While each individual who consumes K-pop content on a regular basis may have their own personal opinions why they love it so much, there are many reasons why K-pop has become so popular and loved by many worldwide.
Read on to uncover the top 3 reasons I believe K-pop has become so popular...
The first and maybe most obvious reason is how K-pop caters to a worldwide audience better than many other types of music genres.
Most K-pop content is released online and comes with subtitles available in dozens of languages. So basically anyone, no matter where they are in the world, can go online to enjoy K-pop music and watch the numerous amounts of K-pop content that is available. While YouTube and social media like Instagram and TikTok are great sources to enjoy K-pop content, there are also countless free apps where you can enjoy K-pop content as well, like Weverse and Mnet Plus. In addition to subtitles, many artists themselves work hard to learn several languages so they can more easily communicate with fans all over the world.
Also, many K-pop groups and individual artists create songs in languages other than Korean or incorporate words or phrases from other languages into their songs. It's very common for K-pop groups and solo artists to put out singles or even whole albums in English, Chinese and Japanese.
This brings me to the second reason K-pop has become so popular worldwide - I feel like there is a little something for every type of person out there.
Everybody has their own personal tastes regarding the types of music they enjoy and in K-Pop there is a wider variety than many people may think. As I stated above, many K-pop songs incorporate other languages, and in addition to that, incorporate music genres from other countries as well. For example, the group Omega X has several songs with Latin pop vibes, including tracks entitled "Vamos" and "Love me Like." One of my favorite songs by solo K-pop artist Chung Ha is "Demente"(feat. Guaynaa) which is sung entirely in Spanish. There is actually lots of K-pop music that incorporates Latin sounds, but I will cover that in another post!
Many people hear the term K-pop and automatically assume it's just pop music sung in the Korean language but that's not always the case! Many K-pop groups have a variety of songs and styles including but not limited to rock, rap and ballads and incorporate them into their discography. BTS and Stray Kids are a great example of this. Again, I feel like anyone can find SOMETHING they like in the vast world of K-pop. My own father, who strictly listens to classic rock and guitar music, was against listening to any K-pop until I showed him Xdinary Heroes.
He loved their vocals and rock n' roll style music. The fact that they play their own instruments on stage impressed him much more than the artists I tried to show him who dance. Now he tells me that I better take him to one of their concerts if they ever tour near us.
The third reason why I believe K-pop has become so popular worldwide is because for many it fosters a feeling of belonging.
K-pop artists really do know how to cater to their fans in a unique way and are able to make us feel like we are an important part of their lives. We are invited to view much more of their daily lives than many other artists in the world. Not only are there countless interviews, reality shows, and behind the scenes videos to watch, but the artists often interact with fans in real time by going live on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Idols also chat with fans on apps such as Weverse and Bubble. There are also so many online communities that fans can join and interact with each other. Some fans even like to orchestrate in-person events where fans can get together to support the groups and artists they love. To K-pop fans, fandoms feel like a family, and it feels really good to be part of one that reaches across the entire world.
In summary, K-pop, just like any other type of music, is something that anyone from any part of the world can enjoy. If you are already a fan, what are some of the reason's you love it so much? If you're not a fan yet, I promise there is something about K-pop you can find to love too.
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