Music Style Development Research

Sources

Information Sources
https://cynicalkpop.wordpress.com/korean-development/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop
https://bigbangisforever.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/an-in-depth-piece-about-big-bangs-impact-in-korea-written-by-kang-myung-suk-music-critic-and-former-editor-in-chief-of-10asia-magazine/
http://mwave.interest.me/en/kpop-news/article/6916/the-history-of-yang-hyun-suk-and-yg-from-boy-to-ceo-pt-1
http://mwave.interest.me/en/kpop-news/article/6918/the-history-of-yang-hyun-suk-and-yg-from-boy-to-ceo-pt-2
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesasia/2013/07/31/koreas-s-m-entertainment-the-company-that-created-k-pop/#7ab2c24e407d
http://koreanbychal.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/all-about-jyp-entertainment.html
http://bigbangupdates.com/2017/03/successful-big-bangs-made-era.html
https://onehallyu.com/topic/303544-bigbangs-made-is-the-most-succesful-and-legendary-comeback-and-era-in-kpop/
https://bigbangisforever.wordpress.com/2017/10/18/10-years-later-bigbang-is-still-credited-for-being-k-pops-fashion-pioneers/
https://klawguru.com/2016/12/03/legal-age-laws-in-south-korea/
http://www.koreaboo.com/buzz/blackpink-reveals-6-things-theyre-banned/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSkH-djDU-k
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921700855035891712
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921700188259053568
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921374793320009729
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921374584535908352
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921374182654599169
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921374086814752775
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921373986667286528
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921373841296904193
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921373795855855617
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921047287144632322
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/921039806444068864
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/920999129173684224
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/920997630506864643
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/920997415041282049
https://twitter.com/K_Life88/status/920996905219514368
https://twitter.com/jiyongal/status/921362700692852737
http://kpopdictionary.tumblr.com/post/47305906456
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JYP_Entertainment

Images Sources
https://www.kpopmap.com/yg-blackpink-makes-headlines-debut-showcase/
https://btsdiary.com/tag/2013/
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7633039/bigbang-best-songs
http://www.sneakersvans.com/D-vans-36.html
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fashion-Peaceminusone-Long-Strap-Cap-G-Dragon-Hats-Men-Women-Baseball-Cap-Clip-/352039079027 (the hat being sold is actually a fake. The real hat costs around $200)
https://big-bang-amino.aminoapps.com/page/item/peaceminusone/71D3_V2INI5MkEMYX4J17g3E1VQbbkEwq1
http://melodiary.com/bigbang-10th-head-lightstick
https://k-pop.aminoapps.com/page/blog/superstar-jyp-nation-app-review/5gIV_uepMEdeEv2JjZB05nB4M1m67K
https://tuneuplyrics.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/profile-s-m-entertainment/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush_(2NE1_album)
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/2minlover/2ne1/
http://coverlandia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/2ne1-to-anyone-fanmade-album-cover.html
https://criscrazy.deviantart.com/art/Alive-BIGBANG-663832946
https://www.generasia.com/wiki/Made_(BIGBANG_album)
https://onehallyu.com/topic/475394-are-you-ready-for-the-pink-side-of-blackpink/page-2
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/%EC%98%A4%EB%8A%98-%EB%AA%A8%ED%95%B4-wyd-single/1118740751
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/1477812359547532/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Our_Twenty_For_album_cover.jpg
https://www.allkpop.com/article/2016/07/netizens-suspect-fx-have-already-renewed-their-contracts-with-sm-entertainment
https://elitecelebsmag.com/snsd-plastic-surgery/
http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Girls%27_Generation
https://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahhan/guess-whos-back-k-pop-winner-interview?utm_term=.lsppWyDaG#.xbMVxkbqr
http://ygpress.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/yg-entertainments-new-logo-cost-5.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Big_Hit_Entertainment_Logo_2017.jpg
https://www.allkpop.com/article/2016/07/cube-entertainment-ceo-hong-seung-sung-announces-his-departure-from-the-label
https://twitter.com/ygwinnerina/status/556395274621304832
https://btsarmy.aminoapps.com/page/blog/bts-logo-name-change/L27Y_428f8urBlQ1BZBwZq762JPEqm58bZ
https://www.dramafever.com/news/-hot-shows-featuring-k-pop-boy-group-bts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exo_(band)
https://www.redbubble.com/people/crneis/works/23359271-exo-logo?p=sticker
https://www.soompi.com/2017/08/18/11-times-bigbang-made-hearts-skip-beat/
https://www.sporcle.com/games/TeeheeJaci/guess-the-big-bang-members
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang_(band)
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/explore/bigbang-logo/
https://www.allkpop.com/article/2017/04/minzy-talks-about-the-most-memorable-moment-with-2ne1
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7662419/minzy-2ne1-goodbye-single-instagram
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/6092223/2ne1-gotta-be-you-video-watch-k-pop
https://www.redbubble.com/people/etherealcure/works/11206087-2ne1-logo-shirt-ver-2?p=sticker
https://twitter.com/pmo82_
https://gdragon.aminoapps.com/page/blog/get-your-clip-on/KWa1_RKmIMunLLZ8m0ww1oloj2rj0EjelZ

