K-pop or how Korean youth live. New subcultures: vanillas, tamler girls, “Korean wave”

Hello, I would like to talk about one of your hobbies, K-pop, but first, please introduce yourself.

My name is Alice and I'm a K-popper. It's a disease.

Let's move on to the first question. I heard that before becoming a direct member of a Korean music group, a person must undergo quite a serious training. Can you comment on this?

People who train in agencies are called trainee . A large number of trainees make their debut every year. A lot is released every year. Let's say five idols . Some can come and literally debut in three months, while others can stay there for up to twelve years. Leader EXO groups, for example, I trained for nine years, studied a lot, not only vocals and dancing, rapping or something else, but also languages ​​and etiquette.

What are the agencies you mentioned? How can you get into them?

For example, Big three - these are large agencies called " entertainment » in Korea - people are often recruited through simple selection. That is, they have selections once a year, of course, not all over the world, but, let’s say, one of the Big Three companies announces recruitment for different languages.

Please tell us about the process of releasing a new album by the band.

What's a must-have in K-pop when releasing an album: Maybe you don't spoilers the song itself title , but they can, for example, post some “pieces” from the new album. But, in particular, it happens like this: they announce the release, probably about two weeks, maybe a week and a half in advance. Everyone is waiting, and a couple of days before the album’s release, the company begins uploading teasers. Moreover, there can be as many teasers as you like, although most often there are one or two. Then they release a video, this is mandatory. We released the album and released the video.

Is there anything coming right after the album release?

Yes, there will be further promotion, without it it will be very difficult for groups, especially not very famous ones. The group has been moving forward for a month. It's the first week comeback stage . That is, people are still showing their song, dance and performance on various shows along with other groups. The awards ceremony begins next week. During the three weeks of the show, each group's sales and views will be calculated and a score will be calculated from this. If your score is higher than your opponent's, you receive a reward. There is such a thing as double or triple crown . Let's say one group won every day for three weeks (against famous bands This happens). Then she gets the triple crown at one of the shows.

They say that great amount K-pop fans are crazy. What can you say about this?

I can comment on this in just one word: sasaeng. Sasaeng fans . Such fans in K-pop and, in general, in Asia are very common among, probably, the female audience. These are very inadequate people who can
With talk their biases or just your favorite band.

Are there any gestures or rituals that fans can use to publicly express their love for the band, say at a concert?

If we talk about good fans who simply love either the group or the bias... In general, in Korea, every group has so-called light sticks . They are different shapes And different color, it all depends on the group. And very often fans express their feelings with color. These sticks really support the groups. Let’s say there’s some kind of award show going on, and at this award show you have the opportunity to just be a fan and support your favorite.

AND last question: Does it happen that the band members themselves and their agencies express gratitude to the fans or try to do something nice to please them?

At concerts it happens that fans of some pairings can often ship one participant male group with another. And within the agencies themselves there are special people who monitor fan activity. They see that there are, for example, two participants whom they really want to see together (they can be written about fanfic or video edited). These band members are then approached and asked to "interact" in front of the fans. It is called fan service .

The main channel for the dissemination of Korean culture in Russia is youth associations of fans of musical groups, films and other cultural products of South Korea. Just as in their time it was the young people who contributed to the assimilation of advanced youth trends in Western society, so today’s youth are the conductor of current cultural trends eastern countries. Before we begin to analyze the reasons for the growing popularity and methods of spreading modern korean pop culture, we will give definitions of youth subcultural activity. According to British sociologist Dick Habdige, subcultures attract people with similar tastes who are not satisfied with generally accepted standards and values ​​[see: 36, p. 15].

Dissatisfaction with existing norms and values dominant culture is connected both with the fact that in modern society They become outdated quite quickly, and so is the fact that their transmission from older generations is often violent in nature, provoking young people to defend themselves against it. On the one hand, the younger generation comes under the influence of sustainable social groups and institutions, on the other hand, they themselves thanks to social activity contribute to the transformation of the structures of society (for example, the spread of the Internet, the development of the leisure industry or the introduction of new technologies). Representatives of informal youth associations, differing from the prevailing majority in behavior, style, language and other aspects, contribute to the changes taking place in cultural environment(just remember jeans in the 1960s).

