K-pop stars still in pursuit of ‘Michael Jackson moment’
SEOUL: Idol School is an 11week reality TV show on the creation of a new K-pop group.
At a mountain retreat south of Seoul, some three dozen aspiring pop stars practise synchronised dance moves while singing. And it gets really repetitious.
K-pop is too predictable. All you usually get are photogenic performers, infectious synthesizer beats, and elaborate choreography.
Creativity? Originality? Forget it. Despite this, K-pop still sells. On YouTube, views of videos by the top 200 K-pop artists have tripled since 2012. Last year they were watched about 24 billion times, with 80 per cent of views coming from outside South Korea, YouTube says. Boy band BTS has more page views than Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, or Drake.
“It might have been impossible for K-pop to have worldwide popularity without YouTube’s global platform,” said Sun Lee, head of music partnerships for Korea and Greater China at YouTube and Google Play.
“K-pop is creating a great sensation in the US. I don’t think this is a temporary phenomenon.”
Streaming services Spotify, Apple Music, and AccuRadio have dedicated K-pop channels, as does the biggest service in China— QQ Music, which is owned by Tencent Holdings and has 100 million daily active users. QQ’s most popular artiste
It might have been impossible for K-pop to have worldwide popularity without YouTube’s global platform. K-pop is creating a great sensation in the US. I don’t think this is a temporary phenomenon.
overall is Big Bang, a fivemember Korean boy band with more than 11 million followers.
The producer of Idol School, and K-pop’s primary tastemaker, is CJ E& M Corp.
Shin Hyung-kwan, 47, the CJ executive, grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Queen, and Duran Duran.
Figured Shin: “We are seeking our Michael Jackson moment,” referring to the way a fledgling MTV helped propel Jackson’s 1982 Thriller to the status of world’s best-selling album.
Added Shin: “Asian music has never been in the spotlight. The big idea is to do meaningful things in the global market, especially in the US.”
Sun Lee, head of music partnerships for Korea and Greater China at YouTube and Google Play