I have been listening and following Korean music for a very long time and a lot of this information I have picked up all over the place in that time. As someone who mostly listens to artists from YGE, that is the company I know the most about and will use for examples the most often. Most of the information I cannot cite a source for

Introduction
Korean pop music is a diverse mix of several different genres, mixed with the Korean language and Korean culture. Every individual artist has a concept that can evolve throughout time and they all have a style that matches their individual abilities and talents. The industry is a lot more manufactured than in the UK, idols will go through years of intense training in companies to make sure they are absolutely perfect for the fast paced and over-saturated market. You would expect that this would mean all the idols are exceptionally talented but with the rise of the beauty industry in Korean music, many groups are pretty but with very little ability to back up their success. The industry is extremely broad and connects with many external/international markets including beauty, cosmetics, fashion and more. Fans are extremely dedicated to their favourite groups/soloists and often create names for themselves (called fandom names) and this can cause conflict online, building certain reputations for the idols themselves. While a competitive industry, many friendships are formed between individuals and it is common to see groups celebrating another's success even when they have achieved something the groups were in competition for.

Songs
Come Back Home- 2NE1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLbfv-AAyvQ
Ko Ko Bop- EXO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdssuxDdqKk
Good Boy- GD & Taeyang (of BIGBANG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZRb1we80kM

Performances

Especially important ones are starred

The Baddest Female and 멘붕 MTBD (2NE1 AON Tour in Seoul) - CL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ6xU7SSEn4

*The Baddest Female, Hello B*tches, Fire and I Am The Best (MAMA 2015) - 2NE1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phGur4M9ics

Crush and Fire (2014 YG Family World Tour in Tokyo) - 2NE1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeLcbNymW1w

Come Back Home and Gotta Be You (2014 YG Family World Tour in Tokyo) - 2NE1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt2-61shBnA

*Ugly (2NE1 AON Tour in Yokohama, Japan) - 2NE1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2mBz2hMnqE

*Doom Dada, Ringa Linga, Strong Baby, Let's Talk About Love, Crooked and Fantastic Baby (MAMA 2013) – BIGBANG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F3HKthaaIA

Last Dance, FXXK IT and Bang Bang Bang (SBS Gayo Daejun) – BIGBANG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgatOq7oJWY

*BAE BAE, Bang Bang Bang, Fantastic Baby and Lies (Yu Huiyeol's Sketchbook) – BIGBANG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b6Lff65yCU

Loser, BAE BAE and Bang Bang Bang (MAMA 2015) – BIGBANG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGZZxgixkew

*Lifted, One of a Kind and ₩1000000 (SBS Gayo Daejun) – CL, G-Dragon, Bewhy and Okasian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz2CFHrJhoU

The Process to Debut
Auditioning
The general process of creating a kpop soloist or group is as follows: audition, contract, training and debut. Auditions are held all the time by companies and are advertised all over South Korea, especially Seoul. What will get you a place in the company is dependent on what the company is after but they mostly want East/South Asian teenagers with confidence, some talent (this can be trained into them if they are lacking) and the ability to fit Korean beauty standards. The two most common ways of auditioning are by email and a private audition at the company building, but the latter is more likely to get you a place at the company. They ask you to prepare a few minutes of whatever talent you wish to show off, usually singing, and you either record or perform it to a few judges with a camera behind. Larger companies keep track of everything whereas smaller ones often don't record smaller performances, however they most likely will record a private audition. It is recommended that you show off whatever you are best at, for example when Lisa from BLACKPINK auditioned for YGE, she danced and got the place (she's Thai and dancing, especially to Korean songs, is very popular in Thailand). Smaller companies tend to be less picky about who they choose simply because they have less people to choose from, whereas larger companies have their pick of everyone that wants to become an idol.

There is also the factor of training for this audition. Many children in South Korea are raised singing and dancing just so that they can audition for a large company at 15 and be almost guaranteed a place. However, in my experience, this rarely works. Some of the greatest idols never planned that way, they were simply talented young people and someone around them recognised that. Rosé of BLACKPINK is a prime example of this. She is part of one of the most internationally successful girl groups in the Korean music industry right now and has won every rookie group award possible except the MAMA awards since YG artists did not attend in 2016, yet she never planned any of this. Her father noticed she had an incredible talent for singing and suggested she attended the YG international audition in Sydney, Australia that year. She ended up ranking first out of 600 other participants and after 4 years of training, she is now extremely successful and will hopefully continue to be for years to come. Many trainees and idols have stories like this where they accidentally stumbled upon the career they have rather than wanting it since they were young children, or being pushed into it by parents.

