With the “SM TOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR” recently coming to New York, there have been a flurry of articles in respected American publications covering K-pop’s global ambitions.
Naturally, K-pop fans are excited about the exposure, and so too are Asian American writers, who are all too eager to dish out puff pieces on the phenomenon.
While everybody is understandably excited, I suppose I stand alone in thinking that all this hype is not in K-pop’s best interest.
Now arriving in New York City: The South Korean phenomenon known as “hallyu,” or “Korean Wave.”
Already a craze in Asia, the wave has opened the floodgates of K-Pop in France, Brazil, Germany and Australia. Now it’s about to take over New York.
New York Daily News claiming it’s going to take over New York.
The feature coincides with SNSD’s arrival in New York, to join labelmates in the one-night-only concert “SM Town Live in New York” at the Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden is a concert venue well-known for hosting music superstars Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Lady Gaga.
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SNSD are in the spotlight lately with the success of “The Boys” and their Korean comeback. “The Boys,” was written and produced by Teddy Riley, who also worked with Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga in the past.
Soompi again and again putting K-pop in the same breath as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Michael Jackson.
This serves as further proof that the Hallyu wave is a significant force that continues to spread throughout the globe!
allkpop hype machine fast at work.
If the massive roars of the sold-out show were any indication, everyone had a great time at the first — and most likely not last — major Korean pop show at Madison Square Garden.
Billboard doing work as well.
“With something like K-Pop, you’re seeing something very different. I mean, the visual vocabulary of this music is completely different, as you’ll see. It’s like, sometimes you feel like this is, wow, David Bowie in the Ziggy Stardust period — but South Korean.”
Wait, did that dude just compare K-pop to David fucking Bowie?
Yup.
Hype, hype, hype.
Shouldn’t be a problem though, after all, publicity can only be a good thing, right?
Wrong.
Here’s a nice reality check for the delusional:
Think of the work required to make just one Justin Bieber. The production, the management, the vocal training, the choreography, the swagger coaching — all that effort to create one teen-pop star in a country that’s still starving for them.
That paragraph is from a solid review of the tour in the New York Times, but it’s a passage that desperately needs to resonate among the K-pop fandom.
Justin Bieber, that’s how your oppas and unnies are thought of in America, and that’s how they will be looked at.
Of course, compare K-pop artists to the likes of Justin Bieber and The Jonas Brothers and K-pop fans will lose their minds because they are convinced that their biases are on a higher level.
The tough reality though is that they’re not any better, and pretending that they are is just offensive to the exact target audience K-pop will need to resonate with to find success.
As it stands though, the world of K-pop fans is heavily skewed by a media onslaught that practically breeds delusion.
Sites like allkpop and Soompi are understandably positive about the Hallyu Wave, as their incomes depend on it expanding, but a byproduct of that hype is that both sites basically become breeding grounds for delusional fandom, as every story on the K-pop phenomenon makes it seem more widespread than it really is.
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If you haven’t noticed, K-pop fans and publications do everything in their power to cite their competition as Beyonce and Lady Gaga, compare their rappers to Eminem* and Jay-Z, and their dancers to Usher and Michael Jackson.
*I once saw a story on a poll that had Eminem and G-Dragon on the same list of best rappers and G-Dragon fans were steadfast in their belief that he was a better rapper. Seriously.
EVERY. SINGLE. CHANCE. THEY. GET.
It’s just stupid to me, because in the end, you’re writing checks that your oppas and unnies can’t cash.
It’s a vicious cycle, really: fans read puffed up media reports, fans become delusionally confident in the abilities of their idols, media reports on insane fan enthusiasm, and fans become convinced their biases are the best in the world.
The K-pop fandom in America is still a tiny niche. A growing one, but a small section of a gigantic picture. The way to continue to grow that section is to take the slow and steady path that will allow K-pop artists to gradually gain footing in America (perhaps most importantly, it will give their language skills time to develop).
