What is K-pop music?
K-pop is one of the most internationally popular music genres of the 21st century. In the most general sense, K-pop is pop music originally from South Korea. K-pop artists draw inspiration from a variety of genres like hip-hop, R&B, electronic, rock, American pop, and experimental genres. Although K-pop’s influences are diverse, the genre is typically grounded in traditional Korean music and the lyrics are most often sung in Korean.
K-pop in South Korea
In South Korea, K-pop is called “idol music” and is most popular with teens. The K-pop artists who achieve global success are typically trained by entertainment companies from a young age to become pop stars. The idol system in South Korea is characterized by rigorous training and strict contracts.
Recently, HYBE, one of the largest names in the South Korean idol system, partnered with Geffen to globalize the K-pop idol system. The two companies launched a competition show called ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’. The show resulted in the creation of KATSEYE, who released their first song ‘Debut’ last summer.
Domestic Korean pop music — pop music created by artists working outside of the idol system — is called gayo in South Korea.
K-pop’s global influence
BTS’s 2017 AMA performance boosted the genre’s popularity in the American music industry and opened the doors for many other K-pop artists, but K-pop was popular long before BTS hit the scene.
The modern genre-bending version of K-pop music emerged in the early ‘90s when Seo Taiji and Boys performed live on South Korea’s network MBC.
The three-piece group’s dance moves and aesthetics were heavily influenced by American hip hop, while the music was a blend of Korean ballads and New Jack Swing. Their genre-blending style quickly caught on with young South Koreans, and a new genre known as K-pop was born.
More recently, acts like BTS and Blackpink have helped make K-pop a worldwide sensation. The rise of K-pop globally is in a big part thanks to the dedicated fans. Fan groups of the genre organize events, are active online, and consistently turn out to see and support their favorite artists.
K-pop artists are also particularly good at utilizing social media platforms to engage with their fan base. K-pop artists are known for producing and publishing content regularly, which keeps their fans engaged even when they are outside of an album release cycle.
K-pop’s defining characteristics
Although K-pop is known for genre blending, there are some distinct elements of the K-pop aesthetic
Hybrid sound
Modern K-pop is known for blending traditional Korean ballads and Western genres like hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music. The hybrid style of music-making is exactly what makes K-pop so appealing to so many different fans.
Blackpink weaves hip-hop beats and rapid-fire lyric delivery in their track ‘Shut Down’.
BTS adds some classic power-ballad elements into their 2017 hit ‘Spring Day’.
Catchy melodies
One key to K-pop’s popularity is that the songs have a way of getting stuck in your head and staying there. K-pop tracks typically feature catchy melodies and memorable hooks that make them easy to learn and sing along to.
Notice the repetition happening throughout ‘APT’ by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars? The song’s structure makes it an instant earworm — easy to remember even if you’ve only heard it a handful of times.
Production value
K-pop tracks are known for having a very high-end sound. K-pop songs sound expensive, but production value includes the polished visuals that accompany the songs. The visual aesthetics of K-pop stars, their videos, and their social media presence is just as important. Videos often feature elaborate sets, interesting camera angles, and there’s a big focus on storytelling.
The five-piece girl group Red Velvet paired their song ‘Russian Roulette’ with a playful music video with an eye-popping color palette. The repetition of colors and shapes within the video enhances the catchiness of the song.
Intricate choreography
Dance routines with intricate group choreography are another staple of the K-pop genre. Many of the most popular TikTok dances originated from K-pop artists — like the routine from ILLIT’s ‘Magnetic’.
K-pop routines often feature detailed choreography that pulls influence from a variety of genres. Dancers tend to move in synchronized formations, there is an emphasis on the precision of their movements, and formation changes happen frequently to keep things interesting. Fans also love to replicate the dance moves online to pay homage to their favorite K-pop artists.
PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ featured the signature horseback dance move and was one of the first videos to reach 2 billion views on YouTube. PSY’s hypnotic dance style helped pave the way for K-pop’s worldwide success.
K-pop’s sound and music style
K-pop is a fusion genre, known for utilizing many influences. With K-pop, it’s the norm for Western genres like hip-hop, pop, R&B, and electronic to blend together with traditional Korean music.
K-pop songs generally feature a combination of catchy, upbeat tempos, bass-heavy hip-hop beats, and instrumental sections for dancing. Lyrics are often sung in both Korean and English.
It’s not unusual to hear a variety of Western genres in a single K-pop song. Having high-end production value helps bring these different styles together to create a catchy, polished K-pop track.
Why content creators love the K-pop aesthetic
K-pop is popular with content creators because of its global appeal. K-pop’s aesthetics tend to be playful, and the K-pop genre’s fusion sound makes it work well with a range of video subjects. Here’s some ideas of how to use royalty-free K-pop music:
Fashion video
The upbeat tempos that drive viral dance crazes also make K-pop a great genre choice for fashion videos. Use the beats in the song as cut points in your fashion project to keep viewers interested.
Tech videos
Tech tutorials and review videos serve a crucial purpose online, but keeping viewers engaged in informative content can be a struggle. Adding a high-energy K-pop track can help you keep eyes on your video. Plus, tutorial videos that focus on tech setup or computer program demonstrations feel more polished with a piece of royalty-free music behind them. A K-pop track can help keep your viewer energized as they take in complex, technical information.
Lifestyle videos
K-pop’s vibrant and catchy style make it ideal for lifestyle videos. Using music with an established online following can help get new eyes engaging with your content.
Youth-friendly content
K-pop was a genre created for teenagers, and its aesthetics and appeal still largely scale towards younger audiences. If you are making youth-friendly content, it just makes sense to add music that will already appeal to that age group.
K-pop-inspired royalty-free music
If you’re looking to add K-pop music to your upcoming video project, Artlist’s curated collection of K-pop tracks is a great place to start. These are some of our favorite royalty-free tracks and suggestions of how to use them.
Tokyo Midnight Blues
‘Tokyo Midnight Blues’ is an instrumental track with a blues beat and driving melodies. It’s energizing, but also has a sexy stroll to it. Since it’s instrumental, it would be a great backing track for a tech or lifestyle video that includes people speaking.
Dead to Me
TINAMINA’s track ‘Dead to Me’ features rapid-fire vocal delivery and a blend of hip-hop beats and traditional Korean instruments. It’s high-energy and packs a lot of attitude. This one would be great for an edgy fashion video or a lifestyle video set in a big city.
Pink Cosmos
‘Pink Cosmos’ from Juju B. Goode takes a much softer approach to K-pop. The song combines elements of acoustic pop and Korean ballads to create a calming and beautiful track — pair it with timelapse footage of the sun setting or rising for the chillest vibes. ‘Pink Cosmos’ pairs well with kid-friendly content or lifestyle videos set in remote, natural locations.
Play No Games
‘Play No Games’ is classic, sweet bubblegum pop gold. It features upbeat tempos and Korean vocals. This versatile track would work with videos meant to be energizing and uplifting.
The Oracle
The opening electronic beats to ‘The Oracle’ are infectious and oozes cool factor. It’s a little experimental and futuristic sounding, and the repetitive nature of this lyric-free track also makes it super versatile for a wide variety of videos.
Can’t get enough K-pop?
There’s a reason that K-pop music has become a global sensation. The diverse genre has a way of turning out extremely upbeat, catchy songs that have a way of getting stuck in your head.
Explore Artlist’s collection of royalty-free K-pop tracks to hear the newest genre-blending creations from your next favorite K-pop artist.
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