This brings up international auditions. These are generally only held by rich companies every few years since they are incredibly expensive, but they give young people all across the world the opportunity to audition in person for the company rather than by submission through email. Usually they only cover Asia and the USA but in 2012, YGE expanded to the UK, Australia and New Zealand in hopes of finding new trainees, which ended up a very successful idea. It was never revealed if anyone from the UK made it to the second stage of auditioning but in Australia and New Zealand they found two members from BLACKPINK, Jennie and Rosé (Jennie is especially important because she has been named by her seniors as YG's gem and the media are expecting her to have a very successful career as both a soloist and a member of her group).

If an individual gets through the first stage of training, they are then invited to a private audition at the company building and must wait afterwards to hear the results. Very few people get through but the ones that do then continue the process towards their debut.

Contracts
Once a trainee is selected, them and their parent or guardian are offered 3 choices of  standard contracts, 2 years, 3 years and 4 years. The larger companies often offer 5 years and 7 years but most trainees will sign one of these contracts after debut to secure their place with the company while their group becomes established. The contracts outline exactly what the trainees are restricted from doing and the mandatory requirements along with things like food, accommodation, free time, interaction with other trainees, etc. Contracts from smaller companies are often restricted from the public and the only company that has really opened up about the details (harmless details of course) is YGE. The restrictions on male and female trainees have increased overtime in ways that I personally don’t think are necessary, to the point where male and female trainees have different eating times to avoid contact. This is why newer YGE artists don’t have strong relationships with one another compared to their seniors BIGBANG and 2NE1 who continue to be good friends after years. There are 6 things that trainees are forbidden from doing whilst training, however terms can be changed after debut. These were revealed by Rosé and Jisoo of BLACKPINK on MBC’s Radio Star and are drinking, smoking, plastic surgery, driving, dating and clubbing, but Jisoo did say afterwards that “anything is possible if you talk to the company”, suggesting that these terms (other than the dating ban) are negotiable with their managers. Accommodation and food can be provided by the company in their training centre but getting a place is dependent on how much money the company wants to invest and the trainee’s age. Most contracts have a clause saying that if the contract is ended early then all the money the company invested must be given back, but anyone is entitled to leave once their contract is over without cost, which is why it is recommended to only sign a contract for 2 years initially and renew it when appropriate.

Training
The training process is usually between 2-5 years and is incredibly strict and gruelling. It is generally focused on whatever that trainee’s speciality is or what role they have been assigned for a group, meaning a singer is not going to receive much if any training in rapping and vice versa for a rapper. Dancing and language learning are standard skills that everyone learns and those classes, along with mealtimes, are often places where trainees bond with each other and the company can start to choose groups that will have a good connection and personality for an audience. Companies always have a canteen of some kind where trainees eat together and food is a very important aspect of Korean culture. Families and friends will often only see each other at mealtimes so that has become very important to the culture and to Korean people, therefore this is an important time for the trainees. Groups that are good friends always have better performances and longer lasting careers, part of the reason BIGBANG have had such a long and successful career is because they are good friends and seeing newer generation groups like BLACKPINK have this connection is very promising.

The training and how successful these efforts end up is very different depending on the company. YGE for example, doesn’t train vocalists well at all. The two main female vocalists of the only YGE girl groups there have been have very poor technique and have been trained in style rather than ability. Both Bom and Rosé have a very nasally way of singing, which is absolutely fine and seen as 'unique' by the Korean public, making them more likeable, but this is in place of decent breath support, good control, good use of vibrato and general healthy habits when singing (Bom and Rosé are the best comparison within the company but they do have different circumstances considering Bom suffers from lymph nodes and also stretched her vocals a lot more throughout her career by doing riffs and runs that she wasn’t really capable of). The most technical singer YGE has ever had amongst male and female vocalists was Minzy, but that was because she trained herself and avoided the YGE vocal trainers. Suhyun from Akdong Musician or AKMU has said on TV that the trainer tried to change her voice and make her sing differently, but she was clever and refused to continue training with that teacher, finding another on her own and developing her voice outside of the company. However, YGE does train brilliant rappers that can write good songs and often produce themselves. The company is built on rapping so this is their general best feature, along with stage presence. However, SM is the complete opposite, training amazing vocalists but not so good rappers. This shows how each company differs during the training process.

Training is often kept very secretive and most of what we know about training is assumed about the artists after debut. The only way we know that YGE has poor vocal trainers is because it can be inferred from the artists that have already debuted, but has not been directly revealed by the company. All we know is that training is very intense and difficult, following a strict schedule with the added stress from school, assessments, etc. A former trainee revealed the basic outline of trainee life and it is as follows.

