Why are intl fans more into idol music?

Than Koreans are into idol music?

It used to be the opposite years ago but it's like Koreans are no longer into idol music as they used to be and we barely hear about them bulk buying and streaming day and night. Is Korea like the West now and no longer all about boy/girl bands?

i think if you could completely understand most idol songs of today, you'd avoid it too

for most of us it just sounds good/has a nice rythm/catchy random chorus,

but if someone sang those lyrics to me in my mother language, i would probably puke

koreans hype us those old hag targeted trots or snoozefest coffee shop ballads, they can keep it

The attraction of K-pop is not just its music/dance/performance thing, there are many other industries who do that well and often better.

But it is the whole culture of fandom around k-pop, that brings a sports like dynamic to it.

It is not just enjoying music, but also comparing absolutely trivial factoids and convoluted achievements, data analysis etc., about various groups.

No other music/entertainment industry brings that sports like dynamic to it.

That is so prominent, that music itself is kind of peripheral. Look at BlackPink fans flaunting, the very fact that their idols are so popular despite not releasing music for long stretches, is a matter of pride to them.

So it is a lot of bandwagon effect of the fandom, rather than actual music itself. It has become a "swag" in the young culture to flaunt being an ARMY or a BLINK or whatever, even if having little knowledge about the music of the group or the history etc.,

The West does not see that phenomenon often - Beatlemania, Beliebers etc., are still exceptions, whereas in Kpop that fandom culture is the normal.

Music.. well that is just an excuse, it is the 'belonging' to the popular trend, that makes Kpop attractive, not really any substance - loyalty to the group, in-group/out-group dynamics rivalry etc., play the tribalistic instincts, cult worship of idols - infantilizing, romanticizing them - appeals to the most excitable emotions.

Hence Kpop is an young people's thing, teens-twenties, then you can see a massive drop in followership both in Korea or elsewhere.

Quote from BLACKPINK in Your Area (263)

i think if you could completely understand most idol songs of today, you'd avoid it too

for most of us it just sounds good/has a nice rythm/catchy random chorus,

but if someone sang those lyrics to me in my mother language, i would probably puke

exactly this lol. they like it because they cannot understand the cringe of the lyrics.

like really, just search up any idols song and read the lyrics in english its digsuting, but the beats and rhythm nice though? hahhaha.

I don't understand the Nerdy hype.

You say this, but check how many songs in the top 20 on melon are by idol groups. It's a lot. Tomboy/Love Dive are some of the biggest songs this year.

Koreans like idol music just fine (if it's by ggs). Muggles just don't obsess over idols in their free time like stans.

They care about photocards and not music itself. If they cared about the actual music then these high album sellers would have high streams and views

When you say international, not sure where u mean. I can't speak for SEA. But anywhere else where kpop "exists" I doubt it's very relevant at all besides the small niche it has.

Quote from OP

It used to be the opposite years ago but it's like Koreans are no longer into idol music as they used to be and we barely hear about them bulk buying and streaming day and night.

get out of the bubble lol. Idol music is a much larger proportion of korean charts than of Western charts. But in your bubble, streaming and bulk buying are normal practices, when it's really not. Also factor in that idol music just hasn't been clicking in 4th gen probably for matters of taste (which is why NJ is gripping the SK public now, its more aligned with tastes + nostalgia)