Why not K-Pop?

It is obvious. K-Pop fever is all around and it is not just in Manila. The fever is all over the Philippines, Asia, and the world. From Korean ice cream (“Melona, anyone?”) to Korean telenovelas (“Have you seen Boys Over Flowers?”), many are wondering why Korean pop culture is spreading like an incurable virus. Curious as to why Korean images, hairstyles, and fashion seem to peak at you at every turn? For the novice, let me initiate and hopefully entice you to try entering the wonderful world of K-Pop.


The Lure of K-Pop

What exactly is K-Pop? In the strictest sense of the word, “K-Pop” refers to original Korean music that may be influenced by sounds from the pop, R&B, electronica, hip-hop, and rock traditions. However, these days, “K-Pop” can also mean overall Korean pop culture including music, movies, dramas, and fashion.

In the Philippines, the inception of K-Pop may be traced to 2003 when GMA-7 televised the drama “Autumn in my Heart,” otherwise known as “Endless Love,” to rival ABS-CBN's Taiwanese drama juggernaut “Meteor Garden.” “Autumn in my Heart” was followed by other K-dramas including “Winter Sonata,” “Full House,” and “My Name is Kim Sam Soon.” Due to the high quality of K-dramas, it was not surprising that many Filipinos developed a taste for K-dramas which eventually graduated to other forms of Korean entertainment and culture.

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery and this is definitely the case for K-Pop. K-Pop has won many hearts. Even Hollywood producers took to Korean movies for inspiration. Hollywood movies such as “The Lake House,” “Tale of Two Sisters,” “The Uninvited,” and “My Sassy Girl” were remakes of original Korean movies. These days, the K-Pop influence can also be felt in Western music (Have you heard Britney Spears' new single?) with known US artists starting to work with Korean producers and choreographers. Popular artists such as Usher, Kanye West, Malik Yusef, and the Black Eyed Peas have worked with Korean artists. In the Philippines, Filipino versions of K-dramas like “Full House” and “My Name is Kim Sam Soon” were made.

The K-Pop fever experienced a rebirth in the country after ABS-CBN televised the drama “Boys Over Flowers” in 2009. This drama, which is a remake of the Taiwanese drama “Meteor Garden,” not only swept the country by storm but also propelled the popularity of K-Pop all over the world.

K-Pop love is all around

The increasing worldwide K-Pop fandom can be explained by the phenomenon known as the hallyu or Korean wave. Hallyu is the term used to describe the exponential influence of South Korean pop culture in recent years. The center of the hallyu phenomenon can be traced to K-dramas which surpasses the export earnings of Korean movies and music combined. It is without doubt that the hallyu wave is enabled by globalization through the power of the Internet making access to Korean entertainment media easy for overseas fans. The quality of Korean entertainers is so high due to their strict work ethic as evidenced by years of training before they debut.

In the past, celebrities and images shown on television and the big screen were predominantly Western since these were well distributed to the audience. However, with the advent of DVDs and Internet platforms including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, Asian entertainment is as close as the nearest laptop.

As Asians, Filipinos took to Korean pop culture quite naturally since it is easy for them to take the leap and appreciate cultures close to their own. The values and themes of K-dramas and music are easily relatable. I dare say that if the Internet were around in the 80s and 90s, K-Pop, J-Pop (Japanese Pop), Mandopop (Mandarin Pop), and Cantopop (Cantonese Pop) would have been popular even then.

Resistance is futile

When two of my closest friends tried to get me to watch K-dramas in 2009, I resisted for a long time. Come on, who has the time to watch 30 hours of a telenovela in a language one can't even understand? Oh, how I swallowed my words. I never realized that after opening my mind to K-Pop that it offered me a whole new world of entertainment. The language barrier is not really a barrier at all. K-dramas are subtitled very well and the melodies of the songs are universal. Honestly, what is the difference between appreciating Asian entertainment to say, appreciating Western entertainment such as French and American films and music? In this global world, this new wave of entertainment is inevitable if not even desirable. I am a total K-Pop convert and cannot be prouder to be a K-Pop fan.

For those who want to give K-Pop a chance, here are some of my personal recommendations. If you want to try a drama, I recommend starting with any of the following: “Boys Over Flowers,” “Iris,” “Secret Garden,” and “Baker King.” If you want to listen some K-Pop music, try Rain, Big Bang, Super Junior, TVXQ, 2NE1, Brown Eyed Girls, or Girls Generation. If you want to see some movies, try “Tale of Two Sisters,” “Il Mare,” or “My Sassy Girl.” These recommendations may well get you on your way to loving K-Pop. But tread carefully, once you K-Pop...you can't stop.

Photos by Sports Korea

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