why do so many foreigners want to be kpop idols so bad

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

But you're acting like being a pop singer in the US is any different at least in terms of the financial exploitation and sexual crap you have to deal with, particularly for women. Everyone knows how cruel and exploitative the entertainment business is, and it's no better here. Labels here will exploit you and trap you into perpetual debt slavery, while everyone from your own damn agents or producers, A and R execs, and other powerbrokers and benefactors try to sleaze their way into your bedroom.

I do agree though about one thing - the trainee system. Nobody in the US could handle what Kpop trainees have to go through.

Working 70-80 hours a week as 14 year olds, being forbidden to have phones or contacting parents for weeks/months at a time.

Forced to live 6 deep in a nasty two bedroom tenement apartment, being yelled at every day and treated like subhuman because of the seniority system.

Having teachers and managers sometimes even physically discipline you, getting criticized every waking moment of your life for every little microexpression you show and every syllable you utter.

Having to learn 3 different languages while learning to dance and sing and doing media training all at once.

Workers in America are coddled like crazy, it would be a MASSIVE culture shock for any local to have to deal with what a high stress workplace is really like in Korea.

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Don't forget possible sexual harassment, being forced to wear revealing clothing, having to do favors to sponsors, starving yourself, and constantly comparing yourself with someone else or get compared.

add to those mentioned by users above, this generation of foreigners who want to be kpop idol PROBABLY were big fan of kpop before this (e.g. fans of 2nd gen or 3rd gen). They might be inspired to try out in korea as kpop idol given the surge in popularity of kpop as a whole + the complete package training+management provided (though the process is very tough, they just dont know enough)

Because it's a global flavour of the month that breeds very strong fandoms, attachment, idolisation and glorification that attracts certain mindsets.

I see it the same as 10 or so years ago where every nerdy kid who thought they were good at drawing wanted to move to Japan and be a mangaka or anime creator. Didn't worry them that in reality it was a back breaking, low paid, high stress and cut throat industry. They like manga, they liked anime, they thought they were good at drawing (and lets be honest, most of the time their work was pure shit) so they wanted to move to Japan and live the "dream".

(Funnily, as someone who has lived in Japan multiple times but not really interested in Anime/manga, it was those people that, if they DID get to Japan, were the ones who burnt out, disillusioned and went back home the fastest).

$$$ or the potential for such

who wouldn't want to be the next BTS or whatever

Quote from unbannBLACPINK

explain

cause the number is increasing every day

its not like the melodies or instruments are unique to kpop

hell most of it is sampled/stolen from non-korean songs or composed by english speakers

its not like the makeup or clothes are unique to korea

tons of foreigners are wearing the same thing these days

k-beauty is a trend in general rn and its only going up

any foreigner can release a similar song and dress up in a similar way for the cover, maybe even learn some dancing, and will probably have better vocals than kpop idols.........without needing to label themselves as kpop

seriously, no one will care

then why the need to be kpop SPECIFICALLY?

is it because they are deeply in love with the korean language

cant bear not to speak it?

or because they want to "look" like the idols they worship?

which they wont, if they're not korean/east asian

or do they want to be a part of the starving, slutshaming, slave culture?

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Most Korean kids want to be idols and Kpop is getting globally bigger each day so what else would you expect other than everyone interested trying to be an idol?

Don’t companies want their groups to be globally popular? You can’t be global with a group full of Koreans

Well K-pop is a marker that grantees global fame how many markets can do that ? Besides the American market no other country can provide that level of fame to an artist like the one Koop give

Well... yeah, they can just dress up in kpop fashion and make kpop-inspired music in their own country.

Or do like one singer from my country and go to USA and be a part of an American record label.

He did end up being popular in South Korea though.

Even though if a guy in my country dressed up in kpop fashion, he would be called "gay" or "not a right man".

Maybe it's the only way for people that can't sing that good to still be singers? Or they are just obsessed with kpop.