The Beginner’s Guide

toKPOP

What is KPOP?

• KPOP stands for Korean pop music. It has a heavy influence from the pop music of Europe and the U.S., but stands on its own.

• Although mainly Korean, most KPOP groups sing and perform in Mandarin Chinese and Japanese as well.

• In Korea, there are a few main entertainment companies that represent the KPOP industry: YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment are the BIG THREE.

Characteristics of KPOP

• Boy or girl groups, usually 4-9 members, or solo artists.• Singing and entertaining dance numbers• Can sing with microphones in hand while performing

complicated dance numbers• Catchy tunes with English sprinkled in for effect (usually the

title of the song/chorus)• Usually a “rapper” status assigned to at least one member• Although lyrics can suggestive, live performances are

encouraged to not be (this tends to be true for the girl groups)

• Usually music videos are of high production value and can even include many different versions (dance version, movie version, and even different versions for different languages)

• All artists start as trainees for management companies and can train and work as backup dancers for star acts for 2 to 6 years. Jo Kwon of 2pm served as a trainee for over 7 years. Sometimes groups are formed and disbanded over and over again within the trainee pool. Most are recruited from auditions and scouts. Some entertainment companies hold talent searches throughout Korea and abroad.

• Most artists and trainees are discouraged from scandals, dating, and partying/drinking to keep their idol image.

• Artists and bands debut with a single album which they promote for a few months, then they retire the album to start work on a new album. Then, they have their “comeback” for their new work. Sometimes a comeback is only a few months after the retirement of their previous promotions of an earlier album.

• Most videos and performances include the lyrics and dance practices/dance versions to drum up popularity of the songs so that their fans can learn the words and the movements.

• Most bands and artists create a public image that is an alter-ego of their private selves.

• Usually bands will designate a member or two that will make the rounds on variety and talk shows to represent the group. It is very popular to have the maknaes and popular members of the group as the face and voice of the group.

• Most artists and groups become the spokespeople for brands through magazine shoots and CFs (commercials). Sometimes fake series or shows are created and centered around a product or brand.

KPOP Terms• Maknae: The youngest member of a group• MV: Music video• Oppa: Brother (Mostly used by girls to describe an older male as “close”;

“Sweetie”• Hyung: Term younger males use when talking to or referring to an older male• Hallyu Star: Someone Korean who is “world famous” or famous throughout

Asia• Hallyu Wave: The spread of Korean music outside of Korea.• Netizens: Members of internet and forum communities• Selca: Self-taken picture; KPOP stars love to post these for fans• Hwaiting/Fighting!: Words of encouragement and support; “Go!”• Ulzzang: “Best face” ; Beautiful man or woman• Ssanti: “Cheap” in a goofy or raunchy way (usually a dance)• Kkap: Overracting or overdoing that it’s almost annoying; “Jo Kwon”

How It All Began

• Korean singer Seo Taiji and two dancers, Lee Ju-no and Yang Hyeon-seok (YG)*, joined forces as Seo Taiji and the Boys in 1992 to give us the jewel known as Nan Arayo (I Know).

• Nan Arayo was heavily influenced by early 90s hip hop, and was widely accepted by Korea’s young people but panned and shunned by the older generations. In Korea today, Nan Arayo is THE karaoke song and almost every single KPOP performer knows the song/dance.

*YG is the founder and President of YG Entertainment

SEO TAIJI AND THE BOYS “NAN ARAYO (I KNOW)”

YG Entertainment

• Founded by Yang Hyun Suk after the breakup of Seo Taiji and the Boys

• Label is stronger influenced by hip hop and R&B

• Expanded into the foreign markets in 2005, with artist Se7en the first to expand into the rest of Asia.

• Label of 1TYME, 2NE1, Big Bang, Gummy, and Se7en.

