After thirty years of existence, a new era in sight for K-pop?

• Appearing in 1992 with the Korean boy band Sao Teiji And Boys, K-pop has been exported all over the world.

• This success is due to a hybridization of styles, standardization of productions, support from Korea and a strong media presence.

• Thirty years later, K-pop could begin a new stage of experimentation.

Impossible to miss.

K-pop is everywhere, unavoidable.

Each new piece of information has the effect of a bomb, take for example the recent announcements of the break of BTS or the return of the girl band Blackpink.

Twitter has ignited all over the world.

On the cusp of what K-pop scholars and fans are already calling the fourth generation, some see BTS' hiatus as a sign of K-pop running out of steam.

Originally a regional music

“K-pop is an integral part of the global musical landscape now, there is no question about it,” says Vincenzo Cicchelli, co-author with Sylvie October of

at

If, at its creation thirty years ago, K-pop was a national counter-culture which was limited to Korea, this musical style has always been intended to be exported.

"A clever mix of hip-hop, pop and even rock rhythms, Western structures and traditional Korean elements" for Sylvie October, K-pop made a name for itself in 1992 with the first Korean boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, which launched what will be called, a posteriori, the first generation.

All the founding elements of K-pop are there: precise choreography, songs at the crossroads of genres and particular attention to aesthetics.

This first generation is characterized by the appearance of major production labels such as SM Entertainment or YG Entertainment, which will be behind the creation of the biggest groups and the training of "idols", the name given to these stars.

As Vincenzo Cicchelli and Sylvie October explain, the process of selecting idols is central to K-pop.

These young people are subjected to tough training during which they must learn to dance, sing, host a show and also to behave as irreproachable models (no drugs, no alcohol... Far from the cliché of the rocker western).

Towards the top of international listening

At the beginning of the 21st century, K-pop began its internationalization with its second generation of artists.

Groups like Rain or Se7en are exported throughout Southeast Asia, particularly to Japan and China.

Foreign idols began to appear in groups like Victoria and Amber in f(x).

If there is one group to remember from the decade 2000-2010, it is Big Bang, which has squatted first place in record sales in Southeast Asia.

At the beginning of the 2010s, the third generation began to emerge with groups like EXO (which exploded in 2012).

This third wave is characterized by an explosion in the number of groups debuting, a more publicized idol selection process and a globalization of listening.

A notable element in the globalization of K-pop is

.

Ten years ago (yes, yes ten years already), the dance and the song of Psy had exploded all the counters, in particular that of views of YouTube.

“It's the first time that Westerners have heard of South Korea for anything other than the war,” recalls Sylvie October.

These third generation groups have reached the ears of the French, Blackpink or even BTS (which is a phenomenon in its own right) are the perfect examples.

In the top 10 most viewed music videos in the first 24 hours, nine are from BTS or Blackpink.

The girls band is notably the only K-pop group to have performed on the stage of the Coachella festival in Los Angeles, a mythical meeting of the North American music scene which welcomed none other than Beyoncé, Prince or Daft Punk, proof of the recognition of the American music scene.

How to explain such a success?

“The Korean internal market is very small, unlike that of the United States and India, explains Vincenzo Cicchelli.

To survive, there is a need to export by taking export codes, and therefore international musical codes.

This hybridization of styles is accompanied by a strategy of strong economic support from the South Korean state.

“K-pop is a great tool of

for Korea,” explains the researcher.

With this music and more generally the hallyu (“Korean cultural wave” in Chinese), South Korea secured regional and then international influence, which enabled it to exist in the face of the behemoths China and Japan.

Instagram, YouTube and TikTok are where K-pop lives.

Through these platforms, idols reinforce the feeling of closeness they have with their very loyal community.

These networks are also the place where the viral choreographies of the groups are taken up and therefore become privileged communication channels, the researchers point out.

is the perfect example of the enthusiasm that social networks (which had a much less important place in society in 2012 than today) can create around dance and music.

To ensure this cultural and economic success, this musical production is a crucible.

K-pop is a recycling of various musical genres (punk, gothic, emo, street style, gangsta, etc.) and various aesthetics: manga and Japanese animated films, aesthetics of video games among others.

"Creation is a dynamic borrowing", recalls Sylvie October.

All these influences make it possible to create a new genre that transcends borders.

Towards an internationalized production of K-pop

This internationalization of K-pop reaches its climax with the various featuring that BTS has done with Nicki Minaj or Coldplay.

The narratives and styles of BTS and Coldplay can come together for Sylvie October, "both groups have strong positions on the environment, self-acceptance with a very colorful and benevolent visual".

A significant advantage, it also allows you to seek out new audiences.

One of the directions that K-pop could therefore take would be that of increasing internationalization according to the researchers, without losing the Korean specificity of this music.

“Even if it hybridizes, K-pop always remains particular.

Already, we sing in Korean, there is a referential universe that is very Korean, especially visual.

»

On the other hand, BTS's hiatus, due to exhaustion and to focus on solo projects, seems like a strong signal sent to the Korean music industry.

It would be necessary to renew the “star-system which does not allow time to mature” for BTS.

A renewal that could be accompanied by new sounds for researchers to explore.

“K-pop, which was once very joyful and colorful, is transforming, hybridizing and exploring new palettes.

For example, J-Hope [a member of BTS] just released a very rock album, a little macabre”.

“This is the principle of success, conclude the experts.

Either you always do the same thing, in which case you get bored and the public with it, or you will experience new things.

Perhaps this is one of the components of the fourth generation of K-pop.

People

BTS finally does not take a “break” in their career but explores solo projects

Culture

K-Pop group BTS signs contract with Disney+ streaming service

• Music

• BTS K-Pop Group

• K-pop

• Pop

• Dance

• Culture