Since July, almost everyone can say they’ve heard the song “Golden” on social media or maybe even on the radio. The hit song, which remained at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for eight weeks, rose to popularity because of the animated movie “Kpop Demon Hunters”. When the movie was initially released on Netflix, however, many people neglected to watch the film because of its nature: a girl K-pop group. This is because the general public holds a prejudice, believing K-pop is “weird.”
Sophomore Andi Feliciano comments that, “people judge because it’s different, without trying to understand.” Despite these prejudices once held, the view on K-pop has started to shift completely.
Most people are influenced to believe that the K-pop community is weird because of a false stigma that surrounds K-pop fans: they are ‘cringe’ or ‘weird’. This idea towards the community may have come from a significant cultural difference. K-pop is unique because the community that surrounds the genre is extremely communal, and everyone within the fandom tends to be close, almost like a family. People have been opposed to the fandom for years, however, starting around 2015, the genre began to gain more attention. The boy group, BTS, released their single “DNA” in 2017, and it became the first K-pop song to chart the Billboard 100. That year, they made history and became the first K-pop group to be nominated for an American award show, and went on to win the Billboard Music Award. BTS’s popularity started the acceptance of K-pop, and with that, Asian culture in Western media.
With the rise of K-pop’s popularity in America, it has come with an abundance of positives. K-pop is one of the largest non-English subgenres of music in the world, and its acceptance in recent years has led the way to much more recognition of Asian, especially Korean, culture in the media. K-pop is different from typical music genres in many ways, and much of that comes from the culture it stems from. Even the concerts are different, the etiquette, and the environment the community creates. Before the rise of K-pop, Asian culture wasn’t as prevalent in the media, or as accepted. However, as the genre continues to rise, it brings a sense of cultural awareness that didn’t exist before this movement throughout the years.
While Asian culture is prevalent in Western media, it’s the deeper understanding and respect of it that typically fails to come to light. With K-pop becoming more accepted globally, it means more westerners get to dive deeper into the heart of the Asian culture present in the genre. It exposes people to Korean fashion, slang and even the different eastern values.
K-pop has been on the rise for years, and as groups gain popularity in the West, such as P1harmony, Enhypen, Stray Kids and Twice, people become more aware of the unique community and culture that exists within the genre. Slowly, the community has stopped getting judged and that will only continue as the popularity begins to grow.