Work 8:00am - 2:00pm 

Language Class 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Vocal Class 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Dance Class 5:00pm - 6:30pm

All other freetime is dedicated to practice

Debut
Debut is the one thing all of this is working towards, eventual exposure to the public. This is when how popular and well known the company is gets shown; groups from more popular companies have a massive kick-start to their carer and public exposure but groups from smaller companies don’t have this advantage. An easy comparison to make is between BTS and BLACKPINK. BLACKPINK are from YGE, which is a very popular company, meaning they gained money and popularity very quickly, their debut song reaching 100 million views before the group had even existed for a year. Their most recent song ‘As If It’s Your Last’ broke the record for most YouTube views in 24 hours with 13 million views, making them the first ever Korean girl group to do this. Their Japanese debut showcase sold out within weeks and they are already earning millions from their YouTube channel and record sales despite the company cut and the lack of an album. However, BTS are from BigHit Entertainment, a company that has gained a lot of popularity since BTS but had no more than 40 staff members when they debuted, which meant they did not get that privilege. BTS had to give tickets away on the street to half fill the first venue they ever performed at, they were young teenagers having to skip meals so they had enough money to pay rent for their building, Jin had to borrow cooking utensils and bed sheets from his mother because they couldn’t afford essential items and their debut music videos took months of saving even when the boys were ready to make their debut. This doesn’t mean that BLACKPINK are any less talented or hard-working, it just means that they were able to gain instant popularity from the promotion of their seniors and their company. Maintaining this success and making an actual impact on the industry is where their actual skill comes in.

BTS when they debuted

BLACKPINK at their debut showcase

Debut can cause a lot of problems if the public don’t take to the group; even groups that are mostly liked have had lots of controversies in their first year. Again using BLACKPINK as an example since they debuted just over a year ago, Jennie could’ve had her career ruined in the first few months after training for years because people faked statements from previous students at her school to make her out as a bully. The media storm this brought from the Korean public could have ruined her if the company had not handled it well, but supposedly accidentally released a documentary Jennie starred in when she was 8 years old and had just moved to New Zealand which showed her as a sweet young girl making friends in a new country. The company also pushed for BLACKPINK to appear on the variety show ‘Weekly Idol’ which showed the groups personality rather than their image. Jennie especially is often read as aloof through BLACKPINK’s music but the person she shows on TV is very gentle and sweet. There are more examples that could be used but this is a recent one, and it also shows the pettiness of the influential members of the Korean public and Korean social media.
A group finally making their debut can be very stressful but it is often a relief for lots of artists since they can stop focusing on their training and start focusing on their career, their future. Many trainees will have trained for years and may have had they debut set back by months or even years, so finally making it after so much hard work would be an incredible feeling.

The Big 3
Introduction
The Big 3 is a term referring to the main companies in Korea that create kpop artists. These companies are YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment (with an honourable mention to DSP Media, BigHit Entertainment, Starship Entertainment and CUBE Entertainment who have all created some incredibly successful and talented artists yet are less recognised). They are all run in individual ways by differing CEOs, 2 of which (Park Jinyoung of JYPE still works as a soloist and Yang Hyunsuk of YGE used to be a part of Seo Taiji and Boys in 1995) are/were kpop idols themselves, which really shapes their artists and the company. Each of these companies works differently and focuses on different things, changing the way idols train, debut and maintain their career for the long term, and these different approaches seem to work since all of these companies have or had senior artists that have shaped the industry along the way.

YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment is said to be the most talented of The Big 3, choosing trainees based on their ability rather than their looks. The second generation artists from YGE (BIGBANG and 2NE1) are considered some of the ugliest artists in kpop by Koreans, yet they are some of the most successful and influential to date. YGE does seem to be looking for pretty trainees more now since the male trainees are all very handsome and BLACKPINK, the newest group, are said to be a prettier version of their seniors, 2NE1.

In Korean, YG 엔터테인먼트 was founded by Yang Hyunsuk and his younger brother Yang Minsuk on the 24th February 1996 in Seoul, S.Korea. He was part of the group Seo Taiji and Boys which created the iconic song ‘Come Back Home’ and pioneered what current kpop groups do today, especially YGE groups. They were the first to add choreography, to have strong stage presence, to take influence from American hip-hop and use their talent to gain fame instead of their looks. This has heavily influenced YGE artists to this day and the way that CEO Yang manages the company. He is known to be very strict on his trainees to bring the best out of them and his critique, although fair, can be harsh. The artists often collaborate with one another and have released multiple albums named ‘YG Family’ with tracks from all YGE artists along with tours across the world.

YGE until 2012 was entirely Korean and had no artists or trainees from outside of Korea, but Lalisa Manoban or Lisa from BLACKPINK changed that by being the first ever international YGE trainee and then artist. There have been many idols from all sorts of parts of the world but they still have Korean heritage, for example, CL grew up mainly in Japan and France but has Korean parents and Korean nationality.

YGE earned a total of 286.40 million USD with a net income of 12.50 million USD in 2016 alone and has already earned millions in 2017, despite a lack of music from BLACKPINK, iKON, BIGBANG, CL, Dara, Lee Hi and ONE. Mr Yang is currently running a survival show called MIXNINE to find a new boy and girl group to add to the company which is judged by many senior artists including ones from YGE (CL, Jennie from BLACKPINK, Zion T, Taeyang from BIGBANG and CEO Yang). The company is currently experiencing a serious decline in income since BIGBANG, their largest money maker, will be on hiatus for the next few years due to military service. iKON are set to release a new album in January 2018, WINNER are predicted a good year and BLACKPINK are working towards a full album in early 2018.

