Gretchen Hartenstein
I never thought I would like K-Pop. I was never a fan of boy bands (or girl bands for that matter), especially since One Direction dominated the music industry during my time in elementary and middle school. I was one of those kids that passionately disliked 1D and found the hysteria around them to be irritating. I didn’t understand why they were such a big deal to so many people. A few years later however, I found myself hearing some of their songs here and there. And, to my surprise…I kind of liked them. I picked up their albums, listened to more of their music, and soon realized that I had been too quick to judge them by their fanbase. I genuinely enjoyed their music and some of their songs are still buried in my playlists today. Looking back on this, I realize that my love of K-Pop came about similarly, in a funny twist of fate.
It was early June during the summer of 2021 and I was on my way home from a kayaking adventure on the lake with my sister. Like usual, she was driving while I got DJ duty. As I was trying to decide what to cue up, she suggested a new song she’d heard recently on the radio. That song was BTS’ Butter, which would later become the song of the summer, and also the song of our summer. I didn’t have any interest in K-Pop at the time, but like so many others that summer, I fell in love with the song immediately. And then I got a glimpse of the music video and my brain lit up faster than Christmas lights in December. Needless to say, we spent that entire evening on the couch watching it over and over again. I was dazzled by the colors, the sets, the intoxicating beat that would practically haunt my dreams for the best part of three months. And, unbeknownst to me, that was the start of something that soon became a passion.
In a way, K-Pop took me gently by the hand and said, “Let me show you something wonderful.” And, in a way, it also seized me by the collar and threw me in head first. Over the rest of the year, K-Pop has dominated so much of my life and headspace (probably more than I’d like to admit). But as I’ve come to know the genre and its nature and culture more fully, I’ve realized that, to those who find themselves immersed in it, K-Pop is a beautiful and complex form of art. It’s that artistic appeal that has made me, and likely many others, fall in love with it. Not to mention how incredibly gorgeous every single idol is (just stating the facts). In this article, I’ll be taking a closer look into K-Pop as a genre, but focusing specifically on the works of a few individual groups that I feel I have connected with the most so far.
Elements of K-Pop
I learned quickly that this genre has a very close relationship with visual media. K-Pop music videos are like the Hollywood blockbusters of the music industry. They’re cinematic and fantastical, with complex storylines and cliffhangers that leave you desperately wondering what happens next. Then you have performance videos, which are just as spectacular, from the sets to the fits. Regardless of whether or not the performance is live, every video is masterfully crafted, right down to the camera angles. It’s the colors, the untamed expression and creativity, the symbolism behind every element, the thrill of awaiting the unexpected thing that makes them so incredible. It’s visuals, music, and fantasy all rolled into one. Take TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s electrifying performance from the 2021 Melon Music Awards for example. The nearly ten minute sequence marries two of the group’s most popular tracks, 0X1=LOVESONG and LO$ER=LOVER, into a wintery, emotional storyline, complete with dazzling dance breaks and Taehyun’s gravelly vocals repeatedly stabbing me in the heart as usual. A rather dark ending leaves you wondering what TXT was trying to tell us with this performance.
One of the primary visuals in any K-Pop video is the element of dance. Until I discovered K-Pop, I wasn’t particularly a fan of dance. I admired it but didn’t feel any artistic connection to it. But seeing it in tandem with so many other art forms that I love taught me the beauty of contemporary dance as a form of expression. Dance has an incredible storytelling ability because it is always emotional and always passionate. It plays a huge role in capturing and characterizing the themes buried within the music.
Themes
Like a lot of music, a common theme throughout K-Pop songs is love. But not just romantic love. These idols express a passionate desire for others to love themselves, as well as their own love for their fans and fellow group members. One of my favorite examples of the latter is BTS’ “Friends.” In this emotional duet, members Jimin and V speak of their struggles to get along during the early days of the group. The lyrics of the song relay their story, their scuffles, quirks and how their struggles blossomed into a close friendship. It’s a beautiful love song between two best friends, born a mere month and a half apart, who bonded so deeply that they now refer to each other as soulmates.