There are many subcultures based on various musical directions and their accompanying views on life, clothing style, slang, etc.: hippies, punks, metalheads, goths, emo, cyber-goths, etc. Fans of South Korean pop culture also form their own subculture called “Korean fans.” This concept unites all people who are interested in K-pop and dramas. Representatives of this subculture usually call themselves K-popers (English: K-poper - a person who loves K-pop) or drama lovers (that is, a person who loves dramas) , however, there are no hard boundaries between these two groups - K-poppers not only listen to Korean pop groups, but also watch TV series, and vice versa.

Analysts attribute the success of the Korean pop industry to the fact that its marketing model is quite different from global practices, as discussed in the previous chapter. The system of comebacks and promotions is complemented by a developed system of fan clubs, themed establishments and services for fans, as well as the active participation of idols in communicating with fans on social networks [see: 56].

As a rule, every public figure has his own fans and anti-fans. East Asia known for her ardent fanaticism - each musical group, actor/actress, model or other celebrity has his own fandom and official fan club. In order to join the official fan club, you need to register at Daum-cafe. Fandom includes representatives of the official fan club, numerous unofficial fan clubs and ordinary fans who are not members of either one or the other. Fandom or fandom (English fandom - literally “fandom”) is an informal subcultural community whose members are united a single interest associated with a work of art or its author, that is, a passion for a certain film, TV series, book, etc. [see: 46].

There are a huge number of fandoms within Hallyu, as each group has its own large army fans. “K-pop is a kind of “struggle” between groups. We, like many others, are trying to win our part of the audience,” say the members of the MYNAME group. Each fandom has its own name and color: for example, the Big Bang fandom is called V.I.P. (meaning - every fan of this group is an important person for every member), the symbolism of the crown and colors - yellow and black [Appendix B], the fandom of the group Dong Bang Shin Ki is called Cassiopeia (named after the constellation of the Northern hemisphere of the sky, five brightest stars which forms the letter M or W; since the group consists of 5 members, it has a special meaning - each of the 5 members shines as much on stage as these stars in the sky), has a pearl red color symbolizing passion, and April 23rd is celebrated as Cassiopeia Day Fan Club Dong Bang Shin Ki was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2008 as the “World's Largest Fan Club” [see: 67]. [Appendix B].

The names of fandoms, however, as well as the decoding of the names of Korean pop groups, have interesting meaning- this is not a simple name, it must have a special meaning. Typically, the choice of fan club name is determined by a general vote on the group's or their agency's website. Fans send various names, managers of the production company select the best ones and then online voting is held. Fan club names for many K-pop groups have been chosen this way. "Teen Top fans chose official name to his fandom "Angels". When asked what the name means, Teen Top leader Cap replied: “The angels will always protect us no matter what!” . Sometimes the winner who sends the option chosen by everyone receives prizes from the band's agency - this could be an autographed CD, a poster or some other item with the band's symbols.

In any subculture there is such a thing as “staff”. Depending on the type of subculture, it may have different meanings. Within the Korean popular culture staff is a variety of products with images of Korean wave stars, produced specifically for fans. These include CDs and posters, photobooks (English photobook - “book with photographs”), magazines, clothing (T-shirts, sweatshirts, baseball caps, etc.), accessories (rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets), office supplies (notebooks, pens) , pencils, pencil cases, stickers, calendars, etc.), headphones, backpacks and bags, mugs, wallets, mouse pads, light sticks (English light stick - “glow stick”), etc. [Appendix D]. Speaking of light sticks, it is worth noting that they are usually used at concerts and can be modified depending on the concept, but they always have the color of a specific fandom. Fans turn them on during the concert, thereby creating an ocean of certain color range In the dark. It has great importance for the group - so they can see and feel the love of their fans [Appendix E]. In addition to the listed goods, staff also includes clothes and accessories worn by idols, and certain things from dramas - for example, a pendant or toy that symbolizes the love of the main characters.

Staff can be official or unofficial. Official stuff is usually sold at concerts, meetings with fans and other events of stars, on the website of the group or agency. Unofficial staff can be sold in various online stores and differ in quality from original goods. In St. Petersburg, both official and unofficial stuff is sold in the Rabbit Shop, a “mobile” store that has been selling Korean and Korean fan stuff for two years now. own production for Koreans of St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia at various events dedicated to eastern cultures[Appendix E].