JYP Entertainment

JYP Entertainment is supposedly is balanced in the choosing of trainees, looking for both appearance and talent. More senior groups like Wonder Girls and Miss A clearly reflect this but their juniors, not so much. TWICE have been caught lip syncing in performances several times, they do not have exceptional vocalists and they are a very large group (generally larger groups have some very weak members because the better of the group can make up for it). They have improved significantly since debut but their performances are still not especially impressive.  

Formally known as Tae-Hong Planning Corporation before 2001, JYP Entertainment was established by Park Jinyoung in 1997. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management, concert production company and music publishing house and has gained its spot amongst The Big 3 from continued success since the debut of the first JYPE group. CEO Park is a singer himself since 1992 and he continues to have successful releases, still performing as well as he did back when he debuted. 

JYP Entertainment currently houses: 2PM, JJ Project, Baek A-yeon, 15&, GOT7, Nakjoon, DAY6, TWICE, Stray Kids and Jeon So-mi. Former JYPE artists include: Park Jiyoon, g.o.d, Rain, HyunA, Jay Park, San E, Wonder Girls, 2AM, G.Soul and Miss A. 

In May 2006, a documentary filmed and aired on MTV Korea, revealed the name of the first JYPE girl group as the Wonder Girls. The program introduced the four members of the group which were Sun Ye, So Hee, HyunA, and Sunmi. Ye Eun was later recruited as the fifth member of the group and not long after her addition, the official debut of Wonder Girls was held at Show! Music Core where they performed their debut song ‘Irony’ on February 10th 2007. In late July, HyunA was withdrawn from the group by her parents and was replaced by Yubin, a trainee from Good Entertainment. This was the beginning of JYPE. Wonder Girls sadly disbanded in 2017 after a very long and successful career, but some members have continued on with a solo career. Sunmi released ‘Gashina’ later in the same year, produced, written and composed by THEBLACKLABEL from YG Entertainment. 

BIGBANG

Introduction
BIGBANG are undoubtedly South Korea’s biggest boy group, even nicknamed 'The Nation’s Boy Group' by multiple media outlets. They are the most impactful, most successful and most relevant Korean artist to ever hit the music scene and they have just been on the up ever since debut. They first debuted in 2006 with their first single, coming from several different backgrounds. Kwon Jiyong (stage name G-Dragon) and Dong Youngbae (stage name Taeyang) were both on a few television shows before signing with YGE but when G-Dragon was scouted, he contacted his childhood friend Choi Seunghyun (stage name T.O.P) who was an underground rapper with the name Tempo and all three of them signed contracts with YGE. Both Lee Seunghyun (stage name Seungri) and Kang Daesung (stage name Daesung) were part of a variety show to discover the next generation Shinhwa, a popular group at the time, but were cut and found by YGE. They trained and then debuted in 2006, receiving mixed reactions from the Korean public, especially after a performance at the YG Family 10 Year Celebration Concert. They only started to gain attention after the release of '거짓말 or Lies' and 'Haru Haru', two extremely unique songs at the time, and then made their name to the rest of the world. They had several long hiatuses which lasted a few years but with fairly consistent releases all of amazing quality and with their added stage presence and performance characteristics, this made them stick. Most popular groups have their prime and then start to fade away, much like senior group Shinee, but BIGBANG haven’t and they continue as the most popular group in the entire nation, almost every Korean knowing them and being able to recite their names perfectly. BIGBANG is and remains the only Korean group where every member has a successful solo career and G-Dragon and Taeyang are more popular solo than entire groups combined, the same being for Daesung but in Japan. Not only do they have incredible talent but both G-Dragon and Seungri are very skilled producers and they all write their own songs, even helping to write songs for other groups. They also started several trends such as lightsticks, calling EPs mini albums, series albums and more. And to top it all off...