The writer in me comes alive at the metaphors constantly woven throughout the lyrics of these songs. Personally, I’m a sucker for a good metaphor, especially ones I can relate to. I think they are particularly beautiful in this context, for they express what we feel in a creative, poetic way. I never would have thought to compare happiness to ice cream the way that TXT does in their song, “Ice Cream.” They’re right though…it’s something everyone wants and sometimes it feels like it just melts away, no matter what you do. Or take BTS’ “Whalien 52”: the entire song is a metaphor centered around the 52-Hertz whale, a single whale that roams the Pacific ocean and whose calls resonate at a frequency of 52 hertz, higher than that of other whales that share its migration pattern. This creature has been dubbed the “loneliest whale in the world” because its calls are too high pitched for them to be heard by other whales. BTS takes this melancholy tale and crafts it into a metaphor for the human feelings of loneliness and the inability to be understood by others. Their lyrics speak of feelings of solidarity and alienation (hence the title “Whalien”) that we all experience at times.
The themes of many K-Pop songs also revolve around the idea of youth and the pains of growing up. This is likely one of the reasons why it resonates so deeply with young people. The songs are relatable because they are written by youth for youth. Idols use their own feelings and experiences as young adults to appeal to others around the world. In Stray Kids’ “Mixtape: Gone Days,” the artists express their frustration at the agonizing pressure and expectations that many youth experience from the older generations. In this song, they urge their seniors to see the world from their perspective, to accept new, original ideas and ways of life. They give a voice to the desire of the younger generation to make the world a better place and learn from the mistakes of the past.
K-Pop serves their fans well with an abundance of content. And one of the beauties of this content is its versatility and diversity. The duality in many of these groups is simply astounding. One minute, they write sweet songs about love and acceptance, creating the most touching, heartfelt videos to go along with them. Then, the next moment they turn around and shock us with the edgiest, most energetic songs and videos, like BTS’ “Not Today” or Stray Kids’ “Thunderous.” Quite a contrast to works like NCT Dream’s optimistic explosion of color, “Hello Future.”
My Perspective
I find it remarkable that something has made such an impact on my life in such a short period of time. K-Pop feels like the manifestation of everything I love as an artist, one of those things that feels like it was meant just for me. Perhaps I connected instantly because I found music, one of the things I love most in this world, coupled so beautifully with the other artforms that I love. These groups embody those things about me that I can’t put into words, those emotions that I feel and can’t express.
I was introduced to K-Pop at the perfect time in my life. It added comfort and color to one of the most uncertain summers I’ve yet experienced, got me through several tough transitions, helped me connect with new people. It reminds me to be kind to myself, but to still push my own limits. It inspires me everyday in so many aspects of life and it brings out the artist in me. It’s a reminder of my love for music, for visual media, for words. And, when all else fails, it’s there to make me smile and give me a pick-me-up when I need it.
My love for this genre has grown since the summer, introducing me to so many new artists and groups along the way. But BTS is, and always will be, my first love in the realm of K-Pop. They never cease to impress me, not only through their incredible work, but also through their actions and personalities. Rarely do seven young men have so much power and influence in this world. And it’s even rarer to see them using it to spread a message of love and acceptance, of others and of ourselves. This is probably the thing I admire most about them. They’ve stolen my heart, just as they have so many millions of others’ and remind me of so many important lessons just by being who they are and sharing their music with the world:
- They remind me that it’s ok to have bad days. Even when I don’t love myself, there is always someone out there who does (Magic Shop).
- They remind me that I’m not the only one who feels lost sometimes (Lost).
- They remind me to stop and appreciate the little things sometimes (Paradise).
- They remind me not to worry so much and to live in the moment (So What).
- They remind me that every day is a chance to start over (Zero O’Clock).
- They remind me that I need not be afraid to spread my wings and fly (Outro: Wings).
I’m sure I could ramble on about K-Pop for another couple of pages but if there’s one thing I hope you take away from this: it is that music and art know no boundaries – not even language barriers. And I hope this gives you a little encouragement to try something new. Like I’ve learned, inspiration can come from the very place where you least expect it.