Unfortunately, companies have chosen to go with the loud and bombastic route, forgoing the Asian methodologies that made K-pop so appealing to begin with, and instead switching to the American ways of promotion that turned people like me away from American pop and on to K-pop to begin with.
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So why does all of this hurt K-pop?
It hurts because it creates a situation where managing expectations is going to prove impossible, and managing expectations in humans is of the utmost importance, especially with Americans, since we are generally skeptical of hyped products anyway. Say something is great and we’ll pay attention, but we’ll also then compare it to the greats, and we’ll be let down if it’s not up to par.
Needless to say, I believe the orgy of media hype and fan delusion is only resulting in an inflated sense of ego that degrades K-pop as a whole.
The media is busy writing about how K-pop’s time is now, they’re busy insulting currently popular American artists, and busy installing unreasonable expectations of comparing to America’s best. The fans are busy arguing on message boards and social media, busy claiming that their biases are better than everything America loves, and busy repeating the rhetoric that the only reason they aren’t already ruling the world is that Americans are racist or xenophobic.
Stuff like that can be found all over the internet, and to the casual American, it’s just off-putting. Hell, most of that shit is offensive and insulting to boot.
I can’t stop anybody from writing intellectually dishonest puff about K-pop, nor can I stop rabid fanboys and fangirls from degrading the image of K-pop fans, but I can let those people know that as much as they think they are helping K-pop, they aren’t. Not in the slightest.
If you’re in a new culture and want new people to accept you as a person, you don’t go around saying you are as smart as Steve Jobs, as kind as Mother Teresa, and as athletic as Michael Jordan. Why would you? Everybody will think you are an arrogant, delusional dick, which is exactly my point about how the K-pop media and K-pop fans are going about their quest to conquer America.
If you want to be accepted, you should be respectful of the new environment and let your personality and talents speak for themselves.
So far the idols themselves are doing their part, I just wish the K-pop media and K-pop fans would do the same.
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I don’t buy the hype. Just look at the picture that you posted. Bunch of asian girls and others that fall into the “anime nerd” category. Hardly the demographics that can help kpop “make it big.”
You can further argue that kpop production, music, along with the mass produced boy bands and girl bands and whatnot, do not appeal to a well-established market like the American audience.
This is not to say that kpop has not “gone global.” Kpop has gone global for sure. But not in the sense that Lady Gaga has gone global. Kpop is more akin to anime. A global phenomenon that has limited appeal beyond its immediate niche and fanboy’s.
So back to your original question. Are the journalists and fans delusional. Yes, just like when they though Seven will make it big here in the states or ninja assassin is going Rain an A-list, international super star.
I think it’s a decent analogy, actually. Like you said, it’s not a bad thing, as Japanese anime is extremely popular around the world, but it isn’t mainstream by any means.
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I think a big reason why it’s stuck in that niche though is because of the language barrier. Maybe down the road Asian artists can become proficient enough for it to not be a problem?
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Far East Movement have already proved that as long as you’re fluent in English, have a Western type of vibe, and can make a catchy tune, success can be found.
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Of course, Far East Movement didn’t get hyped and overrated either, which is sort of the point.
Now that you point it out, the similarities are uncanny…
I love kpop I love korean entertainment but if I turn on my real brain then I will see the kpop is mediocre at best its so bad and cheesy how can some grow up so call writers say thing like this I’m not a Michel Jackson fan but compare kpop stars to this guy is a rape to anybody’s intellect also the g-dragon and Eminem thing come on are you fucking kidding me only retarded teens will believe this shit its sad to see this they dont have to make people believe the kpop is better than US pop music(because is not even close to trued) just let kpop be their own thing what you gonna say to the people in the US well only 2 member of the 9 can sing the other are useless dolls but they are better than lady gaga if you dont think that you are a racist how stupid is that shit next thing I’m gonna hear is the beast is better that the Beatles(this will also mark the end of the word) people in the US are musicality well educated and they dont like fake shit imaging when they know the this groups lip sync all the time and the only a few member can sing a little oh boy Armageddon sounds nicer than this situation to this delusional kpop fans I will say be careful what you wish for because you may get it
I think you might have a point in there somewhere, but you need to embrace paragraphs as your friend.
lols yeah I’m going to youtube to learn punctuation paragraphs and essays I also have to learn how not to be a lazy ass when I want to make a point
Glad I have impacted your life, lol.
