Choreography in particular can transcend cultural barriers, which is why most K-pop videos contain a signature dance move. The visual appeal of K-pop videos is universal. “You don’t really see that with American pop music.” Nguyen, who now co-directs a K-pop dance troupe at the University of Washington, said the video’s synchronised dancing, colourful outfits and intricate sets pulled him in.
POP NSYNC TEMPO FULL
Memes weren’t a concept yet, but the video is full of them – it sets Girls’ Generation’s infectious bubble-gum pop against a fantasy storyline of mannequins coming to life. Nguyen was only eight when he first saw the music video for Gee and he was instantly hooked. Music videos on YouTube also helped K-pop appeal to fans globally. “The hook song has become one of the most popular types in K-pop,” Jin said, adding that K-pop stars, or idols, have focussed on this type of music because it’s easy to memorise and easy to dance to.Īnother popular song, Sorry, Sorry by Super Junior from 2009, similarly repeats both English and Korean phrases, making it easy to sing along to, even if you don’t know PHOTO: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES, SINGAPORE ABOVE & BELOW: BTS and Psy. The repetitive lyrics and upbeat tempo make for an incredibly catchy hook. One song that exemplifies this pattern is Tell Me by the group Wonder Girls, which topped Korean music charts when it was released in 2007. “You just can’t get it out of your head.” Put more simply, “There’s always like this catchy part,” fan Jason Nguyen said. These “hook songs” emphasise catchiness through devices like repetition, said Dal Yong Jin, a professor at Simon Fraser University. Many K-pop songs follow a classic song-writing style: an intro and a verse with hooks in the chorus. This method, which relies on pop music tropes, Internet culture and intense training, helped make K-pop an international phenomenon. The entire package is optimised for social media, where a devoted fan base gives the song a life of its own. The main ingredient – a catchy hook song – gets paired with a signature dance move and is wrapped up in a flashy video.
THE WASHINGTON POST – K-pop – mainstream pop music from South Korea – has a distinct recipe for creating global hits.
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