JYP Entertainment

• Founded by singer Park Jin-young (JYP)• Merged with J. Tune Entertainment• Label is known for having artists with the best English

speech (more open to signing artists from America)• Label of Rain, Miss A, Wonder Girls, 2PM, 2AM,

8eight and represents a lot of actors.• Former label of G.O.D. and K.Will.• JYP has the most artists to tour the U.S. out of the

other BIG THREE Entertainment companies.

SM Entertainment

• Founded by Lee Soo-man• Lee surveyed teenage girls or what they wanted and

created boy band H.O.T. and girlband S.E.S. in the late 90s.

• Problems began to pop up with SM after the breakup of H.O.T. Then S.E.S. followed by leaving SM a year later. Band Shinwa left them in 2003 (Group chose new management outside of SM instead of breaking up).*

• Label of BoA, TVXQ, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, TRAX, and Super Junior and Super Junior-M.

* SM is known for their “13 Year Slave Contract” which has led to lawsuits and group breakups, most recently that of TVXQ (see TVXQ for more info).

THE GIRLS OF KPOP• Usually “cuteness” before “hardness”.• Emphasis on legs and eyes, usually accompanied by cute hand

movements and facial expressions, although there are exceptions.

• Usually have 5 or more members.• There is always a designated leader• Outfits are usually highly color/style coordinated• Most girl groups are highly regarded not only for their music and

performance, but their style and body shape.• Most girl groups, like almost all KPOP stars, are discouraged from

dating. If a KPOP star is rumored to be seeing someone, it becomes a scandal.

BoA• Stands for Beat of Angel• Titled as the Queen of Korean Pop Music.•Discovered by SM Entertainment when she went with her brother to a talent search in 1998.

• Influenced by R&B artists Nelly and Janet Jackson and pop artists Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake• Besides Korean, she speaks fluent Japanese and conversational English.• Is known to be a great dancer and holds her own against the top male hip hop dancers in Asia.

Girls’ Generation• Otherwise known as SNSD• Nine member group consisting of: Taeyeon, Jessica, Tiffany, Sunny, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Seohyun, Sooyoung, and Yoona.• Known for their usually cute dances, long legs, and perfect “S curve” bodies. Their catchy songs and cute dances are fodder for many a talk show dance parody, especially their songs and dances for “Gee” and “Oh!”

• Have many reality TV shows• The leader is Taeyeon.

2NE1• Pronounced “Twenty One”• The group consists of 4 members, of which CL is the leader and main rapper.• The “sister group” to label-mates Big Bang.• More hip hop inspired and “street” than most girl groups. Their dances are not about being cute.• Although they just debuted in 2009, they have a ton of fans.• Currently working with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas for their new album for 2011.

• Dara’s brother is Thunder of MBLAQ.

Lee Hyori• Also labeled as a Queen of KPOP (in her 30s)• Known for her versatile style, you can also think of her as the Madonna of the KPOP world.• Is known to be very nice and friendly, and is thought of by Korean males as one of the most beautiful women in Korea.• Likes to MC (host) various TV shows• Is really good friends with Daesung of Big Bang. • American blogger Perez Hilton posted her music video for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” on his blog in 2010.

T-ARA• Pronounced “T –ara,” just like the crown.• Hyomin, Eunjung, and Jiyeon are the 3 original members.• Originally was a 5-member group but 2 members, Jiwon and Jiae, left in June 2009. T-ARA regrouped with the addition of 3 members, Boram, Qri, and Soyeon. In 2010, Ryu Hwayoung joined and now the group has 7 members.• Known to change their styles back and forth between sexy/racy and cutesy. • Their dance for “Bo Peep Bo Peep” is also known as a favorite for dance parodies on TV shows.

BROWN Eyed Girls (BEG)

• Consists of 4 members: Jea (leader), Narsha, Ga In, and Miryo.

