Why is K-Pop so popular?

You might think you know a thing or two about K-pop if you've listened to Gangnam Style but K-Pop is so much more than this one song.

Ingenious approaches to music videos, genuine talent, and pure hard work set K-Pop apart from any other genre of music present nowadays. Here are some of the reasons why K-pop is so popular.

COSTUMES AND COLORS

If you've seen any K-pop videos, the first things that catch your attention are the bright colors and the clothes the artists wear. K-pop stars bring a whole new meaning to fashion. They never shy away from making a statement, and they have a decidedly unique way of interpreting current trends. Since most K-pop music videos have a certain theme or story behind it, their costumes and sets reflect just that.

STORYTELLING

Which brings me to my next point, storytelling. Almost all Korean music lyrics and videos tell stories rather than just random dancing and meaningless choruses. A great example of this is the WINGS album by the boy group, BTS which contains themes of youth and adolescence. There are stories of each of the seven members of the group struggling with a different aspect of growing up and learning about life.

CATCHY TUNES

You don't have to worry about not understanding the words, because as soon as you hear one of the catchy beats, it's going to be stuck in your head and you won't be able to stop singing it despite the language barrier.  Seventeen's "Clap", Twice's "TT" and BTS's "Mic Drop" has been stuck in my head for weeks now, and there's no escaping it.

CHOREOGRAPHY

K-pop idols can not only sing and dance but, they can also perform dance numbers so complicated that it would usually require professional dancers. This takes an insane amount of hard work, practice, and skill, but they are well-known for performing these routines live. Just go watch Seventeen's "Don't Wanna Cry" or BTS's "Fire" if you don't believe me.

TRAINING

K-pop artists are usually groomed and mentored by managers or agents for years at a time before recording their first song. G.Soul a Korean R&B singer trained for 15 years before releasing his music. Intensive training, make these young artists seasoned performers by the time they debut.

MULTITALENTED ARTISTS

K-pop artists almost always act as well as sing. While you can certainly find stars who don't act very well, usually a true K-pop idol is just as skilled as an actor as they are as a singer and dancer. Not only are K-pop artists super talented, incredibly hard workers, and star in perfectly executed music videos, they often mix other cultures into their songs. Singers frequently mix in English words with their lyrics. Some K-pop stars are even from different countries like Thailand, China, Japan, Canada and even America.

PERSONAL LIVES

Other than making amazing music videos and performing live in countless concerts; most K-pop idols are always making videos about something or other. A lot of the famous groups have their own variety shows and they do live streams frequently. This way, fans can connect with their idols more.

K-pop is so much more than just "music in some unknown language", it's an entire culture.