• CNN, Forbes, Wpost and K-experts have all named BIGBANG kpop’s top act in the last 20 years
• Many Koreans say that if you didn’t know who BIGBANG were in 2008 (when they started to get very popular), then you were not capable of making conversation with people in settings like school or work, that is how big they were
• They have won a total of 139 music show awards, including solos, even though they didn’t attend the shows for the majority and YGE often has disputes with media companies. Many of these were also without promotion
• Their own boss names them as a special group because they are different and he thinks they are saviours of Korean music as it is all becoming the same through over-production and lack of personality
• BIGBANG have the most viewed kpop music video with Fantastic Baby, the most viewed dance practice video with Bang Bang Bang (this dance was also extremely simple and trended in Korean charts for several weeks after release), most viewed MAMA performance with GD’s intro and Good Boy by GD & Taeyang and finally the most subscribers of any Korean artist
• They have sold a total of 150 million records making them the best-selling boy band in history
• They are the only Korean group to do a world tour as a group and as soloists, with 4 world tours
• BIGBANG were the first group to release songs for each individual member on the group debut album, followed by many releases of the same kind
• BIGBANG have won MAMA’s Artist of the Year award 4 times as a group
• 'Lies' and 'Haru Haru' are the second and fifth most downloaded songs in South Korea since 2006
• They’re the No. 1 act with the most digital hit songs in Korean history, with 27 number one songs
• They are the only boy group to have a song with over 100 million streams on Gaon (the song is Bang Bang Bang)
• From 2011-2017 they are the top in digital, physical and total sales in YG Entertainment, beating 2NE1 by 12,408,798 total sales and PSY by 24,003,172 total sales
• BIGBANG are the only Korean group to hit the Billboard 200 chart as a group and solo, with 6 entries
• BIGBANG hold the record for the largest kpop concert held in the UK

 BIGBANG's lightstick

MADE

MADE is their most recent album, and to say it is incredible is an understatement. This is the first ever album to be done as a series by a Korean artist, two songs being released for each letter of MADE then three extra for the full album. They felt that doing it over a period of time would keep their fans engaged, allow them to perform in the meantime and mean that they made high quality music written and produced themselves. This album was an absolute hit in Korea and internationally, having 425k physical sales, 380 million YouTube views in the first half of 2016 alone (Bang Bang Bang has over 700 million now itself including secondary views from lyric videos, dance covers, etc), 3.8 million sales in China and 760 million streams, 9.4 million Korean sales and 435 million streams (only on Gaon which is most popular in Korea) and 42 million Spotify streams. It had 145 Melon roof hits, meaning the songs went straight to the top of the Melon chart in Korea, 26 awards total, multiple all kills ( all kill is a term referring to a song that has managed to reach the #1 spot on the 7 major music site daily charts in Korea simultaneously) 4 PAKs (the songs stayed at the top for a week) and too many CAKs (like PAKs but per day) to count. The MADE Tour had 66 shows and 1.5 million people attended, not surprising considering BIGBANG are possibly the best performers in Korean music, with 2NE1’s old performances and CL being their only real competition in my opinion. The records they broke with MADE include: 

• Most viewed online K-pop concert in history
• First foreign act to hold a Japanese "Dome Tour" for three consecutive years
• The only foreign act to hold three concerts in a row at the Shanghai Arena
• The first Korean act to hold a two-day concert in Kuala Lumpur
• They broke the record for the largest K-pop arena tour in United States history until it was broken by BTS then broken again by G-Dragon as a soloist
• The first foreign act to sell out three concerts in Hong Kong on two separate occasions
• One of the most expensive concerts in Malaysian history
• Highest attendance ever for a Korean act in Chengdu, China
• Largest Chinese tour of any Korean act
• The biggest K-pop show staged in Canada
• The largest audience drawn by a foreign act in Japanese history
• The largest tour by any Korean act
• 5th best-selling album in China, despite being a Korean album and BIGBANG not having any music in Chinese. Not even EXO were able to beat them even when they have full albums in Chinese

Fashion

Not only have BIGBANG made a massive impact in music, but fashion as well. BIGBANG are known for being the first Korean group that dressed like themselves and the public on stage, which gave them a connection with the audience many groups didn’t have. Before BIGBANG, kpop stylists were supposed to dress the idols up in costumes to make them stand out and look different, but this wasn’t the approach BIGBANG took. They dressed themselves and while the fashion was more outlandish than what you would see in Western music, it was something the Korean public could relate to and something they could wear themselves. Their adaption of Korean and Japanese fashion mixed with the class of BIGBANG has shaped fashion collections in South Korea for years and G-Dragon in particular is known as the ultimate Korean fashion icon. He works personally with brands like Chanel, Gucci, Off White, Vêtements and has since developed his own fashion brand named PEACEMINUSONE, inspired by his album COUP D’ETAT. He is a trendsetter and has brought into the mainstream looks like long tail strap caps, stationery clips as accessories and Harajuku style decorated clothing or shoes. He is also famous for causing people to mass buy things he has worn. There is one type of vans he wears fairly regularly and has decorated in several ways but he wore them most famously at his SBS Gayo Daejun performance he did with CL, Bewhy and Okasian. In Korea they are nicknamed “GD shoes” and sold out within hours of the next day after that performance; even now they are still in very high demand, much higher than they were before. There is a reason he is said to be the most influential Korean celebrity to date.

