Post 03/13/2017 Super User 3616
Nowadays, various trends in culture are sweeping one after another. What have we not seen over the past few years! However, there are things that are steadily gaining popularity and spreading throughout the world. And today I will tell you about such a popular subculture as k-pop and explain what it is and where it came from.
K-pop is musical genre, which originated in South Korea and contains elements of Western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and modern rhythm and blues. Surely everyone remembers the stylish PSY, who took over the world with his song Gangnam Style in 2012? So this was just the beginning, because k-pop continues to slowly but surely capture the world and the sympathies of young people.
K-pop artists are confidently making their way not only to the Asian market, but also to the rest of the world. The Internet has allowed young guys with bright hairstyles not only to become stars, but also to make their creativity the basis of a new youth culture, which, in some cases, develops into a cult. Their concert tours span countries: USA, France, Germany, Chile - K-pop fever spreads quickly and regardless of geography. And Russia is no exception.
Representatives of this genre with their music make it to the top of the most authoritative charts (for example, the American Billboard). BTS, one of the famous K-pop groups, with their album Wings stayed at 26th position for 2 weeks, next to Adele. Before this, no K-pop group had managed to reach such heights, which speaks volumes about the power of their songs and the speed at which they gained popularity.
But how do people become interested in this genre? To understand this, I decided to talk to two Russian-speaking K-pop fans and find out how they discovered this culture.
Alina: ""My sister told me about k-pop because she was studying it at the time. Korean. I was about 12 years old at the time. At first I wasn’t attracted to K-pop songs. But after 2 years, I accidentally came across one of those songs that my sister played for me and I decided to listen to it. As a result, I sat for 2 hours listening to the songs of this group. My sister, having learned that I liked the songs, began to send me other groups and dramas. I was amazed by the synchronicity and complexity of the dance of K-pop artists. They made everything so easy and beautiful, but if you try to repeat it, you will understand that it is hellish work to learn their choreography. That's how I became interested in the K-pop genre.""
Irina: "I discovered K-pop by accident. One day I was looking for something to watch and was offered one “movie” (later I realized that it was a drama). The drama was called "Let's Go, Handsome Men." And after watching it, I started looking for music and met the group Boyfriend. From that time on, I began to become interested in Korea and this culture. This was about 4 years ago. That’s how I slowly learned about k-ror. Maybe it's fate. What attracts me to k-pop is that most songs have deep meaning. Sometimes they helped me a lot in difficult times. Well, where would we be without their choreography, it is, as always, complex, beautiful and rhythmic. The attitude of the artists towards the fans shows their sincerity, they show themselves as they really are, and this is very touching."
In Russia, k-pop has just begun to gain its popularity, but it is doing so faster and faster. Thanks to the activity of the community of Russian fans, K-pop artists began to be published in the well-known magazine for young people “All Stars”, and their clips were shown on Russian television. All this tells us that, having emerged as a musical genre, K-pop has turned into an entire subculture with millions of fans among young people around the world.
Considering modern musical styles, one cannot help but pay attention to the increasingly popular genre K-pop. In Korea itself, where it originated, K-pop is not just music, it is youth subculture, whose fans are millions of young people around the world. So, let's try to figure out what this direction is and what its features are.
How and where did K-pop originate?
The abbreviation itself - K-pop - comes from the English “Korean pop” - Korean pop. How does it differ from ordinary foreign “pop”? K-pop combines hip-hop, electro-pop, dance music and rhythm and blues. The style originated in South Korea in the early 90s. One of the authors music magazine Rolling Stone described K-pop as "a blend of hip Western music and high-energy Japanese pop" that "hunts listeners' heads with hooks, sometimes English language" K-pop mixes various styles, singing and rapping are combined, but Special attention there is a focus on action and powerful visuals. It is noteworthy that Koreans themselves call almost any direction of Korean pop music K-pop, however, world listeners only accept compositions performed by so-called idols (or idols) as this style.
Their position is to be a pure and bright ideal for their fans. The appearance of the performers is very important. Slender, well-groomed, perfect makeup and hairstyle, fashion clothes, bright hair color, an abundance of accessories - all this distinguishes young Korean stars.