As ‘music’ kpop is pretty crappy, lets be honest…Its just cheesy pop music sung by pretty people who dance around a lot..theres very little of artistic merit in there..manufactured groups who are puppets of the bosses..
theres nothing wrong with that..thats what sells and thats what people like and want…
i think theres somewhat of a culture clash going on in this situation. most of my korean friends know that most kpop is just pop music and they arent obsessive..except for the middle school girls etc…but in the west, people put a LOT more importance on artists being musically talented and skilled etc…so its really difficult for people to accept and admit that their idols are little more than dancing monkeys, albeit quite a bit sexier :o
People seem so desperate to make others believe that their kpop groups are actually talented. To make them believe that its not just some nerdy crush faggotry going on..
and yeah, the media thing is ridiculous and is making it much harder for the asian artists to make it..anything that gets overhyped is gonna fail hard. the asian american journos that peddle this shit need to realise that hyping up Bi as the second coming of christ is just gonna result in people being hugely disappointed.
as you said, they need to work their way in slowly…not scream from the top of a skyscraper that they are gonna blow new york apart with their awesomeness.
kpop is a long way from mainstream. I still dont know any ‘normal’ people who know anything about kpop or korean actors..the only korean most know is park ji sung.
I think there are individual idols who are musically talented enough to succeed, but the majority of Korean talents who are at that level are not in K-pop, they are doing other genres.
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Agree on your niche world comment. Before I started this site, I took a month off K-pop and never heard about it in the States. That’s where the market penetration is at right now.
yeah thats the thing..when did we start holding up pop music as as the pinnacle of musical excellence? :o its like these journos and fans are saying this shitty pop is the best music and artists korea can produce. which obviously isnt the case but because of their insistence that their group is the best ever, nobody ever gets a chance to mention the indy music in korea, or the rock, punk and whatever other genres you wanna list…its all about pretty guys in gay clothes and hot chicks in hot clothes…Which, for me, is fine…cos im into pop music for the chicks and not their music :o but it must suck for fans and artists of other genres.
I read that there is already backlash against that in Korea, insofar that people are flocking to support indie acts.
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Yeah, that’s a good point as well, that they are portrayed as the most talent Korea has to offer, but that’s far from the truth.
mother fucker i paragraphed the fuck out of that..why did this site fuck my formatting? goddamnit.
Working on fixing that.
This is a very intriguing article. It makes some good points, because when I first heard about kpop it was something interesting. I didn’t think about comparing it to anybody I was used to, I just thought it was something to listen and dance to. When my friend who introduced me to kpop told me how great the people were, it sort of got on my nerves. I didn’t think it truly compared to American Pop, mainly because I could actually understand it. American Pop had meaning, well at least some songs did. I felt like Kpop didn’t have any meaning to it, so to compare it to some American artists wasn’t even thinkable. Now I have found some people who truly have meaning to their songs, or at least one I can feel. Tablo and Epik High are amazing artists because they have meaning to their songs. People like that, they aren’t as famous as SNSD or Super Junior, they could make it in america, they do have that sort of Far East Movement type feel to them.
Yes, exactly. I was browsing a message board one day and I basically stumbled upon K-pop. Then I listened to more of it and began to enjoy it.
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I’m not sure if I would have the same reaction if it was thrown in my face.
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Tablo isn’t really K-pop to me though and he grew up in North America, basically. But yeah, I could see an artist like him finding success in America, especially in the genre. Mainstream though? I dunno. He doesn’t really make club music at all.
I totally agree with you. Why is it that all the media is praising k-pop like it’s the next big thing, but no one outside of the scene actually understands?
