[K-Pop Next Level 1] Is K-Pop a 'Major Music Genre'?

More overseas K-pop groups are being produced independently without the involvement of Korean agencies.While the popularization of K-pop is acknowledged, it's difficult to define it as a music genre.The Philippine group BINI is a group produced directly by the Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN, without the involvement of Korean companies, except for initial training and some staff participation. They achieved great success, ranking first in Billboard Philippines' 'Artist of the Year' in 2024 and performing at the US 'Coachella Festival' in April of this year. / ABS-CBN, Star Music'K-pop' is showing signs of evolving beyond 'music made in Korea' to become a 'major genre of popular music.' This is not a matter of patriotism or self-awareness, but a reality unfolding in the global popular music market today. In fact, groups debuting with 'K-pop' as their main genre are increasingly being produced not only in Southeast Asia but also in countries with a significant presence in the global music market, such as the US and Japan. examined the possibility of K-pop establishing itself as a 'major genre of popular music' like rock or hip-hop through the cases of these groups. We also predicted the future competition with 'K-less K-pop' that will occur in the global music market. [THE FACT|Reporter Choi Hyun-jung] 'HANA from Japan, BINI from the Philippines, DOLLA from Malaysia, 4EVE from Thailand, JYT from the US, and so on...'These groups, with different nationalities and stages of activity, share two commonalities. First, they have all been influenced by K-pop, and second, they are not groups directly planned or co-produced by Korean agencies.As K-pop's popularity has continued for a long time, cases of music companies in various overseas countries producing and debuting groups directly influenced by K-pop are emerging.In the past, groups active under the 'K-pop banner' in overseas markets were typically 'localized groups' linked with Korean K-pop agencies, such as CATSiNA, &TEAM, and NiziU.In contrast, the groups mentioned above, while having some participation from Korean staff in their training and production processes, were created and led by local music companies independently of Korean agencies.For example, BINI had Korean training institutions, producers, and choreographers involved in their debut preparation, but their production and activities were directly managed by the Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN. They have achieved great success, being selected as the No. 1 artist of the year by Billboard Philippines in 2024 and performing on the Coachella stage in April of this year.Thailand's 4EVE is also a girl group formed by Thai entertainment company Workpoint through an audition program, and Malaysia's DOLLA is a group produced by Universal Music Malaysia.Japan's HANA was formed by Japanese entertainment company BMSG through the audition program 'No No Girls,' and the American boy group JYT was produced by local producer Freddy Wexler and is active under a contract with Republic Records.These cases suggest that the position of 'K-pop as a popular music genre' has changed. The fact that overseas countries have started creating their own groups following K-pop's conventions indicates the potential for K-pop to establish itself as a universal music genre like rock or hip-hop.Of course, it would be an overstatement to hastily claim that 'K-pop has reached the same status as rock or hip-hop' based on just a few examples.However, the fact that groups influenced by K-pop are achieving actual commercial success in various Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand, and that groups influenced by K-pop are being produced in Japan and the US, which hold significant weight in the global music market, cannot be easily dismissed as mere coincidence.So, can K-pop already be considered a major genre in the global popular music market? Current K-pop producers and critics are divided on this issue.Woo Young-seung, who previously served as CEO of Fantagio Music and is currently the general producer of Nua Entertainment, stated firmly, "I believe K-pop has already established itself as a major genre in the global popular music market."Woo Young-seung explained, "The emergence of BTS has elevated K-pop's status in the global music market to another level, and it's not just the success of one team, but global stars have been consistently emerging since then," adding, "K-pop is a genre that continues to achieve results beyond a temporary trend. This shows that K-pop has established itself as a major genre."On the other hand, Park Sung-ho, a member of the group Guppy and an active K-pop producer, expressed a different opinion: "It is still in a stage where it needs to build more presence in the global market," he said. "It is difficult to consider K-pop as fully established as a genre. If I had to compare it, I think it's at the stage where Latin pop was in the early 1990s when it gained worldwide popularity."Groups influenced by K-pop are being produced in the US and Japan, which hold significant weight in the global music market, such as Japan's HANA (top) and the US group JYT (bottom). / Official social media of HANA, JYTWhile views on K-pop's status in the global music market are divided, there is a more fundamental issue: can K-pop be defined as an independent music genre? Some argue that classifying K-pop as a music genre itself is not easy.Im Hee-yoon, a popular music critic, pointed out, "In the past, genres had relatively clear musical and sonic characteristics. However, K-pop is music that is very ambiguous to classify using existing genre distinctions. For example, A2O LITE and A2O SOUL are K-pop groups from the same company, but their music and sound characteristics are completely different."He further explained, "Therefore, when