Although the name “k-pop” comes from an abbreviation of the “popular music” and “korean,” the difference between it and any other pop music is not just a national difference. K-pop originally appeared as a musical genre with its own characteristic differences, and then it turned into a musical subculture.
Features of k-pop as a genre of music
The songs in this genre are pretty short, about 3.5 minutes on average. The structure of the songs is standard for pop music: the alternation of two verses with a chorus and then the bridge-chorus. But what makes k-pop special is its eclecticism: it contains elements of many musical genres at the same time. It includes hip-hop, electropop, R’n’B, sometimes dubstep, EDM, hip-house and other dance music genres.
What’s also special about k-pop: almost all the songs, even the quiet and lyrical ones, have elements of rap. Rap can consist of whole verses, which are combined with vocal verses and bridge.
The songs are sung in Korean, but English is almost always present in the lyrics. Usually they are simple phrases that are often repeated and attract listeners, especially foreigners. The main theme of the songs, as in most pop music, is love and relationships.
The situation is changing now, but in the past, electronic musical instruments rather than live instruments were used in the creation of k-pop.
The visual culture of k-pop
However, a significant part of the k-pop genre is visual culture. Therefore, a mandatory element – choreography. Almost every song, if it is not a ballad, is accompanied by a dance created for it, which emphasizes certain moments of the song and makes it brighter and the performance – more interesting.
The appearance of the artists is very important. They are always slim and well-groomed girls or guys, with perfect makeup and hairstyles, dressed in the latest Korean fashion. Most often their hair is dyed in different colors, sometimes in extremely bright colors. Their stage outfits are also very colorful, with lots of accessories. The same goes for the music videos – they are bright, dynamic, with expensive decorations and costumes.