Everyone has probably heard or seen the word “K-ror” at least once, but what does it mean?

Organization and management

Popularity and influence

Having attended many different concerts, I was amazed by Korean pop music. The staging, choreography and performance were amazing, but more importantly, I felt the soul of the music. Korean music has a bright future. Quincy Jones in an interview with a Korean magazine.

Japan is the largest consumer of Korean pop music, with the genre accounting for 7.81% of its music market and growing. In 2011, sales of Korean artists' products in the country exceeded $300 million, up 22% year-on-year, despite an overall decline in sales in the Japanese music market.

More American performers agree to work with Koreans, among them the following famous musicians like Kanye West and the Jonas Brothers. In addition, Korean pop music has been positively reviewed by such famous music producers like Quincy Jones, Teddy Riley, and Grammy-winning producer Alicia Keys.

Since 2011, Billboard magazine began publishing the K-pop Hot 100 (Billboard Korea K-pop Hot 100), and YouTube, at a meeting with the President of South Korea, announced the opening of a special channel at “youtube.com/KPOP.” The New York Korean Pop Festival attracted more than 40,000 visitors, and French concerts sold out with 14,000 people. Korean singer Rain topped the list of the 100 most influential people of 2011 according to Time magazine readers, and CNN named K-pop as the third reason to visit Korea. Big Bang made it to the top 10 on iTunes, SHINee became the first Korean group to hold a concert in London, while others korean groups began to appear frequently in the tops of German MTV. Wonder Girls became the first Korean pop group to top the Billboard Hot 100.

Analysts attribute the success of the Korean pop industry to the fact that its marketing model differs from world practice. First of all, this is a developed system of fan clubs, themed establishments and services for fans, as well as the active participation of idols in communicating with fans through social networks. This was also facilitated by the active support and dissemination of products and information via the Internet thanks to social networks, portals and video resources.

As promised, I’m returning to the story about the “Korean Wave”, or k-pop, but from a different point of view, more historical. You can read about modern manifestations of k-pop in.

Korea in the 19th and 20th centuries suffered many historical upheavals, and the country was first under the patronage of the Chinese Empire, then the Japanese colonized Korea, and then during the Second World War and Korean War ended South Korea began to experience strong cultural influence The West, primarily the USA. Thus, Korean modern culture was formed sometimes in spite of, and sometimes thanks to, outside influences.

Korean historians and scientists, when they talk about the spread of Korean culture, highlight several stages and several key episodes.

So, at the time when Korea was colonized by Japan, there was one very famous dancer, her name was Choi Seung-hee, she did performances that were based on a combination modern dance and national Korean dances. Seung-hee was so popular and famous that she performed on tour not only in Japan, but even in the USA and other countries Latin America. But since Korea at that time was under the control of Japan, Japan pursued a policy of Japaneseization, including names, the dancer performed under the Japanese version of her name Sai Shoki.

Representatives of the Korean independence movement did not like her for this and accused her of collaboration with Japan. After World War II, it so happened that Seung-hee followed her husband and ended up in North Korea, where, in general, she was in a privileged position and ran a dance school until the end of the 1970s. In view of this unusual fate and the tense relations between South Korea and the North, the figure of Choi Seung-hee was ignored by South Korean academics and the public when discussing the formation of modern Korean culture. Now this taboo has been lifted.

The next breakthrough of Korean culture is associated with the adaptation of Western modern culture in the 1970s. Great success was the breakthrough of the Korean kittens group, which also toured the world and even stopped by the BBC, where they covered the Beatles. Their phenomenon was that they sang in English, performed covers, were dressed according to Western standards, but at the same time, beauty that was exotic for those times did its job.

The period immediately after the financial crisis of 1997 turned out to be very important for the Korean wave, as the film industry announced itself. It was at this time that Koreans decided to invest in the production of cultural products and reached a new qualitative level in the production of dramas ( Korean TV series) and full-length films that they began to be bought and shown outside of Korea. In 2002, the cult drama “Winter Sonata” was shown. It was so popular in Japan that it was shown twice in one year, and then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said that the actor who played main role Bae Yong-joon is more popular than himself.