• The MV for their song “Abracadabra” includes a dance that has since been copied over and over on MANY Korean talk shows, dramas, and comedies. Members of boy bands 2AM and 2PM came together to create The Dirty Eyed Boys, and they even created a parody MV for “Abracadabra”. • Miryo is thought of as one of the best female rappers in Korea.• Their songs have been featured on MANY soundtracks for Korea dramas.• Narsha and Ga In both had very successful solo albums in 2010/2011. • The Brown Eyed Girls will have their comeback the summer of 2011.

• 4Minute is a 5-member group for CUBE Entertainment known for being edgy. “Sister group” to boy band B2ST. Members include 5 members, including HyunA and JiHyun (both former members of The Wonder Girls”.• SECRET is a 4-member group for TS Entertainment. Their music is very catchy, including recent hit “Shy Boy.” Member Ji Eun had a very successful solo debut in 2011 with her hit single “Going Crazy.”

• The Wonder Girls are a 5-member group for JYP Entertainment. They are very popular outside of Asia as well and even had a U.S. tour with labelmates 2PM in 2010. They are one of the most popular Hallyu groups.• Miss A is a 5-member group that debuted in 2010 with their single “Good Girl, Bad Girl” for JYP Entertainment. Maknae member Suzy is the lead on the Korean drama Dream High.

MVs and Such

THE GUYS OF KPOP• Usually go for more sexy than cute image, although the maknaes of each

group exudes cuteness upon debut.• Groups are usually 5-7 members, although there are exceptions, usually due

to group breakups or a member or two being dropped right before or after a debut. There is always at least a main vocal and main rapper in each group.

• It is not at all unusual for male KPOP stars to change their hair color to extremes (very very blonde is a commonplace color).

• Most groups are considered hip hop and R&B. Younger groups and those in early debut stages tend to lean more towards pop to reach their core fan-base (teen girls).

• Male KPOP bands have far more fanclubs than their female counterparts. Some bands even hold Guiness Book of World Records numbers for having large members in their fanclubs.

• Unlike female KPOP groups, males in KPOP are encouraged to show off their skin and show their abs on television shows, MVs, and modeling ads. Their abs are even referred to as “chocolate abs” in the KPOP world.

• It is not unusual for male KPOP idols and bands to wear eyeliner and other forms of makeup while performing.

TVXQ• Also known as DBSK (in Korea) and Tohoshinki (Japan)• Original members were Mickey (Yoochun), Junsu (Xiah), Jaejoong (JJ/Hero), Yunho (U-Know), and Max (Changmin). After Junsu, JJ, and Mickey filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment in 2010, they left the group to form JYJ. Max and Yunho (sometimes referred to by fans as HoMin) made a comeback in 2011 with album “Why” as a 2-member group.• Max is the maknae and Yunho is the leader.• Their official fangroup, Cassiopeia, made the Guiness Book of World Records in 2008 by having a record number of fans (over 800,000 in South Korea and about 400,000 abroad). TVXQ also had the record in 2009 for being the most photographed celebrities in the world.• They were the first Korean artists to ever play the Tokyo Dome (100,000 seat stadium).• Some members were intended to be a part of a group with members from Super Junior and SHINee, but were eventually (and thankfully) split up into separate groups before their respective debuts.

Micky• Lived in the U.S. as a kid• Actor: Sungkyunkwan Scandal and Ripley • Is the “sensitive” one.• Is “Y” in JYJ

Jaejoong• Lead vocal• Actor: Heaven’s Postman• Very active modeling career• Is “J” in JYJ

Junsu• Most learned in English• Very active in soccer and celebrity soccer leagues• Is “J” in JYJ

Max (Changmin) and Yunho (U-Know)• Max is the tallest and youngest member• Max is known to hold long high notes and is behind the “scream” vocals.• Max, Actor: Paradise Ranch• Yunho is the lead dancer and is known for his love of street and pop/lock dancing.• Yunho is the leader and prefers everything to be in order, although he is a big goofball.• Yunho, Actor: Poseidon, Heading to the Ground

