Will globalization take away Kpop's identity?

Uni909 · Apr 16th 2023

This is a sensitive topic, but first I want to say as one born in a western european country, I'm a very open minded person. I support diversity, I support inclusion and I'm happy to see Kpop and Korea is slowly opening up for other nationalities than the typical east-asian as idols.

But I'm also worried for the ''western'' influence or too much of it. That everything has to meet the standards of western ideology which has a lot of positive things, and some of those are inclusion and diversity like I talked about. But if everything from society structures to art are identical in the whole world, doesn't that means a genre like Kpop will not look like Kpop anymore? I don't have the answer, but I wonder what you guys think about it.

There are lot of reasons why I enjoy Kpop, but one of the main ones that got me into the genre is to get away from western pop. Which I still like, but there are lot of it that I don't and I needed a change.

SooYoung · Apr 16th 2023

To be honest it already took away the "identity " of Kpop since middle-end 3rd gen

few days ago i was driving and i usually put my music player in random shuffle mode

and i end up listening to 4minutes "whatcha doing today" and then i just went into a a nostalgic mood

and just start playing 2nd gen songs like " Kara - step", "Kara - Mister", " T-ara - Lovey dovey", "T-ara Yayaya", "After school - Bang" " Wonder girls - Like this" etc...

And it really hit me before kpop songs were all very hype songs, release to make people dance and enjoy the moment and just makes you happy generally

and i remember that it's why i was so attracted to Kpop around this time because it was so different to what Western music was doing

their MV were very colorful, they were not taking themselves too seriously, it was just about having a great time

When Western music was more rnb, pop music but not as hype and "colorful" in the sound like kpop, with very dark MV

and what's really hit me is that Kpop change so much through everry year and as a 2nd gen fans considering that i slowly follow every group debuting etc... i didn't notice such a big contrast in the aesthetic and sound until this moment

and i really realize that Yes to me Kpop lost what's used to make of Kpop something different from western pop, it lost it's identity, i feel that in 2nd gen Kpop was a genre in itself

now Kpop is just western pop sing in korean

plasticrose · Apr 16th 2023

groups like bts and twice have made stupid decisions like promoting english songs. Kpop has not been the same ever since.

Flowercrew · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from plasticrose

groups like bts and twice have made stupid decisions like promoting english songs. Kpop has not been the same ever since.

Says you💖

Slayurfaves · Apr 16th 2023

I don't think so

y2kprxncess · Apr 16th 2023

Maybe, but I feel like it won’t since they will still promote in Korea, and Korea has different points of view. So they’ll probably still have to keep some things original, or the same, however depending it could change.

babydoll23 · Apr 16th 2023

I mean it depends on what you define as kpop vs. western pop. Like what are the defining k-pop sounds that make them different from western pop, especially when a lot of the production of kpop songs comes from western producers?

K-pop as we know it has been influenced by western music and music industry trends since the early 2000s.

Jasmine_Waters · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from plasticrose

groups like bts and twice have made stupid decisions like promoting english songs. Kpop has not been the same ever since.

Yes, Boa and her 2009 all-English album seeking Western validation started these stupid decisions almost 13 years later!!

plasticrose · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from Jasmine_Waters

Yes, Boa and her 2009 all-English album seeking Western validation started these stupid decisions almost 13 years later!!

fair comparison /s

Jasmine_Waters · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from plasticrose

fair comparison /s

Say you stumbled upon kpop after 2017 w/o saying you stumbled upon kpop in 2017.

tetetete · Apr 16th 2023

I don't get this tbh

It's not like k-pop is like Korean folk music and using Korean traditional instruments that it will get westernised

All the 2nd gen edm mess songs I've heard in kpop sound very westernised to me

The hip hop sound borrows heavily from black artists while the cutesy gg music is also done by Jpop ggs

desdesdes · Apr 16th 2023

isn't that there is this thing called Z-Pop?

**superyeah** · Apr 16th 2023

Rather than seeing it as taking away K-pop’s identity, I like to see it as evolving. I know people who will say they dislike current K-pop because it’s just not the same as how it used to be. I see their point, but I also see and hear bits and glimpses of nostalgic, traditional elements in K-pop today.

I think certain songs will always have an integral Korean, or generally Asian, identity in there as long as the artists and producers are regularly interacting and doing business with other Korean, or Asian, people. It’s a huge part of their identity and upbringing. People are the product of their environments, so it will come out through their creative expressions.

I don’t mean westernized Asian people either. Those are completely different; they tend to have grown up on other influences.

Icaro_Ribeiro · Apr 16th 2023

Not really

Jasmine_Waters · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from tetetete

I don't get this tbh
It's not like k-pop is like Korean folk music and using Korean traditional instruments that it will get westernised
All the 2nd gen edm mess songs I've heard in kpop sound very westernised to me
The hip hop sound borrows heavily from black artists while the cutesy gg music is also done by Jpop ggs

ALMOST all the hits that were being churned out were autotuned x100000000000000000000000000 and almost had one of them sued for plagiarizing Flo Rida but sure, globalization and kpop losing their roots started in 3rd gen, at the precise time of September 21 2017 6PM KST.

kazuyakamenashi · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from Flowercrew

Says you💖

Says them. They even themselves said the current music didn't represent them and was different from their image which was one of the reasons they took hiatus they admitted it was done to. Chase that Grammy= western validation, something we Asians need to stop doing lol

tetetete · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from Jasmine_Waters

ALMOST all the hits that were being churned out were autotuned x100000000000000000000000000 and almost had one of them sued for plagiarizing Flo Rida but sure, globalization and kpop losing their roots started in 3rd gen, at the precise time of September 21 2017 6PM KST.

It's so weird to me

Even 1TYM, seo taiji and the boys etc all are borrowing heavily from Western grps/artists which is fine but k-pop fans act like they used to listen to Korean traditional music in 1st gen/2nd gen

Jasmine_Waters · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from tetetete

It's so weird to me
Even 1TYM, seo taiji and the boys etc all are borrowing heavily from Western grps/artists which is fine but k-pop fans act like they used to listen to Korean traditional music in 1st gen/2nd gen

The difference is that those 1st and 2nd generations weren't as global past Asia. Now that the barriers are broken and kpop is reaching new heights in Europe/Oceania/South America/UAE it's now "omg we need to gatekeep and keep kpop kpop" When kpop has always been westernized from its conception. I can't stand kpop stans.

RnB= black people created it= now hailed as the supreme in kpop just sung in Korean

Hip Hop= black people created it= now hailed as supreme in kpop just rapped in Korean

Pop= literally in it's name just sung in Korean

ellenote · Apr 16th 2023

it already has

Flowercrew · Apr 16th 2023

Quote from Jasmine_Waters

ALMOST all the hits that were being churned out were autotuned x100000000000000000000000000 and almost had one of them sued for plagiarizing Flo Rida but sure, globalization and kpop losing their roots started in 3rd gen, at the precise time of September 21 2017 6PM KST.

They like blaming BTS, shhhh.

Will globalization take away Kpop's identity?

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