You would think that the same formula, however successful, repeated over, and over, and over, and over again, would wear thin, because who wants to get more of the same every time? K-pop fans will not only answer no, they can't get enough, but they will give you a (passionate) lesson on how their bands and songs are not only not alike, but they will be right in doing so.
Yes, every song that BTS, Black Pink, TWICE, Monsta X, and, until a few years ago, Super Junior, has released has been an instant hit around the world, and how could they not be? Each of their singles is a flawlessly manufactured product that engages most of the senses in a seamless, instantaneous, and, above all, replicable way.
Each of the songs is designed to get stuck in your head, with rhythmic beats that make your heart race, repetitive melodies and choreography that you want to imitate, which will be available in a music video with cinematography and production that any Hollywood studio would envy, and singers with a beauty so dazzling that they will make you doubt their human condition.
None of this is a coincidence. Everything is perfectly calculated: from the band members to the 10-second chorus that will trend on TikTok.
The science of sound
Approximately 77 million people in the world speak Korean or 1.14% of the world's population. This language barrier has not impeded a much higher percentage of people around the world to enjoy and sing at the top of their lungs the catchy verses that K-pop offers in its songs.
This is large because their songs follow a traditional structure, which starts with an introduction, a verse, and several "hooks" in the chorus. These "hooks" are the key, emphasizing the catchy factor through resources such as repetition, which together with an accelerated rhythm and the alternation with English phrases, make the language barrier a thing of the past, facilitating their memorization and making them extremely danceable. Two great examples of this formula are Tell me by Wonder Girls and Sorry, sorry by Super Junior.
Love at first sight
The visual impact of k-pop videos is undeniable; no matter your tastes, they will make you can't take your eyes off them. Now the catchy songs that can't get out of your head are accompanied by an impossible world full of color, sets that surpass your imagination, runway costumes, and a captivating story, all achieved in less than 5 minutes.
There are countless factors, carefully thought out, that determine the imminent success of K-pop videos, costing millions of dollars and counting on a select group of directors and production houses dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of these, all with a common goal in mind, and no, it is not only to create a unique setting for the artists, but to guarantee an immersive experience for the fans, through the music, the costumes and, above all, the dancing.
Shall we dance?
While the visual appeal of k-pop videos is universal, much of this is due to their choreography, the element that transcends any barriers and is itself a global phenomenon. Children, teenagers, and young adults around the world gather not only to imitate the choreographies of their idols but also to put into motion the steps of their creation.
Most of the choreographies we see in videos usually have a distinctive step - also called a dot step - that is easily imitated intentionally. Record labels specify choreographers to create and include these steps in each one.
The more memorable and easily imitable these steps are, the more widespread they are guaranteed to be, as fans can recreate them and share them on social media, creating challenges and increasing their reach.
The power of social media
Other Asian countries have also wanted to cross borders and achieve the success that Korea has had with k-pop, however, the results have not been as expected, what has made the difference?
Strategies such as eliminating copyright restrictions on all their songs to allow their use in all social networks and digital platforms around the world, releasing them in streaming and YouTube at the same time as in their physical formats, have achieved that of the 10 videos that have achieved more views in their first 24 hours of release on the latter platform, are from BTS and Blackpink (in contrast, the only video in this list that does not belong to a K-pop artist, is ME! by Taylor Swift).
The pioneer in breaking this barrier was Psy, in 2012 with the global hit Gangnam Style, which set the first record of one billion views on YouTube and set the tone for viral trends on social networks that many other Korean artists have followed.
It was precisely during this decade that Twitter established itself as the preferred social networking platform for K-Pop fans, growing exponentially to achieve, in 2020, around 6.7 billion tweets (globally) related to K-Pop, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, achieving a 28% higher reach.
The popularity of this social network compared to others is due not only to the interaction that fans can have with their fans, but the interaction that fans have with each other, creating a powerful support network that even transcends social causes such as the Black Lives Matter movement, demonstrating the power that a devoted and well-organized fandom can have.
K-Pop academies for the next generation
K-pop has become South Korea's biggest export globally; it is an industry worth approximately $5 billion, with BTS selling more albums in a year than Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Ariana Grande - who wouldn't want to be a part of that?
Thousands of young Koreans, of both sexes, between the ages of 15 and 26 come annually to audition at one of the numerous K-pop idol training academies, seeking the opportunity to be part of this phenomenon, and make this dream a tangible reality.
K-Pop's reach outside of its home country has been accelerating, exponential, and does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The rise of perfect boy and girl-bands is far from dying out, as is the worldwide obsession with Korea that this genre has unleashed.
