Music critic Kim Young-dae gives a comprehensive overview of of K-pop in JTBC’s “China K-Class”
Kim Young-dae explains the concept of K-pop, its history, successes and possibilities.
JTBC’s “China K-Class”, which airs at 10:30 a.m. on the 6th (KST), features Kim Young-dae, a K-pop critic and a Ph.D. holder in ethnomusicology. He tells the story of K-pop, which has become an irreplaceable genre from its history to its identity in the industry and the secret to the popularity of the genre. Famous idol and veteran radio DJ Park So-hyun will participate as a special student.
K-pop is loved all over the world. What can K-pop be defined as? “Korean pop music consumed in the global market is called K-pop”, says Kim Young-dae. He defined K-pop in terms of the idol music that has achieved meaningful results overseas. When asked of K-pop’s current global status, Kim Young-dae releases the ranking of album sales in the first half of the U.S. as a measurement indicator. It is rumored that the panelists who saw the results were surprised, saying, “Isn’t that a Korean record chart?”
To analyze the current success of K-pop, Kim Young-dae traces its history. The critic mentions “global groups” such as BTS and BLACKPINK as representatives of third-generation idols who are conquering the global market. Kim Young-dae comments, “Third-generation K-pop is armed with special performances and has conquered the world by reflecting global music”. The discussion goes further into everything from the second generation, reaching its heyday through new media, to the 0th (founder) generation in K-pop, which is the root of the genre.
However, regarding the prevalent criticism that K-pop is prejudiced as “factory music” and “puppet music”, he emphasizes that “K-pop is the most enterprising and adventurous genre”. In regards to the ongoing success of K-pop, he remarks, “K-pop is an open genre that I think is good and new no matter what genre you mix”.
The students then ask of the mixing abilities of K-pop, “’How is it possible to combine K-pop genres with a trendy sense?”, to which the critic replies, “The ‘Song Camp’ collaboration strategy, where several composers gather to create music, along with the artist’s outstanding ability to write and compose songs, make this happen”.
Source: newsis
