History repeats - Kingdoms and Kpop

Let me try a WhyKnock style piece.

During many points in Korean history, the court will be divided between factions, one of which will support a 'foreign' entity - China or Japan having dominating influence, where Korea caters to that suzerain and another faction which will insist on Korean autonomy/autochthony etc.

When the conflict escalates, it ends up in an invasion or overthrow of the dynasty etc.

Seems Kpop is heading that way, should it cater to international fans and if so, at what extent that it starts ignoring Korean audience etc.

Like with politics, where Korean rarely was not dependent on a larger power, can Kpop not sustain without the Western market.

It definitely makes more money by being successful in the West, but the problem with invading/conquering dominant cultures/markets, is that they tend to assimilate the conqueror as a part of that culture and the original culture is marginalized into museums and footnotes.

For example: The BTS meal would have been a victory for Korean culture, if say Kimchi was a part of it in 50 countries.

But turned out BTS was needed only got packaging and promotion, otherwise the content was still Western.

Will history repeat with Kpop and if so, which way?

Can Kpop retain its distinctiveness while still expanding into the West.

Or will catering to West dilute it, cause split up into factions like in the old kingdoms into

HanguKpop and EnguKpop?

Quote from WhyKnock

One important thing I emphasize is Filial Duty , the duty of someone who must have for a parent, a teacher, or in Korean Pop, a Senior Singer no matter whether the singer has something to do with you or not.

That is because hierarchy is very important and the newer acts overcoming older acts were discouraged until a couple decades ago.

Thanks to Mama's short sighted decision to award IU the Lifetime Achievement Award, all singers who debuted after her now had to pay a Filial Duty to her despite of she barely a few years older (r actually younger in some cases) than themselves

Which is why she can wield an inordinate amount of power over singers who debuted after her

That is basically the gist of my posts since 2017 and which is why I call her the Senior Singer despite of she being only 28.

Display More

Well that's tangential to the point of this post.

Which is, can Kpop retain its distinctiveness while still expanding into the West.

Or will catering to West dilute it, cause split up into factions like in the old kingdoms into

HanguKpop and EnguKpop?

Quote from chat-2

Every time traveller knows that kpop will be ultimately vassalised by mongol pop as it was the case in the past

Why do you thing AKMU, a korean duet from Mongolia, has been trying to make connections with the Senior Singer since 2014?

It will all starts with the debut of a fully mongolian girl group formed by EDAM Entertainment and the rest is history...

AKMU spent a few years in Mongolia, while their parents were peddling Jesus. Many celebrities/idols have lived sometime in foreign countries - US, Aus. That does not mean anything, unless they bring the influences of that country to their music.

In fact, it would be fantastic if they do. But most don't and stick to Western genres, even authentic Korean genre fusion - gugak and pop, has not been tried.

And Mongolia today, is hardly the power of Chingiz Khan or the Yuan China.

The power Kpop is flirting with today, is the West - which is the cultural hegemon of the present.

Quote from WhyKnock

Thanks to Mama's short sighted decision to award IU the Lifetime Achievement Award, all singers who debuted after her now had to pay a Filial Duty to her despite of she barely a few years older (r actually younger in some cases) than themselves

I can't find a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' from MAMA on Wiki. 2014 IU was awarded the 'Best Female Artist' and 'The most popular vocalist', so which one do you mean?

If it is Best Female Artist, then IU already had won it in 2012 from MAMA, then 2014, 2017 and 2020. So has Chungha in 2019, who is 3rd Gen, then is Chungha worthy of being paid filial devotion, come on

Only in your mind did any award matter, filial duty will still operate based on the Korean- age and tenure factors.

And IU is indeed one of the rare cases, who is a Subaenim from 2nd generation, but typically is in the age group of the 3rd generation.

Even if she had not won any award, still the later debuting groups will have to pay their respects to IU as the sunbae.

"Everyone in Korea", seems a sweeping personal assumption.

And weird that MAMA itself does not name the award so.

And as I mentioned, 2014 was neither the first time nor the last time, IU received that MAMA award. So what is your insistence with 2014.

Then again IU is not the only person who has got the award, even Chungha has, then why is she not the senior singer?

~~~

Your assertions lack both statistical evidence (Everyone in korea) and logic (why only 2014 and why not Chungha)

Quote from oddol

"the most popular vocalist" was given only to IU and to no one else, neither before nor after. and not to side with whynock (lol) but they indeed showed a best of of her career until that point.

anway lifetime award or not it was just a shitty move from MAMA not to give her the daesang she daseved so...

I asked WhyKnock which of the two 2014 awards he/she implies and got no answer, so went with the the regular category award and not the special case.

And even then, it is the Most Popular Award and not lifetime.

IU is the Senior Singer not because of any awards, but in Korean culture she is the Sunbaenim from 2nd gen, due to her debut, even if her age is of 3rd gen.

Awards don't matter.

MAMA and it's messes is an entire whole story by itself and IU is not the only case.

Quote from sleeplessnights

This isn't a WhyKnock piece. You need to add the one who cannot be named to the narrative. Just adding some geopolitical/historical point isn't enough

Well look at that thread, instead of the generic future of Kpop, it has been made all about IU.

☺️

Quote from oddol

you're not understanding. it's not a popular award, it's a special award with the word popular in the name.

Popularity awards are won through a voting process. and the ,supposedly, lifetime part is because they showed her whole career before giving her that award. which,does not happen in normal cases but happens when being given lifetime awards...

whynock says a lot of wrong thing lol but what he means here is that regardless of her senority she's even more senior( she's more important?) since she's been given a lifetime award

why would you even go for the regular one lol. a lifetime award is not a regular award

but i guess it's up to your interpretation

never said she was the only case and this doesn't change anything. still she was undeniably robbed. 2014 was arugably one of her biggest years, friday nslocb and a flower bookmark she should have being given Aroty and went away with an alleged lifetime award not even called like that.

no wonder she never showed up again lmao

Display More

Well WhyKnock seems to have expected that IU should have taken that MAMA trinket and retired..

Perhaps Mnet had such intentions as well against a superstar outside its sphere.

But bully for both of them, she piled up 6 more years of success, more than most idols can manage in their lifetimes.

And not retiring, even when 4th gen is here.