I actually think it’s like a marketing ploy. Get them on the news, people will notice and search it up, and just maybe they’ll become new fans.
Or I’m just looking too far into it..
That could work if they want to expand their niche, but I don’t think turning a majority of people off to what they find is a strategy for mainstream American success.
I came across this blog out of the blue and I’m currently sitting reading through all these posts and I’ve enjoyed reading this because it’s something I’ve always had on my mind and I completely agree with everything here!
And I don’t think as a severe whole that Kpop is spreading internationally. Every country will have some kpop fans in it, but compared to the people that don’t know what it is/don’t care, the number is very, very low. The fandom of kpop is a whole only really expands from passing from one friend to another or by accident. Not because of media hype. A few sold out concerts in places that usually only count as only one night in an artists’ sold out country-wide tour doesn’t really count to me as something that could be considered huge.
The past say, 2 years the “hallyu” has been forced down us and they’ve been trying to get kpop more and more well known. But they really need to pace it a bit more and just let people that stumble across and share their interest be the ones that help it grow.
To me really, kpop is just american pop but in another freaking language with a lot more groups in it compared to english speaking countries and people in the UK at least are very strict on what they would consider musically and vocally talented and if they don’t match up, they don’t get accepted by them. And I don’t think they need to rely on it ~taking over the world~ for it to be deemed successful because it is already successful in it’s own country and in it’s own continent with some popularity in other countries in little niches.
There are English speaking artists that are huge in Korea, but the language barrier with Korean maybe not being a very popular language in certain countries will affect the popularity rate of these artists unless they bring something unique and can sing in English flawlessly quite honestly.
And the amount of delusional fangirls (and boys as well I guess) has increased over the past year and I just want to sit them down and tell them that they need to realise what they are talking about/defending because they’re sounding, well, stupid.
Aw man, I went off on one there and I don’t know if my point came out as well as I meant it to but I guess it’s just my own take on some of the stuff mentioned here.
That’s basically my point, yeah. I got into it because a random person introduced me to it casually, and I got other people into it because I introduced it casually, but now it’s like they are trying to hype it beyond recognition.
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I have said this before, but I’m pretty sure the obsession with taking over America is a dick measuring contest more than a realistic business decision.
“If you want to be accepted, you should be respectful of the new environment and let your personality and talents speak for themselves” DAE-TO-THE-BAK
Asian Junkie is so much better than KPOP because it speaks the f**king truth.
You can swear here.
Fuckity fucking fuck.
See.
Basically.
It’s what I’d describe as “Cultural Narcissism.” The problem is that Kpop fans tend to see themselves from the perspective of having found something that everyone else has”missed” instead of taking a step back and realizing that the rest of the world just simply isn’t looking…yet.
There’s 2 big obstacles for Kpop (and Hallyu as a whole)…yes, language matters, but the major problem is identity: it’s a huge amalgamation of parts; Rain, SNSD, EPIK High, etc…they’d all be lumped as “Kpop.” The American Market is not really a niche market.
That is to say, most consumers generalize in broad categories, and make assumptions based upon an artist that is classified as “pop” as opposed to “rap” or “R&B” (think of the fact that Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj are all pretty much pop artists). That’s why you see so many artists classifying themselves as “alternative,” “indie,” or just forgoing that all together…I think we’d be wise to drop the pop all together. Just let the artists be. We KNOW they’re from Korea.
I think these companies are going to have to change their models as well. Training these kids for half a decade is not really going to be as important for the US market as will taking the time to scout the best talent and putting it ALL in one group instead of spreading it around (i.e. JYP combining the best of Wonder Girls AND Miss A). In other words, QUALITY (objective – talent – rather than subjective – appearance) waaaay before QUANTITY.
The 2nd obstacle is that of what the term “pop” engenders to Americans: Justin Bieber, Katy Perry for sure, but more importantly, and problematic, is that, when you speak of boy/girl bands, it conjures up images of Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, etc. That whole foray imploded in the 90s (and for a reason). If the management-that-be gets this, I’d say there’s hope yet; however, I feel like that may happen too late.