The PEACEMINUSONE logo

The black version of G-Dragon's PEACEMINUSONE long tail strap cap

'GD shoes'

Enlistment

One important thing boy groups, certainly senior ones, need to worry about is military enlistment. In South Korea, all men fit enough must do two years of mandatory service between the ages of 19 and 30 (top age is an estimate since I couldn’t find anything specific. Just under 30 is usually when most idols enlist) and idols are not exempt of this law. Many idols and their companies put off enlistment for as long as possible but it must happen eventually, and this has happened to BIGBANG. T.O.P enlisted at the beginning of 2017 and G-Dragon and Taeyang must enlist by law in the early half of 2018. There are several rumours that Daesung and Seungri will be enlisting at the same time as G-Dragon and Taeyang so the group does not have such a long hiatus but there is no proof of this yet. Military service is as difficult in Korea as we would expect however, to my knowledge, it has never ended an idols career and has not been that scarring, considering celebrities are often appointed to guard the border between the North and the South which is one of the easier jobs. They are sometimes given police service but usually idols are very physically fit and are expected to do full army service. Because of T.O.P’s marijuana scandal, he was fired from service and has had to re-join another branch after his punishment and full recovery from his overdose but this again, would not have got him out of finishing his service. 

G-Dragon

Kwon Jiyong is simply not a man that can be briefly touched upon since his impact in Korea is just too huge to quantify in a few words. There is one very recent example of how much Korean people care about Jiyong and it may sound ridiculous, but this is how relevant he is in the county. He owns a café in Seoul and a man broke the chandelier worth nearly $300,000 in the centre of the building and there are over 20,000 votes for the man to repay all the money it cost, despite not having the money. Jiyong himself has charged around $300, not because he needs the money but since what the man has done is criminal offence and the public would have gone crazy if he had not charged anything, especially after the vandal wrote hateful comments about Jiyong on Korean social media sites. To us, it sounds stupid but he has gained more votes for this than many groups get for awards and this event is gaining more press coverage than newer groups like EXO and BTS have ever had. To give more conventional examples he is the first Korean soloist to tour Japanese 4 domes in 2013 and he is one of the first idol musicians to produce/write songs since his debut. His tour for his recent release 'Kwon Jiyong' has sold out multiple shows, selling out the sitting seats in Wembley Arena in 3 minutes, and he is the first Korean act to run a show in Amsterdam. He is as big as BIGBANG as a soloist, so much so that many people don’t know that he is part of a group. Recently, he has been making some changes and admitting things to the public that he usually wouldn’t talk about, such as his loneliness and relationships, also now preferring to be known as Kwon Jiyong rather than G-Dragon. In his own words, he said “I want people to see me, Jiyong, rather than G-Dragon just before I go [to the military]”.  Some records broken by Jiyong with 'Kwon Jiyong' include: 

• 100% of Melon listeners streaming
• Number 1 in 46 countries, making history as the first Korean album to do this
• 58 certified all kills
• 19 perfect all kills
• 13 roof hits
• 1 million Melon listeners in 24 hours
• 1.1 million sales on QQ Music (a Chinese streaming and download site)
• Selling over 655k with 12.2 million streams in South Korea in 3 days
• Made GD the first artist to achieve a PAK after the system changed to make it more difficult
• Sold over 800k copies in 35 hours
• QQ Music's 6th best-selling album
• Debuted on the Billboard 200 chart after 1 day of sales
• Number 1 on the US iTunes Top Albums chart
• Number 1 on iTunes Worldwide Albums chart
• Number 1 on iTunes European Albums chart
• The song 'Untitled, 2014' reached 5.6 million views in 24 hours
• Number 1 on Billboard Japan's Hot Albums
• 'Untitled, 2014' charted number 1 on Gaon with over 218k sales in 2 days
• First male soloist to chart first on the iTunes Worldwide Albums chart

All of this was achieved with very little and often no promotion at all. 


Fashion and Cosmetics
Korean fashion is often more bold than what you see in western countries, mixing bold colours and heavy accessories with popular styles. The influence of Korean culture is huge in fashion and this can be seen from the outfits worn by idols on stage. There are no standards on skirt length in Korea so as long as a girl is covered up, her skirt can be as short as she wants it to be, even in schools or the workplace. People speculate that this is because of the low rates of sexual assault in Korea however, when looking into any lawful backing for it, this is untrue. Sexual assault is not treated in the same way as we would expect it to be and the age of consent is 13, which makes it an incredibly difficult case to argue. Korean culture has a strong basis on misogyny and racism which heavily influences the treatment of people in the country, the law and the standards of beauty. Dark skin is the opposite of beauty and many of the clothing is designed around what western people look good in, while still having that over the top kind of feel to it. The majority of makeup has skin bleachers in it or is extremely pale, aiming to give Korean people an almost white look. There are two reasons for this, firstly the racism against black people and the standards of career. It is assumed that when you have pale skin you work a well paid job that is inside, obviously making it "beautiful" by their standards. To western people this is very odd since we consider a tan an attractive thing to have but for Koreans, it is the absolute opposite. We can also see these western centric beauty standards in the plastic surgery industry.

Plastic surgery is huge in South Korea and faces none of the stigma there is in the UK. It is very commonly bought by parents as a reward for their children when they have achieved well and many 18 year olds have had a facelift, double eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, skin bleaching and more. This is an image of the results of double eyelid surgery, showing both before and after the procedure.