Big Bang• Five member group with YG Entertainment.• Members: GD (G-Dragon/Jiyong), Taeyang (YB/Young Bae/Solar/TaeKwon), T.O.P., Daesung, and Seungri (Panda/VI).• Worked as backup dancers for labelmate Se7en before their debut.• Were originally six members before member Jang Hyun Seung/So-1 was dropped from the group. He later joined CUBE Entertainment group, B2ST.• GD is the leader and Seungri is the maknae.• All members have had successful solo albums. GD and T.O.P. had such hits in 2010-2011 with “Knock Out” and “High High” as well as “Oh Yeah!” with Park Bom from sister group 2NE1. Taeyang released a few albums and had hits such as “I’ll Be There,” “Wedding Dress,” and “I Need a Girl.” Seungri’s album VVIP had hits such as “Strong Baby” featuring GD, “What Can I Do,” and ”VVIP.” Daesung is a trot superstar, serving as a popular idol to the older generations, especially with hit songs like “Try Smiling.”

GD• Leader; Rapper; Fashion Icon. Very common to see him in eccentric dress and different colored- hair. Also writes and produces most of Big Bang’s songs and videos. Spokes-model for BeanPole.

T.O.P.

• Main rapper for Big Bang; Known for his intense eyes and tallness. Not the best dancer in the group, but is usually well-dressed in suits. Is also an award-winning actor. Acting: 71 Into the Fire, Nineteen, Iris

DAESUNG• Second youngest member; Most familiar member of the group for older generations. He is known as the “smiley” one is always seen smiling and laughing in appearances. He is good friends with female KPOP icon Lee Hyori. Was in a car accident in 2009. Performs in musicals, such as CATS.

TAEYANG• Singer inspired by R&B, especially Usher. Was a child actor; main dancer of Big Bang. Known for being very focused on his career.

SEUNGRI• Youngest member (maknae); Loves attention. Was not originally accepted into the group at audition; Likes to be “the mouth” of the group. Loves to imitate his bandmates. Acting: Nineteen

B2ST• Pronounced “Beast”; Stands for Boys to Search for Top/Boys of the EAst Standing Tall.• Label of CUBE Entertainment• Group of 6 members: Doo Joon, Hyun Seung, Jun Hyun, Yo Seob, Gi Kwang, and Dong Woon. • Doo Joon is the leader and Dong Woon is the maknae.• Debuted in 2010 with big single “Shock.”• Official fanclub is B2UTY comprised of B2uties.

SHINee• Pronounced “Shiny”.• Label of SM Entertainment.• Group of 5 members: Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, and Taemin. • Onew is the leader and Taemin is the maknae.• Debuted in 2008 with single “Love Like Oxygen.”• Known for other popular singles “Lucifer,” “Replay,” and “Ring Ding Dong.”

MBLAQ• Pronounced “M-Black”. Created by Rain.• Label of J.Tune Entertainment/JYP Ent.• Has 5 members: Seung Ho, G.O., Lee Joon, CheonDong/Thunder, and Mir.• Leader is Seung Ho and Mir is the maknae.• Debuted in 2010 with singles “Oh Yeah!” and “Y.” • Other top singles are “Cry” and “Stay.” Japanese single “Your Luv.”• Thunder is the brother of 2NE1’s Sandara.• Lee Joon is also an actor, playing a young Raizo in Rain’s Ninja Assassin.

2PM• Label of JYP Entertainment• Was originally 7 members before the departure/suspension of American member Jay Park (Jaebom).• Has 6 members: Junsu (leader) and twin Junho, Nickhun, Taecyon, Wooyoung, and Chansung (maknae). • Debuted in 2008. Hits such as “I’ll Be Back,” “Without U,” “Heartbeat,” and “Again and Again”• Was originally one group One Day with labelmates 2AM.

