Online platforms have been a major force propelling the spread of K-pop globally, but are shifts in how they are deployed contributing to a more insular fandom? When you ask K-pop fans about their journey into K-pop, YouTube usually features prominently. Over the last few years, K-pop fans have been treated to content by companies…
Category: CSA’s Scholarship
Mini Data Note: Female American Fans, K-pop Girl Groups and a Critique of Empowerment
Survey responses suggest that American female fans of K-pop girl groups simultaneously critique Korean society and music industry and recognize the impact of their position as foreign fans on their perceptions of representations of empowerment in K-pop. These are findings from the U Go Girl: The K-pop Girl Group Fan Study and are based on…
K-pop Was Not Born Last Night
K-pop is old enough for us to recognize that it has a bonafide history, and the way we divide up that history affects the way we see K-pop. Some scholars place K-pop within a larger history of Korean popular music. In the article “Mapping K-pop Past and Present: Shifting the Modes of Exchange,” Keith Howard…
The Multiple Meanings of Manufacturing in K-pop
Media coverage and scholarly writing about K-pop often negatively characterizes it as a manufactured mode of music. However, there are other connotations of this term that more comprehensively address the process by which K-pop is made. It is common for stories about “idol”-based K-pop (singers and groups who sing and dance, appear on television shows…
Why Is K-pop Coverage So Negative?
Much like the current tone of the Internet, wholly negative criticism threatens to skew our perceptions of K-pop. On any given day, one can wander out on social media and witness what has become the all-too-common negative critique of K-pop. A recent Twitter thread began by Yim Hyun-su pointed out how media tends to write…
Labor from Below: What Neoliberal Capitalism Overlooks in K-pop
Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Director, KPK: Kpop Kollective Scholars frequently use the neoliberal capitalism frame to contextualize K-pop within the Korean wave, but the over-reliance on critiquing capitalist forces further silences the creative personnel of K-pop. If we approach K-pop using the “history from below” framework, we can reveal the perspectives of the individuals in…
Who’s Better, Who’s Best: Competition and Manipulation in K-pop
Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Director, KPK: Kpop Kollective Recent developments involving award and competition shows reveal the impact of mainstreaming on K-pop. As stakes increase for industry and media, accolades and competition are perceived as metrics for quality. However, they largely measure popularity, which is subject to manipulation. While many K-pop acts are managed by…
This Week In K-pop: July 20-26, 2019
Finding All Kinds of K-pop Stuff So You Don’t Have To Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Director, KPK: Kpop Kollective New pop releases in K-pop this week include three title tracks from the new EXO sub-unit, EXO-SC, including “What A Life.” Woosung (of the band The Rose) released “Face,” while Kang Daniel finally debuts as…
#WheeWednesday: “매력쟁이 (Charisma) ft. MC Mong,” LYn
This #WheeWednesday is actually related to the previous #WheeWednesday with Dynamic Duo. Dynamic Duo started with the hip-hop trio CB Mass. Interestingly, CB Mass was also featured on two songs on Korean R&B songstress LYn‘s 2002 album, Have You Ever Had Heart Broken? So LYn is no stranger to blending her vocals with hip-hop aesthetics. Which…
#WheeWednesday: “Art of Love (Primary Remix),” Dynamic Duo
Since I dropped the ball on #WheeWednesday, I have to double down with some Dynamic Duo. The Korean hip-hop duo made up of Choiza and Gaeko, began as members of the hip-hop group CB Mass in 2000. They later left and formed Dynamic Duo, and founded their own label, Amoeba Culture, in 2006. Some…
KPK: Kpop Kollective 