The New Genre

A new genre of music broke its way into the U.S. on July 15, 2012 with the song “Gangnam Style”. That genre is called Korean pop or K-pop. But what exactly is K-pop? K-pop is a genre of music originated from South Korea. The genre is a mixture of electronic, rhythm and blues, hip hop, rock, electropop, and other similar types of music. K-pop began as early as the 1960s but did start being commonly produced until the 1990s. K-pop songs usually have catchy tunes with rap parts and are accompanied by a dance routine. It is mainly sung by young and attractive groups. Korean pop is not only sung in Korean but also in Japanese, Mandarin, and even in English. K-pop is popular in South Korea and throughout parts of Asia.

          With over 418 billion viewers on Youtube today, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” is undoubtedly the most well-known Korean song to foreigners. “Gangnam Style” is popular because of its catchy tune, funny music video, and appealing yet simple dance moves. The song consists of satire about the Gangnam Province in South Korea. Psy describes the people of that area as not being better than everyone else when they think they are. Psy is an artist under one of the three largest entertainment companies in South Korea: YG Entertainment. Because of sudden widespread of “Gangnam Style”, Psy and YG Entertainment signed a contract with the same company Justin Bieber is signed with. Psy will most likely officially debut in the United States soon.

People all around the world have become more aware of K-pop especially in the U.S. However the issue whether Korean pop will increasingly become popular or become worn out in the future is commonly debated between K-pop fans. Nevertheless due to the growing popularity of Psy and K-pop groups such as Girls’ Generation, Wonder Girls, Super Junior, Big Bang, and 2NE1, Korean pop will hopefully become more popular throughout the world.