The truth of the matter is that, while there are a lot of “pretty faces” full of sound signifying nothing, there are actually a lot of talented artists from Korea. I think these labels could do well to expand the indie (i.e. marginalized) scene in the US (for instance, why 6 Theory Media/AllKpop decided to create a 2NE1 group instead of seeking out some already proven, existing acts in Korea boggles my mind. All one has to do is look at the current market in the US (unless they’re focus IS Korea, which makes sense).
But I guess that brings us back to the Culture of Narcissism. it’s exactly as you say; they’re not just venturing into the US, they’re trying to “conquer” it, on THEIR own terms…bad strategy, very bad strategy…I mean honestly, look at BoA, Rain, The Wonder Girls, and even earlier, Utada Hikaru. All achieved some margins of success, but ultimately they’re all held back by this idea of conquest. They need to conceptualize the entire thing as a business move. As something permanent (look at what SM – and everyone else now – did in Japan. THAT’S the model they need to apply here). It’s just too static…and narcissistic.
I’m not sure they should drop the “pop” moniker though. They have invested so much time into developing that brand name (Korean government & Korean companies) that I’m not sure if they can even change it. For groups that aren’t idols, I agree though. Yoon Mi Rae and the likes are absolutely not in that category.
I do like your idea of quality or quantity, but I think they can make money with average groups in Asia, so they continue with that.
As you say though, while the pop music brand imploded in America, I’m not convinced that K-pop has enough raw talent to separate themselves outside of that genre.
Korean artists do, but Korean idols don’t.
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I’m guessing 6Theory Media went with a girl group because they can control them creatively and want a bigger influence in Korea/Japan/America over just trying to pair up with a group they would just be a mouthpiece for.
Zero chance they will drop Hallyu Wave or K-pop as terms because the Korean government itself is heavily involved in promoting it that way.
* I meant, we should drop the term “Kpop” all together. It’s not very descriptive and it’s a little contradictory at times.
I think it’s a brand by itself though.
** and Utada is Japanese…lol. Not Korean. Just makin’ a point.
Yeah, I agree with that.
In Japan, they adapted to the culture and the entertainment industry there to achieve success.
Well, all the ones who have actual success there have.
When it comes to America though, it’s like they want to enforce their values and norms on America instead of simply adapting.
It’s confusing because when American artists go to markets like Japan, they adapt to the Japanese industry. That only makes sense, after all.
Yeah…Though, something tells me it has to do with the nature of the labels. When SM goes to do business in Japan, I think the artists do sign with a Japanese label, but in practice, it’s pretty much just a joint-venture (SM is still calling the shots). I think that’s a little unusual in the US [West] since most artists represent themselves (i.e. they’re free agents). So I feel as if it’s really just the management being WAY to paternal — see SNSD interview with Complex for one example.
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I guess dropping “Kpop” is a little drastic. However, it just bothers me when people automatically equivocate Korean music with pop/Kpop. There’s nothing wrong with Kpop really, don’t get me wrong, but it has a kind of connotation…it conjures up different images for different people. And they will usually write it off, especially if it looks too much like a “boy band.” Should they drop it? Perhaps not…but I definitely think they should consider altering the brand/image. If that makes sense.
Honestly, I think they don’t sign with American companies because it’s a financial waste for American companies to do so.
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As far as K-pop goes, I get what you mean, but those companies just need to advertise their own artists differently then.
Like Winterplay isn’t thought of as K-pop because their company (Fluxus) doesn’t ride that bandwagon.
Quite smart for their niche appeal.
I’m not a kpop fan, but the fan delusion and hype journalism is extremely off-putting and if I didn’t already know that I don’t like it, I would be less likely to check it out just because of those two elements. The problem with obsessive and delusional fans in any kind of fandom is that people on the “outside” generally find it obnoxious and their attitude is subsequently going to be one of contempt rather than curiosity.
Word.
