K-POOP!

K-Pop taking over the world? Don't make me laugh
K-Pop is great for Asia, but don't believe the hallyu hype about global domination. The world's biggest music markets simply don't care
By Esther Oh 26 May, 2011

aving followed the Korean media for some time, I’m all too familiar with the unrestrained embellishment of hallyu.

Every time I read an article raving about how successful the Wonder Girls are in the States, or how Rain is a “world star,” I can’t help but cringe.

Don’t get me wrong. I agree that K-Pop is being listened to outside of Korea and that it has an international fan base, but the media’s coverage of hallyu and K-Pop feel-gooderies is ridiculously one-sided.
Crash and burn

When BoA debuted in the U.S. several years ago, every major Korean news website claimed that she was spearheading the hallyu movement in the Western hemisphere, saying BoA might just as well stand for Bring On America.

Unfortunately, she didn’t Bring On America; she bombed instead, even though her American album “Eat You Up” was produced by Thomas Troelson and featured tracks by Bloodshy and Avant, a duo that has worked with Madonna, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.

Like BoA, Se7en also tried to find success in North America and worked alongside Mark Shimmel, Rich Harrison and Darkchild. The result? Complete flops.

More than with their disastrous results, I was intrigued with the Korean media coverage that touted these singers as ambassadors of K-Pop to the U.S.

What I'd like to ask is, if a singer, regardless of nationality, debuts in the U.S. with English songs produced specifically for an American audience, is that artist still a part of the Korean Wave?

Take Jay Park (aka Park Jae Beom), a Korean-American and ex-member of the boy band 2PM.

After leaving the group in 2009, he reappeared on YouTube and his rendition of “Nothin’ On You,” originally sung by Bruno Mars, reached well more than a million views.

Korean news websites immediately claimed Park was on his way to becoming an international hallyu star.

These types of articles always puzzle me. Yes, Park is ethnically Korean and debuted in a Korean boy band -- but calling a Korean-American singing in English a hallyu star, and even a promoter of K-Pop, seems to be a wild leap in logic.

Before stamping the word "hallyu" on every song with a connection to Korea, it is crucial to first deconstruct the notion of the so-called Korean Wave.

BoA and Se7en have sung songs in English that were produced by Americans, and were transformed and marketed (albeit, unsuccessfully) in a way to suit the American public. Is there, therefore, anything that is so specifically and exclusively “Korean” about their U.S. debuts or their music?

Instead of simply glorifying the concept of hallyu and obsessing over the “exclusivity” and “uniqueness” of K-Pop, the Korean media should understand that when artists are debuting in the U.S. with English songs, people don’t care if it’s J-Pop or K-Pop.

Once these artists cross over to a different cultural arena and play by its rules, the notion of hallyu no longer applies.

CaliNative10
Thank you so much for voicing your opinion and probably a HUGE majority's opinion about K-Poop. Koreans make such a huge deal about their "idols" making it "big" in America when nobody even gives a rat's behind about these robots. They could walk through any street in America and nobody would now them. The only reason why they get a small amount of recognition is because of the Koreans and a small minute group of K-Pop groupies vote online 24/7 so it makes it seem like their artist is popular when they win.

Exhibit A: Rain's awards for Time & the other award show...online votes (meaning anybody can vote and can vote more than once). NOBODY even knows who that guy is! LMAO!
Exhibit B: the Wondergirls who apparently cracked the Top 100 on Billboard when we all know that they only cracked it because they practically gave they CDs out for FREE ($1)...pretty lame if you ask me.

My point, nobody who's anybody cares about Korean Pop music and it's going to get accepted or dominate anytime soon. Newsflash Koreans, America doesn't care for groups or synchronized dance moves. When has a group actually even cracked the Top 5 in recent years? Koreans blow everything out of proportion and they will never realize that these groups debuting in the US will never be famous. Wonder girls have been in the State for a while now and they've promoted and released new songs yet nobody notices them.
They can try and try and try, but they haven't reached any success with the American public. So, don't waste your money trying to debut in Western territory because you're wasting your time. Now unless you have a backing like Charice (Oprah's her godmother and David Foster is her godfather), there's no use in trying. She has huge and influential people backing her and it's obviously paying off. Now unless KPop artists can do that, I don't see a hallyu wave in America or even a little hallyu splash anytime soon.