In parallel with “Winter Sonata,” the full-length romantic comedy “My crappy girl"("My sassy girl"), released in 2001. It turned out to be so successful that it was first remade by the Japanese, and then even... Hollywood, in 2007. This was the first time Hollywood bought a film from Korea. But the American version failed... But nevertheless, the bastion was taken and the Americans continue to periodically re-shoot South Korean megahits.

This is very Short story development of k-pop, which continues to develop and turns out to be so successful that it annually brings in 2 billion US dollars in income from sales abroad of various products of modern South Korean culture, that hundreds of fan clubs of dozens of k-pop teams are created in various countries, in including Kazakhstan.

Success has back side- so the Chinese government state level limits the amount of airtime for Korean-produced programs and films, because it reached the point that the broadcast schedule of some channels almost entirely consisted of Korean media products; in Japan, small demonstrations with anti-Korean sentiments periodically arise due to the oversaturation of Korean programs and dramas; also, based on the example of Manipur in India, fears have been expressed that such a strong spread of Korean pop culture could not only push Bollywood, but undermine traditional culture, since young people prefer Korean style.

But nevertheless, if you choose between the original South Korean film and its adaptation from any country, then it is better to watch the original.

Post 03/13/2017 Super User 2883

Nowadays, various trends in culture are sweeping one after another. What have we not seen over the past few years! However, there are things that are steadily gaining popularity and spreading throughout the world. And today I will tell you about this popular subculture, like k-pop and explain what it is and where it came from.

K-pop is a musical genre that originated in South Korea and contains elements of Western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and modern rhythm and blues. Surely everyone remembers the stylish PSY, who took over the world with his song Gangnam Style in 2012? So this was just the beginning, because k-pop continues to slowly but surely capture the world and the sympathies of young people.

K-pop artists are confidently making their way not only to the Asian market, but also to the rest of the world. The Internet has allowed young guys with bright hairstyles not only to become stars, but also to make their creativity the basis of a new youth culture, which, in some cases, develops into a cult. Their concert tours span countries: USA, France, Germany, Chile - K-pop fever spreads quickly and regardless of geography. And Russia is no exception.

Representatives of this genre with their music make it to the top of the most authoritative charts (for example, the American Billboard). BTS, one of the famous K-pop groups, with their album Wings stayed at 26th position for 2 weeks, next to Adele. None before this k-pop group were not able to reach such heights, which speaks to the power of their songs and the speed at which they gained popularity.

But how do people become interested in this genre? To understand this, I decided to talk to two Russian-speaking K-pop fans and find out how they discovered this culture.

Alina: ""My sister told me about K-pop because she was studying Korean at the time. I was about 12 years old at the time. At first I wasn’t attracted to K-pop songs. But after 2 years, I accidentally came across one of those songs that my sister played for me and I decided to listen to it. As a result, I sat for 2 hours listening to the songs of this group. My sister, having learned that I liked the songs, began to send me other groups and dramas. I was amazed by the synchronicity and complexity of the dance of K-pop artists. They made everything so easy and beautiful, but if you try to repeat it, you will understand that it is hellish work to learn their choreography. That's how I became interested in the K-pop genre.""

Irina: "I discovered K-pop by accident. One day I was looking for something to watch and was offered one “movie” (later I realized that it was a drama). The drama was called "Let's Go, Handsome Men." And after watching it, I started looking for music and met by Boyfriend. From that time on, I began to become interested in Korea and this culture. This was about 4 years ago. That’s how I slowly learned about k-ror. Maybe it's fate. What attracts me to k-pop is that most songs have deep meaning. Sometimes they helped me a lot in difficult moments. Well, where would we be without their choreography, it is, as always, complex, beautiful and rhythmic. The attitude of the artists towards the fans shows their sincerity, they show themselves as they really are, and this is very touching."

In Russia, k-pop has just begun to gain its popularity, but it is doing so faster and faster. Thanks to the activity of the community of Russian fans, K-pop artists began to be published in the well-known magazine for young people “All Stars”, and their clips were shown on Russian television. All this tells us that, having emerged as a musical genre, K-pop has turned into an entire subculture with millions of fans among young people around the world.