen relations with Western states.

K-pop is a powerful pipeline for the creation of media products, aimed not only at the audience of its country, but also at the whole world as a whole. Like Hollywood, it pours more and more new projects onto the market, the number of which can reach up to 90 groups a year, without losing the quality of the content.
This genre of music leaves a positive impression on its listeners: pleasant songs with interesting texts, excellent visual content.

All this is very eye catching. Many teenagers want to be like idols who always look great, have their own sophisticated impeccable style and possess the magic of attraction. The desire to get in touch with something perfect, beautiful has made k-pop not just a passing trend, but a part of the life of its many fans, whose number is growing every year.

K-pop bands and artists

Seo Taiji & Boys (Seo Taiji & Boys) - a group that existed from 1992 to 1996, which popularized Western hip-hop in Korean music. After the breakup of the group, founder Seo Taeji began his solo career and became known outside of Korea, playing heavy music in the style of alternative rock.

girls' generation- a very famous and world-famous female octet, founded in 2007. In Korea, it is better known as So Nyeo Shi Dae (Sonyo Side). The songs use styles such as electro-pop and bubblegum pop. They recorded 6 studio albums in Korean and Japanese. They are famous for their videos, for which they received an award " Best video of the Year at the 2013 YouTube Music Awards, beating Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus.

G-dragon (G-Dragon) - Singer, actor, model. In addition to their solo career, participates in the k-pop project Big Bang. He gained particular popularity because of his extraordinary style of dressing. He writes songs in the hip-hop genre, released 2 studio albums.

ARTEM SOLOPAEV