The rise of K-pop is a true testament to a combination of various cultures, music styles, fashion styles, and performance styles. In the 1990s, Seo Taiji & Boys developed the foundations for a new form of music that would later culminate into what is today considered modern K-pop. However, this evolution took great effort, including introducing a previously unknown music genre to a much more conservative Korea and Asia. This period of transformation also saw particular changes and developments in the entertainment industry, especially with fresh and young artists coming into the music scene. This essay tracks the roots of modern K-pop from the 1990s, which revolutionized traditional music and globalized K-pop and idol culture.
The Seo Taiji & Boys is credited with the rise of modern K-pop beginning in the 1990s. This group consisted of Seo Taiji, Yang Hyun-suk, and Lee Juno. This group was primarily famous for the new Jack Swing but also incorporated aspects of Western music styles like rock, heavy metal, and rap music. Their song, “Nan Arayo,” released in 1992, brought them to the limelight. The song had components of tentative lyrics, rap, and heavy metal, with an energetic break-dance performance. This song was a departure from the more laid-back traditional Korean music, and while the older Koreans found it strange, it was liked a lot by the younger generations. The Seo Taiji & Boys’ sense of fashion was also appealing to younger generations, and it combined a fashion style of oversized jeans and T-shirts with artistic labels (Kalbi, 2015). Many teenagers later copied this, and thus began the culture change in the K-pop industry.
The rising fame of Seo Taiji & Boys influenced the entire Korean music industry to become a teen-centered pop culture. This shift set the center stage for the rise of young boys’ and girls’ idol groups in Korea and larger Asia (Kim et al., 2022). Consequently, there was also a reorganization in the Korean music industry to resemble the American style. Thus, Lee Soo-man, who had stayed in the United States and learned about American trends and culture in music, sought to introduce the same to K-pop. He established S.M. Entertainment and later formed a male idol group, Hi-Five Of Teenagers (H.O.T.), which would later further the legacy of K-pop. The S.M. Media, through H.O.T., established a rigorous schedule that included training sessions on dancing, singing, media interactions, etiquette, and speaking (Kalbi, 2015). In essence, while the Korean music industry was reformatting, it still held to the ideals of conservativeness and much emphasis on respect, values, and etiquette.
S.M. Entertainment was not the only agency; other agencies were rising fast to occupy the new Korean music scene. They included J.Y.P. Entertainment by Park Jin-young and Y.G. Entertainment, established by Yang Hyun-suk, a Seo Taiji & Boys member. This period was followed by bubblegum pop, which involved a softer version of K-pop. The Bubblegum pop consisted of softer pop accompanied by a cheerful melody and energetic dance steps. Many idol groups adopted bubblegum pop into their cultures. For example, H.O.T. released a song called “Candy” that performed well and influenced various merchandise ranging from candies to perfumes. Sechs Kies, S.E.S., Fin, K.L., Shinhwa, and g.o.d are examples of other young boys’ and girls’ idol groups that arose during this phase of the Korean Music evolution (Kalbi, 2015).
Since the Bubblegum phase, K-pop has remained a global phenomenon in the music industry. According to Sun (2022), globalization has played an integral role in popularizing K-pop worldwide. This has been enabled by intermingling cultures and the rise of new media, such as social media platforms, where many teenagers interact and share ideas. More importantly, K-pop is a mix of different cultures that are familiar to Korea and other countries worldwide. For example, the earlier versions of K-pop mixed traditional Korean music with other Western genres like rap and heavy metal. Consequently, K-pop became a music genre that many people could listen to and relate to.
In conclusion, the growth of K-pop in the 1990s was defined by cultural changes, the incorporation of other music genres, and changes in fashion styles, which attracted many young people to K-pop. The rise of idol groups like Seo Taiji & Boys, H.O.T., Sechs Kies, and S.E.S., among others, also contributed to popularizing K-pop. More importantly, the redefinition of the Korean entertainment industry and globalization set a strategic foundation for K-pop to bloom.
References
Kalbi. (2015, March 9). Evolution of K-pop Series – 1990’s (Rise of Modern K-pop). Korean Culture Blog. https://koreancultureblog.com/2015/03/09/evolution-of-k-pop-series-1990s-rise-of-modern-k-pop/
Kim, J., Kim, K., Park, B., & Choi, H. (2022). The Phenomenon and Development of K-Pop: The Relationship Between Success Factors of K-Pop and the National Image, Social Network Service Citizenship Behavior, and Tourist Behavioral Intention. Sustainability, 14(6), 3200. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063200
Sun, Y. (2022, November 19). Identifying the Factors Leading to the Globalization of K-Pop. Www.atlantis-Press.com; Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-05-3_94
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