explaining K-pop, non-musical characteristics such as fandom culture, visuals, and systems are often used. It is difficult to define K-pop as a music genre with clear sonic or musical characteristics."In reality, K-pop is music that combines elements from various genres such as hip-hop, R&B, rock, and electronic music, and has developed as an industry through the complex interplay of performance, fashion, and beauty. As a result, the definition and identity of K-pop remain a topic of debate among many music experts.Cho Hye-rim, a popular music critic, stated, "The reason why it is difficult to define K-pop as a music genre lies in its musical diversity. K-pop encompasses almost all popular music genres, including hip-hop, R&B, rock, disco, house, and hyperpop." She added, "The characteristic of K-pop is not adhering to a specific sound, but its flexibility in quickly absorbing and reconstructing diverse contemporary musical trends. Therefore, I believe K-pop is closer to a musical platform that produces and reinterprets various genres rather than an independent music genre."However, this raises another question. Although K-pop is music that is difficult to define sonically, it is not difficult to distinguish the 'K-pop style' when listening to the music.For instance, the music of BINI, DOLLA, and 4EVE is highly likely to remind listeners familiar with K-pop of K-pop immediately. Despite the difficulty in defining it musically, there are characteristics that make one think of K-pop the moment they hear it.Regarding this, critic Im Hee-yoon explained it as the 'vibe' created by the structure of the music and its resulting atmosphere.Critic Im explained, "There are several representative characteristics when we talk about K-pop. First, it's a group with many members, and each member has a part, such as dance, vocals, or rap. The song is structured around these parts, harmonies are created, and performances are arranged. Also, vocal climaxes are often included, and recently, parts tailored for short-form content are being added."He continued, "There is a unique vibe created by this song structure and progression. I think it's distinguished as 'K-pop style' due to this 'atmosphere' rather than sonic characteristics."As he mentioned, K-pop style groups produced independently overseas also take the form of multi-member groups, and they share characteristics commonly found in K-pop, such as distributing parts among members and performing synchronized group dances according to well-arranged choreography. The arrangement of dance breaks or vocal climaxes depending on the song is also similar.While it is difficult to define K-pop as a music genre, it is said that there is a unique atmosphere that comes from the song's progression, part distribution, and composition. The photo shows a scene from the music video of 'DAMELO' by the Malaysian girl group DOLLA. / Captured from DOLLA's official YouTube channelAlthough there are distinguishing elements of K-pop, whether these can be considered criteria for an independent music genre is a separate issue. While the composition and progression of a song can create a specific atmosphere, it is difficult to conclude that this alone establishes a unique musical format that distinguishes it from other genres.Yoon Dong-hwan, a member of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister's Advisory Committee for Cultural and Arts Policy, stated, "To classify K-pop as a genre, musical criteria must first be established. Currently, K-pop spans almost all genres of popular music." He added, "For example, hyperpop, which has established itself as a genre of popular music, has distinct sonic characteristics that can be clearly identified and criteria that distinguish it from other genres. Such reference points are not clear for K-pop."Critic Cho Hye-rim commented, "In terms of influence and industry scale, K-pop is already mainstream in global popular music. However, it is necessary to be cautious about defining it as a music genre in the same sense as rock or hip-hop." She added, "It is more appropriate to view K-pop as a unique system for producing and consuming music rather than a single genre."She further explained, "While rock and hip-hop have developed around specific sounds, musical grammar, and cultural roots, K-pop is closer to a format that combines artist development, music production, performance, visuals, distribution, and fan communication into a single system, while embracing music from various genres." She concluded, "The identity of K-pop now seems to lie not only in the music it creates but also in how that music is produced and delivered to the world. The cases of BINI, DOLLA, and 4EVE are evidence that K-pop has established itself as a production system beyond a genre."Ultimately, the global popularization of K-pop and its establishment as an independent music genre need to be examined separately. The current state of K-pop is best described as 'having achieved popularization as major music, but it is difficult to see it developing into a universal music genre like rock, hip-hop, or ballads.'The primary reason for the difficulty in genre classification is the 'difficulty in establishing clear sonic characteristics and criteria.' Conversely, this implies that genre classification is possible if 'clear sonic characteristics and criteria' are established.Interestingly, in overseas K-pop communities, attempts are being made to connect existing K-pop concepts like 'refreshing,' 'innocent,' and 'girl crush' with musical characteristics or styles for differentiation.In response, examined the possibility of 'K-pop concepts' evolving into a music genre. [K-pop Next Level 2] Can 'K-pop Concepts' Become a Music Genre?[K-pop Next Level 3] The Future Brought by 'K-less K-pop'[K-pop Next Level 4] Is Japan an Enemy or Ally of K-pop?laugardagr@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]