Ingrid
I am from Latin America and while yes people know about them I wouldn't really say they are famous or taking over Latin America. I mean if we are talking about idols kpop lags behind if you compare it to pop groups from Mexico. I think this is because the music market works different in Latin America. if you really look at it the 'idol market' is very small. While S.Korea produces 100 group idols a month (I am exaggerating, but I want to make a point).
Latin America has a big wave of one idol group every decade. For example Menudo in the 80s and early 90s and RBD in the last decade. And when a idol pop group is big in LA, it is very big with record sales and filling stadiums concerts for days.I was watching a video of kpop fans in my native country, Peru, asking for a SM concert and while yes there were some, I wouldn't call them a lot. It is actually really hard for a South Korean idol group to really make it big in LA market.

First of all because unlike other parts of the world LA has different rhythms and by that I mean that if you look at the top charts the music in it is not only pop or at least is not what other countries will call pop. You can find cumbias, reguetton, pop, rock, merengues, salsa, and etc. I also think that while K idols are really polite and well trained, culturally it will be very hard to create a connection between fans in LA or any other part of the world. The way that I see it is not that LA countries are close minded and I will give an example(apart from the usually American singers), Laura Pausini is huge in LA and she is an Italian singing ballads.

I actually think LA is very accepting of other cultures. However, the Korean culture can be very close minded when it comes to mingling with another ethnicity. I was watching a k-drama name 'creating destiny', it starts with the girl having an Australian boyfriend without any flaws except that he wasn't Korean. Her dad actually sends her back to Korea and force her to marry another Korean so that she can learn her lesson. The drama ended with the girl and the Korean husband falling in love which, to me at least, tells you the general attitude about Koreans mixing with another race. While yes you might have a fling with someone from another race, there is no way in Hell you can take them seriously. Again it is not probably 100% true, but I do believe is the general attitude. Unless, K-pop idols can break that attitude it is very unrealistic to say that they can take over the world when there are only two countries that speak Korean.

I'll give them something they are taking over the Asian music market, but I thought they already did that in the 90s.

Biiruman
I've been involved in the music in US for most of my life and all I can say as a Korean American, that Kpop, although entertaining, doesn't have the sustaining power as most of it is copied/remake. There is nothing about Kpop that hasn't been done in US. Almost nothing is original and is about few years behind US.

I'm pretty sure with the market in Asia being much bigger, it may be one day that they would have more market shares, but for now. They are not there yet.

makkoli
I just wanted to comment on Korean interracial marriages. LOL !
It may surprise you but in the United States according to the US Census it seems many Korean Americans are doing it.
I read 1 out 3 Korean Amerian males raised or born in US are married to white women. Highest rate among all Asian Americans. I' m one of those :)
The stats are even higher for Korean American females.

missy

I agree whole-heartedly with you Esther.
The articles that I've read are seriously written by delusional individuals.
Kpop and hallyu stars need to stop chomping at the bit to enter our (US) market to be seen as MADE IT BIG. Get over yourselves. What a joke! Is that what their life consists of?

We are the USA and not South Korea. Conquer the rest of the world and live us the hell out of it.

Imogen
Question: What's Korean about 'K-Pop'?
Answer: Nothing, not even the name ('K-Pop copying the term 'J-Pop). Anything else, has already been done: Lady Gaga, Shakira, Boys II Men, Pussycat Dolls, Justin Timberlake etc. Only difference is, these acts weren't arrogant enough to claim they were the first, truly unique and were taking over the world as part of their countries' cultural superiority.

