[Korean band singing]
These aren't your grandma's boy bands!
Unless your grandma was born in South Korea in the 21st Century.
[Band singing]
Welcome to Watchmojo's Top 5 Facts.
In this installment, we're counting down the 5 most interesting things that we can learn about Korean Pop music.
[Twice band singing]
In case you didn't know the K-Pop industry is a big-time business
earning over 5 billion dollars a year in revenue between salaries, sales, advertising and appearances,
so let's dive right in, shall we?
[band singing]
No 5: K-Pop candidates undergo an intense training system
[Girl's Generation]: Gee gee gee gee, baby baby baby!
Gee gee gee gee, baby baby !
When potential K-Pop performers are first discovered by talent agencies,
whether be via headshots or early performance footage,
they're often sent to live in dorms with other candidates to undergo strict training.
During this time, they're given lessons in behavior and manners
and are encouraged to diet or otherwise lose weight in order to mold themselves into the idealized
K-Pop beauty.
[Band singing in Korean]
Some performers have even been known to go under the knife
in order to better exemplify that classic look of K-Pop glitz and glamour,
like by getting double eyelid surgeries, or even having their faces reshaped.
Singing and dancing lessons are also offered in these dorms, and the process isn't cheap!
The Wall Street Journal reported in 2012 that the cost of training just one member of Girl's Generation
was THREE MILLION DOLLARS!
Considering the years of training required
as the candidate fits that aforementioned fantasy mold for life of the public eye's K-Pop star,
the bare minimum artistic talents of performance can be taught and learned.
In other words, talent is reportedly only a secondary requirement!
[Girl's Generation]: Let me put it down another way.
[music]
No 4: Plagiarism is a big problem in K-Pop
[playing music]
Songwriting is hard!
There are only a finite number of chords to play and keys in which to sing,
with the true trick being how one can structure and arrange these ideas in a manner that is fresh,
original or at the very least memorable.
As a result, many K-pop songwriters have endured numerous copyright claims over the years
when it comes to plagiarism.
[music playing]
This has not been lost on fans either, who themselves have noticed a remarquable amount of similarities
to some of their favorite songs.
[Ailee: singing in Korean]
[Beyoncé]: Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace.
Add to this the fact that many K-Pop tunes tend to dwell within the modern electronic end of the spectrum,
as opposed to a band or singer-songwriter dynamic with multiple voices chiming in on the songwriting process,
and you have a problem which could get worse before it gets better.
[music playing]
No 3: K-Pop fan clubs have designated colors
[music playing]
Live music has long been defined by energetic and entertaining concert performances,
but K-Pop industry turns this idea on its head by creating some of the most colorful shows you'll ever see.
Often times, there's a specific color associated with a particular K-Pop group,
with that group's fan club shining out a brightly colored light stick in support as they watch the concert.
This can prove disastrous however, should fans harbor a grudge against a particular group,
as evidenced by the infamous Girls' Generation 'Black Ocean' incident in 2008.
This was where a large segment of the stadium show know as the Dream Concert turned off their light sticks
in defiance of the group, with the Girls being forced to continue to perform in front of a silent crowd.
With only a small section of supporters waving their pink-colored light sticks in support,
the normally kaleidoscopic Dream Concert was left in comparative darkness.
[Girls' Generation: singing in Korean]
No2: Audiences have a lot of power over K-Pop groups
[2NE1: singing in Korean]
K-Pop performers are said to belong to the audience.
They're encouraged to present a net worth appearance that is open and unattached,
in order to fulfill what if often the very young audiences' fantasy.
[Girl's Generation: singing in Korean]
If an audience turns away from a K-pop group for any perceived sleight,
such as a rookie group not being differential enough to an older, more established group,
the results can be a PR disaster!
Connecting with the idea of basically being controlled by their public perception,
dating could also get a little bit WEIRD!
Many K-Pop superstars are known to have dating embargoes placed on them
until they're as old as 29...
driving many to secretly go on dates in parked cars away from the public
and the K-paparazzis prying eyes.
[music playing]
No 1: The K-Paparazzi have standards and morals
The idea of a Korean paparazzi, or K-Paparazzi if you will,
is a fairly new one
with one recent example being an online media outlet called Dispatch.
The folks behind Dispatch actually got their start working with the Korean newspaper Sports Seoul,
but quickly earned a reputation of their own after publishing candid photo of male K-Pop stars Rain
and Korean actress Kim Tae-hee out on a date together.
Fans ate up this first taste of celebrity news and gossip,
although the photographers and writers who work in the dispatch,
in an attempt to distance themselves from their American counterparts,
abide by a strict code of ethics when taking their photos,
including not reporting on adultery and not paying for out-sourced compromising photos
which might be considered a personal attack towards performer.
Basically, they're considerably more thoughtful and more respectful than American paparazzi,
since they refuse to run in these stories that could cause serious damage to the careers of K-Pop stars.
[Hydra]: Bubble, Bubble, Bubble Pop! Bubble, Bubble Pop!
So, do you think you have what it takes for a run through K-Pop star machine?
[Exo: singing in Korean]
Will your supporters shine your favorite color? Or will it be a sea of black light sticks during your concert?
For more Super star Top 10s and not sufficiently differential Top 5s,
be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com
[Girls' Generation: singing in Korean]