NEW GENERATION MUSIC: KOREAN POP MUSIC IN THE PHILIPPINES

UNEDITED SAMPLE FEATURE ARTICLE
By Maylene Librando Manzano
III-Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen


To most music enthusiasts, they’re genre of music is quite out of the ordinary. But to us Asians, this is the start of a new wave that’ll definitely conquer the global music scene. A new kind of music that’s starting to invade Asia and is also now making its mark on the international field. That’s K-pop to you.

Short for Korean pop music, K-pop is now starting to extend its boundaries all over the globe. Though it has been around for some time now, it has just started making its name in the music scene here in Asia and across the world.

It started building its pillars when the group Seo Taiji and Boys came known to the public in 1992. They’re style of music is a mix of Western and Eastern vibes that captured the hearts of the people across Korea. With ka little bit of rap, rock and techno, they instantly emerged as one of Korea’s finest musicians. The group’s success has paved the way for the now known generation of K-pop groups and solo artists.

Following the footsteps of Seo Taiji and Boys, upbeat and fast-paced songs dominated Korea’s music industry during the early 90s in the presence of the legendary hip-hop duo Deux. Not long after, as the mid-90s made its entry, teen idol groups emerged left and right and started a new trend for K-pop. Legendary groups such as Shinhwa, Baby V.O.X., Fin. K.L., G.O.D., H.O.T., Sechs Kies, and S.E.S. really made history with their high-selling albums, chart-topping hits, and strong fan bases. Starting with the break-up of the group S.E.S., most of these groups decided to go on their separate ways. It was stated that at that stage, Korean music became slightly better than noise. Some of these groups continued their success in the succeeding years, new groups such as DBSK and SG Wannabe took their place.

Unlike in the American music scene, by the start of the new millennium, pop groups continued to soar up high to the charts and remained as popular as ever. But the K-pop scene didn’t limit itself in just producing pop groups and dance songs. As MC Mong, 1TYM, Rain, Se7en, BIG BANG, and Epik High introduced themselves to the public, K-pop yet climbed a notch up, extending its horizons in different genres such as R&B and hip-hop as well. Aside from them, numerous underground artists lifted Korea’s local music scene especially in hip-hop. Drunken Tiger, Tasha and, Dynamic Duo made its way to the mainstream in the field of hip-hop music.

As years passed, K-pop experimented and tried other genres of music such as rock with the acts of Yoon Du Hyun band, extending overseas. Techno/dance artists also made a huge difference in their music scene. Lee Jung Hyun and Kim Hyun Jung both remained firm on the top tier of their genre of music. Not falling far behind, ballads and R&B stayed strong in the person of Baek Ji Young and KCM, following the trails of SG Wannabe’s success.

The K-pop scene finally made itself known to the world as Korea’s top female singer BoA made quite a huge impact on Japan’s music scene, being the highest-selling international artist from Korea. Artists such as Super Juniors, SS501, Wonder Girls, Girls’ Generation, BIG BANG, and TVXQ created their own mark in East Asia and Southeast Asia. After his international tour, RAINY DAY 2005 Tour, Rain expanded his popularity to the world as he debuted in the Hollywood film “Speed Racer” which garnered a lot of love and support from fans all over the world, most especially in Asia. Rumors had it that Rain is going to have his first lead role in the upcoming movie “Ninja Assassin”. He’s also the voice behind the soundtrack of today’s craziest animated film, Kung Fu Panda. Following his rival’s footsteps, Se7en, who is from YG Entertainment, is currently in the U.S. preparing for his international debut album. Striving to prove what Koreans are really made of, a lot of artists are now starting to make a scene in other countries in Asia and in other countries all over the globe.

Unike the American music industry, boy bands and girl groups are still very popular in Korea, most especially among teens. Shinhwa, TVXQ, and Super Juniors continue to be the top-sellers in Korea. The fast-rising popularity of R&B in Korea is really unexpected, thanks to the success of SG Wannabe’s and Big Mama’s debut albums back then. Trot music made a huge comeback in K-pop’s mainstream due to the success of Jang Yoon Jung and Hyun Bin Park. In 2006, ballads had a twist as popular boy bands such as Shinhwa and Baek Ji Young released their first ballad singles. As 2007 dawned, the remarkable success of the chart-topping songs “Tell Me” by Wonder Girls and “Lies” by BIG BANG paved their way to the top. Unfortunately, physical sales for CDs slipped down dramatically. As the year 2008 start, the fast-paced rise of Electronica dominated the K-pop scene. Jewelry’s “One More Time” and Brown-Eyed Girls’ “L.O.V.E.” are some of these songs. Aside from these two, Epik High, Gummy, Clazziquai, and Lee Seung Chul have released Electronica-inspired albums.

Now that the Korean pop music scene is in the verge of their popularity, let’s continue to support their endeavor to make it to the international scene as one of Asia’s most priced pillars of success.