That’s why even for the groups I enjoy, I try not to make it ridiculous and I tell the obnoxious ones to shut the fuck up because it’s not helping anybody to go dumping on some other fandom. Just pisses people off and makes your own favorites look bad.
Same applies here, just on a bigger scale.
I am a K-pop fan and even I have to admit there are quite a bit of roll your eyes moments.
While i do agree that perhaps the over-enthusiasm of kpop fans (esp the immature stans who lambast anyone who dares critcise their idols) irritate the heck outta most rational people, a couple of snide comments here are pretty offensive too.
Different music appeals to different people. Who are any of you to call kpop shitty music or cheesy pop music? And the apparent racism in calling korean artistes “little more than dancing monkeys”….. That particular observer should be ashamed of him/herself. If kpop grates on yr ears and the artistes annoy u that much, simply ignore the Hallyu wave. Does spreading hate give u that much joy?
Every generation heralds the popular music of its time as “real music” and dismisses the music that follows as noise. My dad who rocks to Elvis Presley and blasts “Green Green Grass of Home” is a case in point. I see heavy metal fans leaving comments on kpop vids dissing it as “gay”. Fine, then why even bother to search for the music video in the first place and listen to more than 30 sec of it? Am i one of the few who embrace the philosophy of “live and let live” and believe that every person has a right to their musical pleasures?
This is coming from a person who has,over a decade, listened to a wide variety of music spanning rock(Pink Floyd, Guns N’ Roses, metallica) to hiphop, rap n R&B (Eminem, Destiny’s Child, JayZ etc too many to list) to American pop(Brit, Gaga, Rihanna etc) and now kpop (Bigbang, 2ne1) They’re all fantastic, i still love my old favs but my choice now is kpop.
This article is an interesting read and i fully agree the hype is annnoying, especially for detractors who are unable to appreciate the music and cannot see beyond the fluff. Equally annoying are those who reject the music out of ignorance, fear or racism. Kpop is a genre in itself, with its unique charm and strengths, and should be respected as much as any other art form.
Lastly, as a kpop fan, my desire is for it not to be overblown and over-commercialised as it would inevitably result in compromised music to appeal to the masses. Frankly, i hate hearing korean artistes attempting to capture the American market by releasing English songs. That was not what got kpop popular in the 1st place. It also leads to unwanted comparisons and accusations of apeing American artistes. Let’s see what lies in store for this phenomenon in the years to come.
If you disagree with a specific comment, reply to that person or mention them directly so it’s not as if you are holding the collective responsible for the specific comment you have a problem with.
I read your comment in full and I don’t see how it relates to what I wrote or any of my comments because I’ve been listening to K-pop for over 10 years now.
I do agree that people who shun it without giving it a chance are equally wrong, but that’s clearly not who I am addressing with this article.
PS. forgot 2 points
1) the comparisons are made by some fans and media. The artiste in question should not be made to pay the price for such stupidity. I roll my eyes every time i hear “Taeyang is the korean Usher”. The comparison of GD with Eminem is laughable. They are individuals with their unique personalities and talents and i sincerely wish such comments would not be made. Such comments only fuel hate and scorn from diehard fans of artistes in question.
2) Stans of most artistes who worship their idols are not limited to kpop. Rampant on social media like Twitter and FB are insults hurled at the competition of idols. Brit vs Xtina vs Gaga vs Eminem vs Mariah vs Bieber vs …… the list goes on. Unecessary, pathetic and just sad.
1) Completely agree. That’s why I made it a point in the concluding sentence to say that the artists themselves are not the problem, the fans are. The artists themselves are generally humble and willing to adapt.
2) I realize that, specifically Justin Bieber fans. My point was more that you’re not doing K-pop’s chances in America any favors by “going to war” with those groups of stans.
OMG! Totally reading my mind. Ive seen articles on akp today saying Britney Spears gets dominated by Big Bang and Super Junior. I kinda just laughed. Dissing our people wont make you better in our eyes.
Saw that too.