A Sound Evolution:The History of K-Pop

Photo: The Kim Sisters (L to R: Min-ja, Ai-ja, Sook-ja)

Photo by Chick Sponder

1920s – Trot

Considered the first Korean pop, trot music arose in the early 20th century during Japanese occupation.  Evolving from Japanese enka music, trot songs were originally translations of popular Western or Japanese songs. The name trot comes from the 1-2 beat rhythm employed in the foxtrot, a ballroom dance.  There are usually seven five-syllable stanzas in a trot song, and singers perform in a trembling vocal style called gagok. Though popularity of the genre began to dwindle among youth during the 1990s, recently young performers such as Daesung and 2NE1 have released trot-inspired songs.

1950-1960s – The Kim Sisters

On September 20, 1959, the Kim Sisters debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show, the most popular American variety show on TV at the time. Hailed as the original Korean girl group, sisters Ai-ja and Sook-ja, along with their cousin Min-ja, gained substantial popularity in the U.S., performing in prominent nightclubs and venues across the country as well as on nationally broadcast TV shows. The trio boasted proficiency in 20 different instruments and performed covers of Western rock ’n roll and pop songs. They possessed so much crossover appeal that they sang with legendary singers Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.  At the height of their popularity, the group made $13,000 a week. Though they were able to achieve enormous success, their beginnings were humble. Ai-ja and Sook-ja’s father, a musician, was killed during the Korean War, so the impoverished family began performing for American G.I.s for money until discovered by manager Bob McMackin.

1980’s – Ballads­

During the 1980s there was a surge in the popularity of ballads. Notable balladeers were Lee Moon-se and Byun Jin-seob. Lee Young-hoon was that period’s most popular composer.

1990s – The Birth of Modern K-pop

Seo Taiji and Boys stunned an MBC TV audience in 1992 as they sang to Western hip-hop and pop-inspired beats while undulating to B-boy dance moves during a musical competition. While the judges were not impressed — they received the lowest score — Korean youth were, so the trio launched a musical movement that would birth the Korean Wave — K pop.  Seo Taiji and Boys set the standard formula for a successful K-pop boy band that to this day still works. The 1990s also saw the launch of prominent record companies, the first being SM Entertainment (founder Lee Soo-man) followed by YG Entertainment (Founder Yang Hyun-suk), DSP Entertainment (founder Lee Ho-yeon) and JYP Entertainment (founder Park Jin-young).

2000s- Today – Expansion

K-pop has successfully infiltrated markets across Asia and is upheld as the gold standard of pop music in the East. It is Korea’s top cultural export. In 2012, PSY released “Gangnam Style,” which went on to become a global phenomenon, cracking the 2 billion views mark on YouTube.  In 2011, Billboard debuted its K-Pop Top 100 Chart.

The K-pop Training System: The Process and Controversy

The K-pop idol training system has been widely criticized as overwhelmingly rigorous and controlling. Entertainment companies are constantly seeking new talent and hold open auditions throughout the year. According to a 2014 Paris Review article, “The Lean, Mean, Star-Making K-Pop Machine,” four percent of Korea’s population (2.08 million contestants) auditioned for the television singing competition Superstar K, compared to 80,000 contestants for American Idol in the U.S. With such an easily accessible large pool of talent, companies are able to train and churn out a steady stream of new pop acts, which often makes performers disposable. After being selected to join a talent company, preferably at a young age, performers are trained for at least two years before debuting. While training, performers also attend school and live in dormitories together provided by the company. According to a 2012 Spin article, “Seoul Trained,” SM Entertainment spent about $100,000 a year for 20 to 30 trainees for three to seven years. Trainees practice late into the night and their image is meticulously manufactured, causing many critics to decry the overuse of cosmetic surgery in the industry. Trainees are encouraged to be fiercely competitive with each other in order to be chosen to “debut” in a boy or girl group. After years of training, not every trainee makes the cut. Following their debut, they are offered a long-term contract or “partnership,” which can last for up to 15 years.  Many equate these extended binding agreements to “slave contracts.” Idols are not allowed to date while under contract and have grueling tour schedules. Several lawsuits have arisen by former idols accusing their music labels of exploitative labor practices including overwork. While K-pop is now an industry that brings in billions of dollars, artists see very little of the profit compared to executives. According to a 2015 Billboard report, the average yearly salary for a K-pop singer was 23 million won (or $21,000) in 2010 and 46.74 million won (about $43,000) in 2013.

New Regulations

The Korean government has not completely turned a blind eye to problems in the music industry. According to Billboard, in 2014 a law was passed stating that children in the entertainment industry under 15 years of age cannot work more than 35 hours a week, and those between 15-18 may work up to 40 hours. The law also prohibits the sexualization of minors. Minor performers cannot be coerced into wearing revealing clothing or dancing sexually provocative choreography. Violators of the law face a $10,000 fine.