Why I Listen to K-pop

Hi Everyone! Today, I wanted to do something different with this blog. I usually post reviews whenever a new comeback happens, but there haven’t been any lately because there is a short break in comebacks. I wanted to take this moment to share a bit about myself and discuss how I discovered and became a fan of K-Pop. 

I am sharing this because I frequently get asked, "Why do you listen to K-pop?" I also sense judgment when I try to explain my love for K-pop, even though music is a personal preference. For people who don’t know me, I am bi-racial; half-black and half-white. I believe there is confusion and criticism surrounding my choice to listen to K-pop due to concerns about cultural appropriation within this genre. However, it's important to recognize that cultural appropriation exists in various forms of pop music, including American pop and many different forms of pop around the world. Interestingly, I don't face scrutiny when I enjoy Latin or American pop music which faces the same sort of cultural appropriation. So, I thought I would bring awareness to this as it happens a lot in K-pop, despite it being one of my favorite genres of music right now. 

In this post, I will discuss what K-pop is, how I became a fan, what other styles of music I listen to, my reasons for listening to K-pop, and the challenges and drawbacks of being a K-pop stan. 

What other styles of music and artists do I listen to? 

Since discovering K-pop, many people mistakenly believe it's the only genre of music I enjoy. In reality, I have a wide range of musical tastes. The reason K-pop may seem like my main focus is because of the frequency of new music, as K-pop is a fast genre of music. Vastly, different from my favorite American artists who can take years to make a new album. Rather than listening to the same album that came out almost two years ago by a particular artist, I listen to a wide range of new music from K-pop artists. However, I do have my tried and true genres of music that I still like to listen to even though it might not seem so. 

Alternative/Indie Rock and Rock Pop: This is my favorite genre of music to listen to, and the style I played the most during High School and College. I frequently listen to this style of music while writing scripts and stories because of the chill vibes they present.

Favorite Artists: Young the Giant, Kaleo, Wallows, The Japanese House, Aly & AJ, The Airborne Toxic Event, etc. 

Young the Giant Wallows

Aly & AJ The Japanese House

American Pop: Pop music is my second most listened-to genre. I enjoy listening to pop music while I work out or when I am writing blog posts. Favorite Artists: Billie Eilish (putting her in this category because she plays a lot with different genres), Dua Lipa, The Jonas Brothers, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, etc. 

Harry Styles The Jonas Brothers

Billie Eillish Dua Lipa

Hip Hop and R&B (specifically 90s and Y2K era): Another form of music I often listen to while writing or working out. Favorite Artists: Beyonce, Aaliyah, TLC, Nelly Furtado, Fergie/The Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Chloe and Halle, Megan the Stallion, Cardi B, etc.  

Aaliyah Beyonce

TLC The Black Eyed Peas

Then there is K-Pop and some of my favorite artists are: BTS, Tomorrow x Together, &TEAM (J-pop), Enhypen, Stray Kids, Ateez, and New Jeans, etc.       

BTS Tomorrow x Together

Ateez Stray Kids

What is K-pop? 

K-pop, short for Korean Pop, is a popular music genre infusing many styles of music including pop, hip-hop, R&B, electronic, and more. When examining the “pop” genre more closely, it is a fusion of popular music from hip-hop, dance, Latin, and country influences. So K-pop is pretty much the same as pop but in Korean. 

How did I get into K-pop? 

Back in 2019, I was living with one of my best friends who was very much into the band BTS. At the end of that year, COVID-19 struck and we spent a significant amount of time at home, causing me to be consistently immersed in BTS and K-pop. I watched their Map of the Soul online concert with my friend and was immediately roped in. The production, choreography, and high-energy performance level were enough to get me more into this band. I began to pay more attention to them and started watching their content because I discovered that they are not just incredibly talented but also very funny. Once I delved into the world of BTS, I discovered the band TXT, who had just made their debut at the time. My friend listened to them frequently, and I soon found myself loving their music too. I immediately fell in love with Tomorrow x Together and soon found myself exploring other bands, leading me down the rabbit hole of K-pop. I have been a fan of K-pop for a while now, and have discovered many favorite bands and have now been to several concerts. This leads me to why I even listen to K-pop and why it has become so influential. 

Why do I listen to K-pop? 

