KPK: Kpop Kollective

Let KPK Introduce You To…The Use of (Gospel) Choirs

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. University of South Carolina Lancaster The use or application of the (gospel) choir aestethic or sound is a staple in popular Western music, and the artists who have used the imagery or sound go from rock and pop to rap. In an essay discussing how the African-American creative and cultural tradition…

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…

Mini Data Note: Why Fans Like Red Velvet

Survey results suggest that ReVeluv, fans of the female K-pop group Red Velvet, like the group because of its versatile concepts, its music and the personalities of the members. These are preliminary findings from the U Go Girl: The K-pop Girl Group Fan Study and are based on responses from individuals who identified Red Velvet as…

Panelist at #ICA19!

Crystal S. Anderson, PhD, will be presenting as part of the panel, Deconstructing Cultural Boundaries: K-pop’s Participatory Culture in the Digitally Networked Era with scholars Dal Yong Jin, Seok-Kyeong Hon and Jee Wong Lee, Ju Oak Kim and Wonjung Min at the 2019 International Communications Association Conference (#ica19) in Washington, DC on Monday, May 27,…

#WheeWednesday: “Heaven,” EXO

Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Director, KPK: Kpop Kollective Last week, I kicked off the first #WheeWednesday with a song by an artist unfamiliar to many K-pop fans. This #WheeWednesday, it’s a song by a group most K-pop fans know: EXO! EXO burst onto the K-pop scene seven years ago with 12 members and the Gregorian…

U Go Girl! The K-pop Girl Group Fan Study

U Go Girl! The K-pop Girl Group Fan Study is the latest survey in the iFans: K-pop’s Global Fandom project. This survey seeks to understand the appeal of K-pop girl groups for female fans outside of Korea and will be open March 20, 2019-September 20, 2019. Click here to take the survey! If you have…

#WheeWednesday: “With Me,” Wheesung (2003)

Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Director, KPK: Kpop Kollective At KPK: Kpop Kollective, we are all about K-pop music. Kaetrena writes about the musical influences on K-pop in her series Let KPK Introduce You To… In that vein, I’m starting a new series, #WheeWednesday, where I share music by some of the lesser-known K-pop artists as well…

Streams and Views: What the History of Music Charts Can Tell Us About Popularity and K-pop

Increasingly, K-pop songs are being measured outside of South Korea by chart performance. This relatively new development puts greater emphasis on using charts as metrics for popularity, which some equate with music value. However, such metrics are not neutral, and obscure other ways of ascertaining popularity among K-pop listeners. While subcultures in several countries have…

KPK: Kpop Kollective

Beyond K-pop as Industry

Live…for One Night Only: The Synergy Between K-pop Pop Groups and Bands

K-pop, Conventions and Concerts

WWLT, Vol. 2, No. 1

WWLT, Vol 1. No. 1

The Quantification of K-pop