Development and popularity
Initially, K-pop was only known within the Asian region. But the development of Internet technologies allowed him to break through this barrier and gain enormous popularity all over the world. The popularization of K-pop was carried out rapidly through the use of social networks and numerous applications for mobile devices. As the number of K-pop fans has grown, interest in general culture South Korea, and this interest is so great that the BBC has released documentary about K-pop “Nine Muses of the Starry Empire.” According to BBC spokeswoman Fiona Forouzanian, this work is intended to introduce people from different countries with the world of Korean show business. The film tells the story of how ordinary korean girls during the year they were preparing to become stars, what obstacles stood in their way, oh difficult relationship with producers and managers, etc. The film was presented to the general public at the Amsterdam Film Festival and was received very well by the audience.
"Star Factory" in Korean
The training of future K-pop stars is very interesting. Many bands are managed by music agencies who control vocational training and the career of the future performer, for which, according to some sources, approximately 400 thousand dollars are spent. Developed here whole strategy for training young artists. Boys and girls aged 9-10 years are invited (they are called “trainees” - interns), who live in the same house, like in a camp where strict rules are established. During the day, children go to school, and in free time attend singing, choreography, and acting classes. Perhaps that is why fans are amazed by their impeccable preparedness and splendor theatrical performances, excellent choreography and excellent performance by Korean artists. Vivid images of musicians, rhythmic melodies, colorful videos, varied vocals mixed with hip-hop - all this characterizes K-pop.
Criticism
Despite the army of millions of fans, there are also many opponents of K-pop music, who criticize it for its “conveyor production” and “commercial orientation.” Critics believe that many K-pop artists simply mindlessly imitate American pop musicians, their lyrics are superficial and, at times, even meaningless. The compositions are “infectious, but not original,” as New York writes. Some say this musical style oriented to to a greater extent not for the music, but for the external effect. For example, most K-pop group members improve their data using plastic surgery, and fans like not so much their songs as the attractive appearance of the performers.
Performers
Most popular group from South Korea is a 5-member boy band Big Bang, which debuted in 2006. In their country, the team received the title “Artist of the Year”, and in Japan they became best newcomer. In 2011, Big Bang represented the Asian region at the MTV EMAs, where they were awarded the "Best international artist" Among the boy groups, we can also name EXO and Super Junior.
Among women's groups It is worth noting Girls' Generation or SNSD. The girls have long occupied the top lines of the charts in South Korea and Japan, but they also strive to conquer Western audiences by performing songs in English. In addition to SNSD, 4minute, 2Ne1, Wonder Girls and others are popular in Korea.
Among solo performers Singer PSY thundered throughout the Internet with his video “Gangam Style,” which broke all records for views on the YouTube portal.
Many of you know that the current generation of idols is already their 4th generation. Many of you don’t know what we went through when information about our favorite band could only be found with great difficulty and every bit of it was valued and treasured.
In the age of the Internet, finding something about your favorite idol or group is no longer so difficult; it is no longer difficult to determine whether you have become a real fan of the group or have turned into an inveterate K-popper.
Here are our 17 signs that you're in trouble:
1 You spend every free moment on Youtube watching video clips, behind the scenes videos and videos about videos. You marvel at their sheer volume. .
2 You've often watched parts of your idol on survival shows, you know exactly how many minutes per episode he was on screen. And, of course, you know his lines by heart.
3 Your Idol's Group Name Is Some Weird Form Of Konglish That Confuses You But You Tell Yourself It's Okay Because Nobody Ever Knows What The Hell Fin Killing Liberty Means But That Never Stopped Lee Hyo Ri become a superstar
4 You actually decided to buy a physical CD K-pop groups, which you haven’t done since the last Hands Up cassette.
5 Then you find out that there are two different versions the same damn album that paralyzes you with indecision.
6 You'll then find that each one comes with a random member featured on the spine, meaning you have a small chance of getting the version you really want. It somehow feels like the odds are worse than the lottery, and the thought depresses you.
