Let KPK Introduce You to…Johnny Gill

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. University of South Carolina Lancaster Artist: Park Hyo Shin Press Play to Hear “어느새 (Suddenly)” from Park Hyo Shin’s album Neoclassicism (released June 2, 2005). Park Hyo Shin’s vocal styling echoes… Artist: Johnny Gill Press Play to hear “Lady Dujour” from Johnny Gill’s album Let’s Get the Mood Right (released October…

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For Your Reading Pleasure: A Hallyu Bibliography, Part 9: IMAGE

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. University of South Carolina Lancaster Welcome to Part 9 of my ongoing series of bibliographic entries about Hallyu.   These entries are listed by year, not by author (TIP: If you know about a title or author and you want to see if it’s included in this listing, use the CTRL +…

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3 Useful Things To Know About Cultural Appropriation and K-pop

  It was great to be a part of the “Black Popular Music and K-pop” panel at #KCON17LA. The session was lively! In light of that discussion, here are three things that may be useful as people continue to think about the session or for those who could not attend. The session was important, not…

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Panelist at KCON 2017 LA!

Crystal S. Anderson (PhD), Director of KPK: Kpop Kollective will be a panelist at KCON 2017 LA! Panel 502B, “Black American Music and K-pop”, will be on Sunday, August 20, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Hope to see you there! In the meantime, check out some of my work on Black American Music and K-pop….

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S.E.S: Remember

By Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Research Scholar, Longwood University Formed in 1997 by SM Entertainment, S.E.S debuted the same year as Baby V.O.X, Jinusean and Sechs Kies and became the first successful female group in the Hallyu K-pop era.  Arriving on the burgeoning K-pop scene in the wake of H.O.T’s success, S.E.S represents the beginning of…

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Infinite: Nothing’s Over

by Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Research Scholar of Cultural Studies Longwood University Infinite debuted in 2010, the same year as CN Blue, Teen Top and ZE:A. The group is known for their synchronized and complex choreography, Dong-woo wants the group to be known for its music as well:  “Although ‘Come Back Again’ is an old song,…

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The Music of 2PM

by Crystal S. Anderson, PhD 2PM’s albums consistently blend R&B-inspired tracks and party songs. Reviewers do not have consensus on 01:59PM (2009), 2PM’s first album, and Go Crazy (2014). Critical response to the first album suggests that the group was still looking to establish its sound and make use of the individual talents of its members.  Reviewers liked the…

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Shinhwa: Music and Video

By Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Associate Professor of English, Longwood University Shinhwa’s longevity is in part due to the quality and consistency of their music production seen in their comeback releases. The Return is Shinhwa’s highly anticipated release following a four-year hiatus. Overall, critics note a  dual nature to the album, juxtaposing the classic sound of the…

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Global Promotional Strategies in K-pop

by Crystal S. Anderson, PhD Globalization remains key to K-pop’s spread around the world, but it is not one size fits all. As time goes on, Korean agencies adopt a range of promotional strategies to spread K-pop throughout the world. It is not secret that K-pop utilizes globalization. Writers have sought to identify singular strategies…

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Let KPK Introduce You To…Black Greek Fraternity/Sorority Stepping

Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S. University of South Carolina Lancaster Choreography and costuming for: “Maximum” Group: TVXQ Album: Keep Your Head Down Album Release Date: January 5, 2011 Press Play to watch a live performance of “Maximum” by TVXQ. “Maximum” choreography and concepts echo the traditional stepping performances of …) Fraternity: Alpha Phi Alpha (AΦA) (the…

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