K-Pop debuts in MGM!

History will be made as K-Pop comes to Montgomery! This September, K-pop artists Jay Chang, Beom Han, and girl group INTER GIRLS will perform on September 28th  at 7 p.m.  

A-KEEP, as a bridge between Korean and Alabamian cultures, is proud to sponsor a concert next month at Troy Davis Theater. To prepare, I thought it would be great to relive K-pop's glory days and look at its history in the states.  

K-pop has had a long history in Korea and on the surface, it looks like its history is just beginning for America. But did you know K-pop has been in America for longer than you think? Korean pop music, better known as K-pop, as we know today is widely known to have begun in the 1990s by the hip hop group Seo Taiji and the Boys. The Big 3 companies, as they are known, SM Entertainment, YG, and JYP were created in the 1990s and the first idol group H.O.T began their career. This beginning created what is known at Hallyu, the Korean wave.  

Years later in 2008 and 2009, K-pop artists Boa (who began her career at 13) and the Wonder Girls performed in the US. Wonder Girls song, “Nobody” even made the Billboard charts becoming the first K-pop group to make the Top 100.  

For me, K-pop reached my purview when Psy’s 2012 single “Gangnam Style” hit the charts. This is still one of the most popular K-pop videos with over 4 billion views to this day. So, my journey began slowly in 2012, but it was not until 2017 in Israel of all places that I really grew to love K-pop.  

 For me, K-pop represents a culture and language that I am fascinated with. It combines all the things I love about music, fun, catchiness, great dancing, and creative and inventive lyrics. Of course, the first group I fell in love with was BTS, right before they really made it big in the states with “DNA” and “Mic Drop.” K-pop groups usually have some story and message in their music for their fans. BTS specifically has created a story that began with anti-bullying messages telling their fans to love themselves. It is a powerful and great message for the younger generation, and it is part of what draws fans from around the world. K-pop also has such amazing colors, concepts, and dancing infused in their music that you cannot keep your ears or eyes from their magic.  

 Fans are learning Korean and more about Korean culture because of K-pop and this is a remarkable thing. I can see K-pop's great history and I know it will contribute to its great future.  

Sources:

https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained 

https://www.voanews.com/student-union/bts-k-pop-making-history-america 

 By Brittany Payne