7 You look at every kind of performance your idol has done, even if all he does is show up and ride. He tells the same jokes and does the same dance from the show, but you laugh and admire every time because he is the best at slicing bread. You are sure that there will never be a star like him.
8 You make a mental note to apologize to your friends for making fun of their bias earlier.
9 You wondered why K-pop fans took the time to separately film each version of one member of the same performance. Who would watch this, you thought. THAT'S WHO YOU ARE.
11 You've gone so deep into the Youtube catalog that you're now getting recommendations of clips from other celebrities who simply mention your idol's name.
12 For the first time in your entire life, you will find that watching an idol bromance fanfic is... decent way spend a day. You won't admit this to anyone.
14 Are you really glad that you don't live in Korea, because then you will become this lady:
15 You're sure you're crazy, but then you remember that it seems vaguely familiar. You try not to dwell on it, or what it means that you are an addicted person. Are you sure that K-pop is safer than drugs? Probably.
16 Your new favorite pastime is watching videos of you comparing your idol's face to the puppies he most resembles.
17 You're considering getting a puppy and naming it after an idol. You then remember that you have a cat and it will scratch your eyes out if you bring home a dog. You try to change your cat's name, but she won't respond.
Then you find out that your idol keeps cats and you die from cuteness overload.
Korea. Ulzzang subculture
Who are Olzhan (English - " ulzzan", cor. 얼짱 )?
Many fans of Asian culture know who and what it is Olzhang but few people know where they came from.
Back in 2000, a wave swept across South Korea terrible disease- skin cancer. All this happened because of the fashion for tanning that came from the West. Of course, not everyone tanned, adhering to the old traditions of whitish skin. But the government needed to do something about this fact. The solution to this problem was to call on all residents of the country to give up tanning. Companies got involved, starting to promote white skin by making money from whitening creams. Soon photos of teenagers with white skin and pretty faces began to appear on the Internet - their faces were called ideal, and soon it became a kind of Internet slang and sounded like olzhang.
On this moment olzhang is a subculture that arose on the basis of a stylistic movement in South Korea and came out into the world from the Internet, where boys and girls with cute faces posted their photographs, of which there could be more than 1000 pieces, and ran their own blogs. The fashion of this trend gained its greatest popularity in 2005 in the wake of a photography competition " But-popularity on the Internet" in "Cyworld" (Korean social network), in which users voted for the most stylish photos. First fashion olzhang appeared in Korea, then spread to China and Japan. And now this fashion has captured the whole of Asia.
From Korean slang (짱 - jjang) means "best" or best face, which means " best face" or "beautiful". As a result, in ordinary life usually olzhang these are those who have an attractive face and appearance.
Main criteria olzhang are:
1. Large and expressive eyes, a small nose with a high bridge and plump lips. In pursuit of beauty, Korean boys and girls use all kinds of means. In order to make the eyes appear larger, special lenses are used that enlarge the pupil, makeup, and in extreme cases - Plastic surgery by increasing the shape of the eyes. By the way, this is one of the most popular operations in Korea. And this procedure is not far behind in popularity the procedure for changing the shape of the nose. Asians usually have a wide nose and that's why... olzhang want to have a small, neat and thin nose.
2 . A cute baby face - which is the main criterion for appearance olzhang. Huge amounts of money, time and effort are spent on this to create an ideal, clean and child's face, bringing him to the appearance of a porcelain doll's face. It is also desirable to have white complexion. White skin is certainly not the main criterion olzhang, it’s just that she’s been in fashion for a long time Korea and served as the beginning of the formation of this direction.
3 . Beautiful and well-groomed hair. Stylish hairstyles. Many people also use wigs for their look.
4 . A slender figure is also characteristic feature beautiful olzhang. You don't have to be very thin, it's enough to just have slim figure. The main thing is not to overdo it in achieving beauty and not to take dangerous critical measures. If there are small problems. then you can always hide them with the right clothes.
