From 'Boy with love' to 'Kill this love', some of the kpop songs have taken over the fans’ hearts all over the globe and have lifted the industry’s audience base to a whole new level. But did you ever wonder how did the kpop industry come into existence in the first place?
The Korean wave or Hallyu resulted in the popularity of Korean dramas, Korean skincare products, Korean food, and the culture in general. But the epicenter of this wave that shook the world is the Korean pop music or Kpop. Kpop is basically Korean pop music but it is not limited to just pop. There are other genres as well. It has evolved over the years just like other music forms.
Early Korean Music
History of kpop dates all the way back to 1885 when an American missionary started teaching British and American folk songs at a Korean school. The songs were called ‘changga’ in the native language.
During the Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, not many songs were recorded. But it became a way of expressing the feeling of Koreans against the Japenese oppression. The first-ever album was released in 1925 which contained many popular Japanese songs translated into Korean. This was seen as an ideogram of independence from Japanese rule.
After the Korean war, the U.S. troops remained in South Korea and they acted as a source of the Western Influence on the Korean Culture. During the 80s, ballads became very popular in Korea and they ruled the Korean music industry up until the 90s. The modern Kpop industry, as we know it, did not exist before 1992 when Seo Taiji & Boys debuted and released their Nan Arayo or I Know.
The First Generation of Kpop
The 1st generation of kpop started in the early 1990s and the 2000s. Seo Taiji & Boys incorporated Western pop in their music and hip hop in their dance moves. The lyrics were also revolutionary and criticized the dark side of the society. People went crazy and many brands like Samsung, Hyundai and many others started investing in their own Kpop record companies and labels. The market was huge but there was no proper system for training artists, contrary to what we see today. The term ‘idol’ wasn’t used much back then.
And then came the DSP media. The founder Lee Hoyeon had prior experience in managing some of the popular artists. He launched a group in 1996 and literally named it Idol. The popularity level of Idol was decent but the group was demolished by SM Entertainment’s H.O.T. which debuted in the late 1960s. They took the industry in a different direction with their powerful rap and out of the world hairstyles.
In response to H.O.T., DSP launched another group Sechs Kids in 1997. This was followed by the launch of various girl groups by both these companies. Hence, we can clearly say that DSP media and SM Entertainment were like the Marvel and DC of that era. Another company called JYP was also doing good with its popular band called GOD. But a new player entered the competition soon after.
Yang Hyun Suk, one of the rappers from Seo Taiji & Boys, after many failed attempts of running his labels, started what we call YG Entertainment today. He launched a group called 1TYM. He also standardized the modern-day trainee system. H.O.T. Rain, Lee Hyori, and BoA are well known solo idols. Even in this era, people could tell that Kpop had the potential for global success.
BoA is arguably the most successful solo female kpop idol till date. She also debuted in Japan and is the biggest contributor and pioneer in opening foreign markets for both Kpop and SM Entertainment.
The Second Generation of Kpop
The biggest transition factor of the 1st gen to the 2nd gen was the familiarity of the word ‘idol’.
SM Entertainment continued to grow and became rich. It launched various groups like TVXQ in 2004, Super Junior in 2005, Girls’ Generation in 2007. Super Junior became hugely popular in China and Southeast Asia with its songs Sorry Sorry and Ring Ding Dong. TVXQ won two Grand Slams in 2006 and 2008 and conquered the hearts of entire Korea, China, and Japan. Girl’s Generation became Korea and Japan’s most popular girl group with their stunning visuals and charming songs like Kissing You and Baby Baby.
When SM Entertainment seemed to rule the industry, YG Entertainment launched Big Bang. Their song Lies made them the number one in Korea. Since then, they continued to roll out hit songs one after the other. They incorporated hip hop in a whole new way and continued to rule the hearts of people across the world and hence became the biggest influential male group of Kpop.
Also, in response to SM’s Girls’ Generation, YG Entertainment launched 2NE1 in 2009 with a very different concept and a strong women aura in their songs. They broke the traditional pretty and soft girl group stereotype and was recognized as the biggest Kpop girl group by Billboard.
Around this time, a lot of groups started popping up and Kpop started expanding to the west. The distinction between the 2nd and 3rd gen is rather a thin line and is not clearly defined.
The Third Generation of Kpop
The third generation is often defined with the debut of EXO. They ruled China and Japan with popular hits like Overdose, Monster, Growl. There was no competitor except Big Bang in the early 3rd gen before it disbanded.
By this time, there was an ocean of idols, global audience was a must and idol auditions through survival programs were becoming the new trend. Singing reality shows and survival programs were used to search for powerful vocals and voices instead of just visuals and dancers. Meanwhile, in 2012, PSY’s Gangnam Style became the most viewed video on the whole planet!
This era saw the widest possible expansion of Kpop to new markets like North and South America, Australia, and all over Asia.
Girl Groups like Trinity, Blackpink, Twice, Red Velvet are leading the 3rd gen currently. SM’s Twice has earned the nation’s girl group title after Girls’ Generation. But YG’s Blackpink is the revolution the female kpop category in the true sense. They hold the record of most YouTube views 82.4 million views in 24 hours with their How You Like That music video, surpassing BTS’s Boy With Luv. Their channel is one the number 2 spot after Ariana Grande among the female artists. They are also the only female kpop group to ever perform during Coachella in 2019.
BTS started with a small company called Big Hit Entertainment became a global phenomenon. They didn’t gain much attention in the early years. But they differentiated themselves from the other groups by talking about issues like mental health, youth problems and social issues through their lyrics. Every move they make becomes history and they have an ‘army’ of fans all over the globe. Mentioning all their achievements will definitely need a separate article. Read more about the messages that BTS delivers.
The Bottomline
The 4th gen is said to begin post-BTS’s disbanding. That seems so difficult to even imagine. But from Seo Taiji & Boys to BTS, many groups debuted. Records and broken and people are surprised very often. Back then, people never imagined anything bigger than TVXQ, Girls’ Generation but here we are. Read more about The Korean wave or Hallyu
Written By - Neha Kundu
Edited By - Kashish Chadha
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