Rise of K-Pop

K-pop:Big Bang

So, I don’t even fully understand myself why K-Pop has become such a phenomenon here in Singapore. I mean, even if you aren’t a fan of it yourself, you can’t exactly deny that you’ve at least heard of it! Well, there are many reasons why this doesn’t make sense to me:

Firstly, we can’t even understand it. We actually need English subs to even understand what the whole song is about. And most of the time the MV’s don’t even have a link to the lyrics.

Secondly, we can’t even easily sing what we’re hearing. What we really sing are the few English words the artists throw in there that, in most cases, don’t even make sense. We’d have to take the effort to actually memorize the Romanization before we can pretend to ‘knowingly’ sing the entire song.

Flower-boy Ren: Nu'est Maknae

The next point to note is the artists themselves. I’d better make it clear right now that I’m a K-pop fan myself, but you really can’t deny this. Most of the male artists are strangely too pretty, and most of the girls (and some guys) have undergone surgery. Of course, this definitely ensures that they look perfect and gorgeous all the time. But sometimes plastic surgery makes it kind of hard to tell them apart. I think that I’m probably walking on thin ice here, but girls – would you really want a boyfriend who might prove to be prettier than you are?

Adding on to those points, it’s also a sad fact that these idols probably can’t understand what you’re saying. Frankly, they’d be uncomfortable being in your world. Even with lessons, it would still be a problem communicating with them. I guess desperate measures can be taken. For example, you could probably become a fluent Korean speaker and be completely comfortable with conforming to their lifestyles. But I guess that I’m just pretty skeptical about that.

K-pop: Boyfriend

Okay, please don’t be offended! I have loads of good stuff to say too. Really! I love K-pop, and I personally love one of the greatest flower-boy bands there ever was: Boyfriend! I’m merely pointing out some observations and opinions I’ve been getting lately. But now on to the part that’s fun! The reasons why K-pop has trumped all those negative aspects and gained so much popularity – all around the world! (And I’m not talking about viral videos – you probably know which one I’m talking about.)

Firstly: the music videos! American music videos have tried and have more or less failed to replicate the energy and uniqueness of a K-pop video. All I can say is that these videos are just cleverly designed to attract and hold your attention. Colorful themes, out-of-the-world concepts and fascinating costumes and hairstyles – what’s not to love? It’s genius! And how about the individual dances that are specially prepared for each video? It’s absolutely apparent to anybody how much work these artists have put into their work. Maybe the sheer brilliance of the MV’s is enough to remove the need for understandable lyrics?

Secondly: the idol’s personalities. I don’t think that I am over exaggerating when I point out how humble and hardworking all of them are. Even idols like G-dragon or TOP – they might be painted to be egotistical in their videos, but they are really such goofy and talented guys behind-the-scenes. I guess they just have such magnetic personalities that fans are just simply drawn to them.

Thirdly, I suppose that it’s probably because K-pop is just something different from us. When something is different, it’s exciting. And not to mention the influence of the people around us – we might not get it at first, but after constant exposure to it by our peers, it’s pretty easy to just get hooked. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Lastly, I think that the last aspect that has brought about so much success is the lyrics of the songs. I know that I have gone on and on about how we can’t even understand them – but that’s what subs are for. And usually, once we understand what they are singing about, the songs are actually pretty meaningful. Of course there will always be songs created just to hold a beat. But listening to songs like “Haru Haru” by Big Bang really makes sense to me. I’m probably strange for thinking so, but I’m a Running man fan myself and I think that Kim Jong Kook’s songs are especially golden. Well, I shan’t put you off by explaining why in detail, but you can always check them out. My personal favorite is Lovable. I hope that you understand what I’m talking about here, but even if you can’t, well – let’s just agree to disagree J

Kim Jong Kook (SpartaKook, Commander etc.)

Okay! Enough of my rambling. How about you, dear reader? Do you like K-pop? Who is your favorite artist or group? Tell me why! I hope to hear from you and I hope that you have enjoyed reading this article! It’s definitely the most lighthearted one I’ve written in a while.

Thank you for your time!

Please don't hesitate to send in any of your own thoughts or feedback to Ordinarysgkid@hotmail.com or to follow me on twitter at @NatKathXo Comments on the article itself is welcomed too! Please share the article if you happen to find it interesting! :)

Credits: Google for the Images. First: Sookyeong.wordpress.com, Second: fanpop.com, Third: wilonawrianta.blogspot.com, Fourth: allkpop.com