People frequently ask me about my interest in K-pop, a question that continues to puzzle me. In recent years, K-pop has emerged as a worldwide phenomenon, largely due to the success of the group BTS. Millions of people all around the world tune into K-pop and the audience continues to expand. I listen to K-pop for numerous reasons, but the primary one is the joy it brings me. I got into K-pop during a very dark period of time, in the world, when it seemed like everything was at a standstill. The news showed many tragic stories because of COVID-19, and K-pop made me genuinely happy. Watching K-pop bands' vibrant, visually captivating music videos and endless variety content brought me happiness during a difficult time. I experienced a great deal of anxiety during that period, unsure if I would still have a job and worried about my health as everyone did. K-pop provided a distraction from my worries, especially when television and movies were unavailable due to the global shutdown. 

Not only did K-pop bring a light at the end of the tunnel for me, but it also sparked my creativity. 

The music, poetic lyrics, and captivating storylines rekindled my passion for writing. K-pop excels in storytelling through music, which drew me in as American music seemed repetitive in comparison. K-pop showcases a unique performance style with high energy and impeccably synchronized choreography for almost every song. Moreover, they often convey a narrative through their visually stunning performances which is something I don’t see a ton of in American music.

This genre is known for its rapid pace, with new music releases seeming to come out every other month. In contrast, American music often has longer gaps between releases, sometimes taking more than two years for my favorite artists to come out with new music. K-pop is a rapidly expanding genre, with new music being released at an astonishing rate. To stay relevant, bands must constantly keep up with the evolving trends, given the high number of new bands emerging each year. However, with all that being said like every genre of music, there are drawbacks, and I think this might be the main reason why people judge or question why I listen to this genre of music.

The Drawbacks: Cultural Appropriation 

I plan to write another blog, in the future, that will address many of the issues found within K-pop. In this post, the primary topic of discussion will be cultural appropriation, as it is the main reason why I believe I am questioned about my music choices. However, I still don't understand why I always get asked about listening to K-pop when cultural appropriation occurs in many music genres. It happens a lot in American music not just appropriating Black culture but Asian and Latin culture as well. Numerous American artists have engaged in cultural appropriation by adopting clothing and hairstyles traditionally associated with other cultures. For example, many American White artists have been seen wearing Do Rags and box braids. This is also apparent in the K-pop industry, as they appropriate various styles and cultures as well. Many individuals raise questions about it because numerous K-Idols attempt to claim ignorance of cultural appropriation and argue that they view it simply as a trendy fashion choice. Yes, there is a dark history of racism and cultural appropriation in K-pop and many K-Idols have engaged in this behavior. But, more recently the majority are learning from their mistakes, and apologizing if they have culturally appropriated. K-Idols now recognize that many of their fans come from many different cultures whereas in the past most of their fanbase were Korean. 

When it comes to music, some may argue that when a K-pop band releases a song with a more hip-hop or R&B sound, it could be seen as appropriating black culture. Yes, it can but we should also recognize that this also happens in other cultures, including American pop. I believe that it is unfair to make these generalizations about all K-pop groups, as many are influenced by hip-hop and R&B music and aim to honor this genre. For example, as trainees, the band Ateez was heavily influenced by American hip-hop and R&B music and artists, ultimately falling in love with the style and feeling inspired to incorporate it into their overall sound. But, they recognize where that music comes from and appreciate the music because they genuinely love those genres and artists. The responsibility lies with the artist to thoroughly research the music they are incorporating and understand its origins. Rather than merely creating a song with that sound for the sole purpose of following trends and increasing their popularity. 

Nonetheless, I acknowledge there is a prevalent issue of cultural appropriation in K-pop. If a group engages in such behavior without acknowledging or addressing it, I choose not to support them. I tend to follow groups that draw inspiration from various cultures and music styles to create their unique sound vs. producing it because it sounds cool. I acknowledge the problem deeply and hope that moving forward, companies will prioritize cultural sensitivity and provide appropriate training for artists. Given the widespread impact and rising popularity of K-pop worldwide.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I wanted to address a serious topic that is a bit different than what I usually talk about. Lately, I have been faced with questions and judgment regarding my music preferences. It's important to remember that music is a personal choice and I don't judge others for what they listen to. I try to be open and listen to other genres of music and if there is a certain artists or genre I don’t particularly like I don’t judge others who might like that same music. We should also recognize that cultural appropriation and racism exists in all genres, not just within K-pop. It's important to understand that not all bands are the same and not every band appropriates, just like how we do with other genres from different countries. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this nonetheless and look forward to the next blog! 

Thank you for reading,

Chynna