K-pop has a strong and loyal fandom which includes both Korean and
non-Korean listeners. By now, nearly every follower knows what the
Hallyu wave represents. No matter how much we roll our eyes, one can’t
deny that as a niche market, it holds an incontestable amount of power
and popularity. What makes it so special though and why now? Catchy
hooks and Western-influenced melodies? Kenyan contemporary music has
them as well, but it’s far from being all that popular.
The
fascination for South Korea is secondary to an overall interest for
Asian countries. The last 50 years have made the Western world more
aware of their Eastern counterparts. Take the Nobel Prize as an example.
If the Eurocentric committee found Asians unworthy of such honor in the
past (only three Asians won a Nobel award in the first half of the
century), the last 50 years of the 20th century, about 30 other Asians
won the award. Let’s play the devil’s advocate and say that maybe the
increasing appreciation of Asian cultures doesn’t have that much to do
with the civilizations per se. Nor is the expansion of K-pop based
solely on music or genuine curiosity for South Korea.
There is a
more important factor to take into account: economic progress. At the
beginning of the 19th century, Asia held half of the world’s population
and about half of the global product. The Western countries took the
first place as producers once with the Industrial Revolution. The 21st
century presents another change of ranks: China is the second
largest-economy after the USA, boasting with a 10 percent growth rate;
economists estimate that three billion Asians (a group of seven
Southeast countries) have a very realistic possibility of living better
than most of the developed countries’ population. The power center of
the world is slowly shifting from the Atlantic Ocean area (Western
Europe and the US) to the Pacific one (the US and Asian countries).
Any
kind of economic transition also implies a cultural one. The 17th and
18th century meant the time of the economic French dominance (disputed
also by the British). For artists, the perfect place became France, with
Paris being the Hollywood of painters or writers. The same thing
happened with the US in the 20th century. The reason now it is the
leading culture is that it also holds the financial power. Put simply,
money is power. By having a stronger economy than the rest of the
planet, it gives one the ability to impose its culture outside its
borders. What does “it’s the 21st century” mean? The phrase is usually
used to define democratic values like freedom of speech and equality,
regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and so on. Who
exactly has them though? These are the ones you can find in Northern
America and Western Europe. These are the people living in the 21st
century. The rest of the world, despite holding onto them, does so to a
different degree and still battles countless problems to reach the stage
that the countries possess.
The same thing happens to K-pop.
Despite Asian countries still having lots of issues to resolve, they
began giving the world signals that they will get there. It won’t happen
overnight for sure and it is indeed a slow process. While most of these
countries have shown great improvement, it is barely enough. They
learnt how to grow; now they have to learn how to work with what they
earned. But still, they acquired a new status and the recognition their
cultures get from other regions remains a convincing proof.
One
may argue that the affinity for Asian cultures doesn’t restrict itself
to the post World War II era. Some philosophical or religious ideologies
have its main source in Asia: Buddhism, hedonism, the eulogy of
meditation and contemplation. Van Gogh held a high respect for the
Japanese art and some of his paintings received its influence. Still, it
was never a trend embraced by the masses. Maybe all these isolated
cultural clashes were just a premature start.
The Asian craze
didn’t just burst in early 2000s. The audiences were already prepared by
that time to accept the Eastern countries: a variety of products like
cars and electronics fabricated there, Chinatown/Chinese restaurants,
Asian-oriented organizations or the implementation of Asian language
programs in universities. Then, more overtly, cultural acts began
receiving the public’s positive response. The cinematography welcomed
the Bollywood movies. Then, the Japan thing started. Soon, there were
anime TV channels and a whole bunch of people knew who
Ayumi Hamasaki,
Kumi Koda or
Gackt were. But these changes happened along with the modification of the global economical balance.
And
today’s fad is K-pop. It didn’t stand on its own feet. Besides the
appeal it has, the importance that Asian countries started to gain
played a huge role. Think about how you got into K-pop. Was it at a
first glance? Or did it grow on you? And if the second option is your
answer, then it means it was possible for you to experience various
types of Korean entertainment before practically enjoying it. K-dramas
in your country, variety shows and even the ‘Most Viewed’ section on
YouTube attenuated the cultural shock. There were other people on the
same bandwagon, which normalized what you would have defined as weird.
Furthermore,
it is a vicious circle. The financial situation that allowed
K-entertainment to gain recognition is improving due to the export of
K-pop acts. The money is then invested again, resulting in a profitable
industry. Who doesn’t enjoy high-definition videos, complicated
choreography and a myriad of group’ members to choose from? Plastic
surgery, training campuses, studios and high-tech equipment, not to
mention staff members denote the allocation of a high budget.
The association of K-pop with other Asian acts is not a bad thing at all. If Westerners get bored with it as predicted,
its place on the Asian market will seclude also a position on the
international one. Their breakthrough on the Western market wasn’t
difficult just because of poor marketing strategies, but also because
the already-established fans listen to them in a certain context. When
the idols left the familiar background, their sound and appearance
seemed misplaced and utterly different. However, there is no general
remedy.
The evolution of the economy and cultures is
unpredictable. The future can contradict or confirm the expectation.
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