Amandine

I'm an African Kpop fan and yeah I went to the SMTOWN in Paris concert and it was amazing but I have to agree with Esther. If you take out the K in Kpop it becomes the same as everything else. Truth be told, we know that what attracts us to kpop is the image 'IDOLS' have aswell as how often we see them on TV also, let's not forget about fan service. We kind of have to admit that only a select few have a real vocal potential.
The music is catchy but the artist are too much like dolls so most occidental ppl think it's kiddie music.
Anyways when SM Kpop groups arived in Paris there weren't any news about in on tv here and only really small articles if not article (singular) in the papers I only knew they had gotten here on allkpop.Unlike amecian artists whose arivals are always frontpage news for kpop you really have to search to find out. I think most kpop fans are only attracted to the artists image 'cause it seems so perfect and "sparkly" but hey everyone has to right to voice his opinion.

And for those who keep posting unhelpful comments like "no wonder you have no job etc." well didn't you read Esther's description......for cryin' out loud she's got a degree in korean lit. and works as an interpreter which means she at least has a master's degree in translation so suck it...........It's not good to be a bashful ignorant who rants on the internet no matter how big of fan you are even if we all have the "liberte d'expression" it's called

Saiyuri sakaguchi
This article is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO correct. I totally agree with it. For a fact, when a KOREAN star does a song written by an american, sings an american song or "koreanizes" an english song, it's no longer considered as kpop. That "global domination" thing really makes me laugh my ass out. I definitely agree that kpop is rampant here in Asia. Know why?

Korean entertainment companies don't even pay their talents (the singers and dancers) well, that's why they try to debut and break out in countries such as Japan and China. I still remember that article that said "Koreans go to Japan because the money is in Japan". Their purpose for debuting in other countries is not really to "dominate" but to earn money. lol Well, even if they try to dominate US, they can never win against the REAL PIONEERS of pop, the americans. No matter if it's kpop or jpop, it's still a subgenre under POP which is for a fact, american.

Chris

I totally agree with you Esther!. They're trying too hard to promote "K-pop" to other countries. and those crazy fans really piss me off them always saying how they are better than A-pop singers, how K-pop singers are better than this and that singers blah blah blah... out there in the whole wide world, and they always take criticisms to the max. If you say
" I dont' like this K-pop singer " and they all flip out and start getting really rude and even threaten you to kill, over the net lol But in reality, K-pop is nothing more than a copy of American and European music. I mean more than 90% of their songs are created by non-Korean producers.
Yet they claim K-pop is superior to the A-pop and other gendre of musics. Like in what way is K-pop so superior??? Don't make me laugh! and one more thing. There ain't nothing special about "POP MUSIC",
I've Never seen a country that promotes "Pop music " as their "National Brand". desperate much?

kazz

There is one thing I forgot to say. The fucking brilliant Korean government pays money to advertising companies and orders them to play Korea-related youtube videos as many times as possible wanting to say "Korean pop culture is on the rise now!" Hahahaha, very korean isn't it?
Now that we know how Korea has been trying to fake up a Korean boom, the world's most pathtic thing must be nothing but Korea-related stuff. So sad, man. So sad.

Guest

When I first saw it on a korean site that some korean telling other koreans to use the tool to make people believe korean stuff are popular, I didn't know if I should laugh or be sad... ;)

They even have a tool to fake up thumbs-up numbers on YouTube videos.

花村ヨシ子
What made K-POP issue so big in Japan is its fascism. You cannot say "I don't like K-POP" on TV. An actor who criticized Korea propaganda subliminal editing on Fuji TV were fired, a comedian who said "I like J-POP better than K-POP" on TV was fired. People are seeing that Japan is losing freedom.

If they said "I don't like American movies" they didn't get any problem.
An American singer Kesha is another target.
She has been stalked by K-POP nazis because they want to cover up the fact that SNSD copied her song.(Later they bought the loyalty)
K-POP has very offensive side.
The K-POP stealth marketing is financed by Korean national branding committee. (A Japanese journalist who revealed the committee's involvement lost job too)
So it's a national project but they've gone too far.
They've created more Anti-Kpop people.
Now their tactic is to label people who don't like K-POP as racist to make them shut up.
But I know that won't work.