Double eyelid surgery is one of the most common procedures in South Korea, ranging from $2000 to $4000 (around 2267060 South Korean Won). Their are some artists that have not had plastic surgery and still have monolids, CL is an example, but this is increasingly rare considering the decreasing cost of the surgery, the ages the surgery is allowed since it can now be done before the artists debuts and it is continuing to become more advanced. The cosmetic surgery procedures are reflective of the beauty standards in South Korea. Koreans aim for youthful, clear skin, double eyelids, a smaller face, a v-shaped jawline, prominent features, a small bridged nose with a sharp point, pale complexion, straight eyebrows and an overall natural look. 

Controversies

The members of the Korean public that have the biggest influence on the reputation of artists are called Knetz and they often post on various websites about controversies, their opinions and new music mainly from the big 3 companies. The two biggest things that cause controversies are drugs and post debut plastic surgery, the first one far more. Post debut plastic surgery can often damage the reputation of the artist but often these changes are very subtle and eventually the artists admit to them. An example of this would be Minzy, a former member of 2NE1, who admitted to having a rhinoplasty procedure in 2013. She did suffer with rhinitis and was going to have surgery to fix this but her mother suggested she had cosmetic surgery as well, something her company is usually not supportive of but allowed. Because she was upfront and honest about her experiences, this did not negatively impact her career but singer Taeyeon, who has definitely has plastic surgery but hasn't admitted it, did receive an initial backlash. This is a before and after of Minzy's rhinoplasty.

 

However, cosmetic surgery cause no where near as many problems as drugs. The laws on illegal drugs are incredibly strict in South Korea, far stricter than in the UK. Simply being caught in possession of a minor amount of marijuana can lead to a five year prison sentence and a $48000 fine. Obviously, many artists are extremely rich and the fine is no problem to them but five years away from work can have a huge impact on not just them and their group, not to mention the horrific impact this can have on their career. One of the biggest drug controversies there has ever been was with Park Bom and this was one of the things that led to 2NE1's disbandment. What it all worked out to be was a misunderstanding. When 2NE1 were on tour in the USA, Bom was prescribed a drug for her mental health that is absolutely fine to take in the USA but is illegal in South Korea. After returning to Korea, she was sent this drug by her family so she could continue taking it and working as usual, however this was eventually discovered by the Korean police. All blame was put completely onto her by her company and her own boss said she was "mentally unstable" and a "druggie" despite everything she said to try and explain the situation. She was not officially charged, at least not publicly, but this gained her such a bad reputation within 2NE1's Korean fanbase that she was put on hiatus (a break in activity) for over a year, which was especially awful since 2NE1 had just released their second album. While they trying to promote their new music, music they were obviously proud of because they had written and produced the majority of the album themselves, Bom was not a part of this so they had to perform on music shows just three of them. The other members of 2NE1 handled it very well but the absence of their main vocalist was huge. This gave the company a reputation of drug use and meant many other artists under YG Entertainment were searched for drugs as well, not only affecting Bom herself. This, along with Minzy leaving YG, was massive reason for 2NE1's disbandment. 

Racism

This a sad but important part of Korean music and Korean culture in general. Many Korean people are extremely racist toward black people and this is reflected in some behaviours of idols and customs within Korea. Blackface is extremely prominent among idols, some of which even posting on Instagram pictures of them mocking black people and black culture, despite their livelihood being heavily influenced by black hiphop. Even extremely famous idols who should know better have done this in the past, G-Dragon being a prime example. This is a photo he posted in 2013. 

Obviously, he received a huge backlash because of this, even from some of his Korean following, and then removed the image with an apology. But it doesn't excuse his actions. To my knowledge, he hasn't done anything like this since, at least not publicly. Blackface is very commonly seen on Korean television, especially when they are acting the part of a black person. With the followed stigma of dark skin in Korea, it makes it even worse. To also name someone extremely racist in Korean media, Zico has done some genuinely disgusting things to insult black people or black culture. He's made videos saying he's asian on the outside but black on the inside, he's worn the confederate flag, many of his songs feature the n word and he has participated in blackface multiple times shamelessly. He has lost a large part of his following for this but not as much as I expected, so he continues to act in this way while still making money and not worrying about the consequences of his actions. 

This can be argued as to whether it is racist or not, but many people view idols wearing dreadlocks or cornrows as an act of racism. Reggae concepts are surprisingly popular in Korea and many stylists seems to think that dreadlocks, certainly on men, are almost essential to doing this properly. I personally know plenty of black people who don't have a problem with this as long as they are respectful to black people and black culture in the process, but the internet absolutely blew up when Jackson of GOT7 wore dreadlocks in a Pepsi advert he did. He did apologise on Instagram when people told him it was cultural appropriation but to many this wasn't enough and they believe that the advert should not be shown and he should remove all pictures of him with this hairstyle.