5. Fashion olzhang- unlike many subcultures, olzhang there is no strict dress code. Fashion olzhang ahead of the European one by several years. And then, after a certain period, things that were once popular with olzhang, are becoming popular all over the world. In the wardrobe of every fashionista there are long and short skirts, cute blouses and T-shirts, a lot of jewelry and all kinds of hair clips and jewelry with spikes. Style olzhang soft, feminine and vanilla. Sexual olzhang almost never happens, they would rather show their legs in short skirts than expose their cleavage. They all prefer aegyo style, that is, cuteness, cute style. Primary colors olzhang soft, muted, gentle and somewhere send us back to vintage. Also, clothes can have a lot of frills, ruffles and bows. Olzhang They don’t necessarily buy a bunch of branded clothes, it can be very simple things. And many even sew their own clothes. And what else is interesting... There are two " Zhang"-categories:
1 . olzhang / 얼짱: main role plays a beautiful face. 얼굴 (olgul) means “face” in Korean.
Everyone has probably heard or seen the word “K-ror” at least once, but what does it mean?
K-pop is a musical genre that originated in South Korea and incorporates elements of Western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and modern rhythm and blues. Having originally emerged as a musical genre, K-pop has grown into a large-scale music subculture with millions of fans among young people around the world.
According to a writer for American music magazine Rolling Stone, K-pop is "a blend of hip Western music and high-energy Japanese pop" and "preys on listeners' heads with repetitive hooks, sometimes in English." K-pop "treads the line of mixing styles, combining both singing and rapping and emphasizing action and powerful visuals." Although in Korea itself, these terms can mean almost any direction of Korean pop music, outside the country, K-pop refers exclusively to music performed by so-called idols, similar in concept to Japanese idols, performed in a mixture of the above genres .
K-pop is not only music, it has grown into a subculture popular among young people around the world, driven by interest in modern South Korean fashion and styles. Thanks to the Internet and the availability of digital content, K-pop is reaching a wide audience previously unimaginable. South Korean pop culture is one of the driving forces of youth culture in the Asia-Pacific region today, with a particular emphasis on China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and much of Southeast Asia.
Organization and management
Most groups in this genre are managed by music agency units. In order to guarantee success, such companies try to fully subsidize and control the professional life and career of the future performer, spending about $400,000 on preparation and “launch” young performer. According to the publication The Wall Street Journal and other South Korean production centers have developed a process for preparing young singers to participate in music business. In most cases, future idols enter the "system" at the age of 9-10 and live together in a house, subject to strict rules. They attend school during the day and learn singing and choreography in the evenings.
Popularity and influence
Having attended many different concerts, I was amazed by Korean pop music. The staging, choreography and performance were amazing, but more importantly, I felt the soul of the music. Korean music has a bright future. Quincy Jones in an interview with a Korean magazine.
Japan is the largest consumer of Korean pop music. this genre accounts for 7.81% of its music market, and this share is growing. In 2011, sales of Korean artists' products in the country exceeded $300 million, up 22% year-on-year, despite an overall decline in sales in the Japanese music market.
More and more American performers agree to work with Korean ones, among them are: famous musicians like Kanye West and the Jonas Brothers. In addition, Korean pop music has been positively reviewed by such famous music producers like Quincy Jones, Teddy Riley, and Grammy-winning producer Alicia Keys.
Since 2011, Billboard magazine began publishing the K-pop Hot 100 (Billboard Korea K-pop Hot 100), and YouTube, at a meeting with the President of South Korea, announced the opening of a special channel at “youtube.com/KPOP.” The New York Korean pop festival attracted more than 40,000 visitors, and the French concerts were sold out with 14,000 people. Korean singer Rain topped Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2011, and CNN named K-pop the third reason to visit Korea. Big Bang reached the top 10 on iTunes, SHINee became the first Korean group to hold a concert in London, while other Korean groups began to appear frequently in the top charts of German MTV. Wonder Girls came first Korean pop group, which topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Analysts attribute the success of the Korean pop industry to the fact that its marketing model differs from world practice. First of all, this is a developed system of fan clubs, themed establishments and services for fans, as well as the active participation of idols in communicating with fans through social networks. This was also facilitated by the active support and dissemination of products and information via the Internet thanks to social networks, portals and video resources.