Super Junior• Sometimes referred to as SJ or SuJu• Debuted in 2005 with 13 members• Leetuk (leader), Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kibum, and Kyuhyun. • Hit singles “Bonamana” and “Sorry Sorry Sorry.”

Super Junior-M• Subgroup of Super Junior targeted for the Mandopop (Chinese) market.• Debuted in 2008 with 7 members: Han Geng, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun from Super Junior and 2 Chinese members Zhou Mi and Henri (Chinese Canadian).• Hit singles “Supergirl” and “Perfection”

Super Junior – KRY• Yet another subgroup, comprised of Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung. They play instruments.• Hit single for 2011 debut: “Fly”

INFINITE• Debuted in 2011• 7 members: Sunggyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Hoya, Sungyeol, Myungsoo/L, and Sungjong.• Revealed themselves with their own reality show “You’re My Oppa.” • Hit singles: “Come Back Again” “Before the Dawn” and “Nothing’s Over”

TEEN TOP• Debuted in 2010• Founded by Andy Lee of Shinwa• 6 members: C.A.P., Chunji, L. Joe, Niel, Ricky, and Changjo• Hit singles: “Clap” and “Supa Luv”• Known for their rainbow of hair colors. • All members are under the age of 18 as of Spring of 2011

2AM• Debuted in 2008 • Ballad boy band for JYP Entertainment• 4 members: Jo Kwon, Jinwoon, Seulong, and Changmin.• Were once one band of 11 members with labelmates 2PM.• Hit singles: “Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die” “You Wouldn’t Answer My Calls” “I Was Wrong”

The Rockers

CNBLUE• Pronounced “Seeing Blue”• Debuted in 2009 as an indie rock band• Four members: Jonghyun, Minhyuk, Jungshin, and Yonghwa. • They all play instruments, mainly with 3 guitars and a drummer. Sometimes use of DJ equipment and rapping are used.• Hit singles “Loner” and “Intuition”• Leader Yonghwa has acted in “You’re Beautiful” and “We Got Married.”

FT ISLAND• Debuted in 2007• Currently 5 members: Joog Hoon, Hongki, Jae Jin, Seung Hyun, and Min Hwan. Oh Won Bin (currently a solo artist) was guitarist/ rapper/ harmonica .• Very popular in Japan.• Hit singles “Flower Rock and “Love Love Love”• Hongki is very popular on the TV show circuit and also starred in “You’re Beautiful” with CN Blue’s Yonghwa. They are best friends and pop up in each other’s projects.

MVs and Such

KPOP MUSIC OUTLETS• Music Bank: Music program broadcast on KBS every Friday night. The K-Chart is the

countdown chart used on the show. Artists who rank #3-20 perform on the show. The top 2 artists are announced on the show and #1 gets a prize.

• Inkigayo: “The Music Trend” Airs every Sunday on SBS. The latest and most popular musical acts perform live, with a rookie artist/group performing every week.

• M! Countdown: Broadcast every Thursday night on Mnet. Ranks popular Korean music using a certain formula of voting collected from different sources.

• Music Core: Airs every Saturday afternoon on MBC. Artists perform live.• Most “live” performances are in fact recorded on the spot and performed over and

over until the musical artist feels satisfactory with their performance.• MCs and hosts for these programs change frequently and they are usually KPOP

musical artists, comedians, or actors as well.• Fans in the crowds of show tapings have practiced chants and shouts that they yell

during the performances. • Heavily suggestive dances and clothing are strongly discouraged and more than a few

acts have been banned because of presumed violations. (This isn’t so much of a deal for male acts and bands.)

• Most performances are loaded onto Youtube and the internet within a day of airing.

Valuable Resources for KPOP

• Label Channels and Websites• YOUTUBE• AllKPOP• Kshow• EatYourKimchi• AmericanKPOPFans• Twitter accounts for bands, labels, and artists

Brought to you by:

• Kimchi Austin (KL Walker)• KPOP Drive-By

• American KPOP Fans group of Facebook

2011