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90's Boy Bands
The very first recorded Kpop group was Seo Taiji and the Boys. They were extremely popular at the time and they implemented Americanized rap and techno music in to their songs and of course it wouldn't be Kpop without dance. Almost all of their audience were Korean as Kpop hadn't been discovered or understood by outsiders yet. -
Record Labels
While Kpop was on the rise, many record labels and entertainment companies were starting to scout popular Kpop artists. In 1997, Kpop artist Park Jin Young founded JYP entertainment where he signed popular artists Rain, 2AM and 2PM. At this time, Korean Americans and Korean Canadians were starting to listen and acknowledge Kpop along side their popular North American music. This of course led to Kpop getting some attention from foreigners. -
Record Labels Pt.2
As Kpop slowly got recognition more entertainment companies were created such as YG entertainment. This entertainment companies houses very well known artists such Psy, Big Bang, and 2NE1. At this time, Kpop was actually spreading among Asia. In Japan especially, to this day Japan is still a huge market for Kpop as many Korean artists took tours around asia, gaining popularity. -
The 2000's
Kpop was still on the rise different Kpop Music Videos were getting a lot of buzz. Not only for the videos uniqueness but for its production value. In 1999, the Kpop group G.O.D was created and in 1999 getting very popular in Korea. They even won the grand prize at the KBS pop awards. In 2000, the popular artist BOA brought her career to Japan and many other countries getting Kpop attention all around the world. Artists like her are part of the reason why Kpop is so popular today. -
Fame and Recognition
From 2000 to 2006 many Kpop artists and groups were being discovered and getting Fame. Many Kpop Music videos were getting millions of views on youtube. Outsiders of Korea were finally beginning to notice that there was this whole different culture of music that was getting a similar amount of the fame and recognition that American artists do. For example, this year popular kpop boy group TVXQ won multiple awards including best artist at MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards). The culture was growing. -
Growing
The success behind Kpop is what also grabbed attention. In 2009, the Korean entertainment industry exported more than $3 billion US dollars. Kpop even improved the relationship between Japan and China in a way. By connecting people through dramas and music, tensions decrease. For example, several Korean celebrities donated to Japan after their critical earthquake. From 2009 to 2011 is also when many highly favourited and influential Kpop artists made their debut like Tiara and Beast. -
Gangnam Style
As much as I hate to admit it. Gangnam Style was huge for the Kpop industry. For many people, watching the Gangnam Style music video was the first time they have heard of Kpop. The video has well over 2 billion views. Everyone had heard about it and everyone was talking about it. This viral video and song brought a lot of attention to Kpop. Gangnam style also made a lot of people realize how different yet intriguing Kpop can be. -
Kpop - 2017
The popularization and acknowledgement of Kpop and Korean culture in general has expanded greatly. Kpop culture has come so far. The Kpop group BTS has taken the internet by storm this year and at the 2017 billboard music awards, they became the first K-pop group to clinch a Billboard Music Award. Beating American favourites such as Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. This is an incredible deal for the Kpop industry as Kpop finally got true recognition.
