One of these things is not like the other…

In this module, we’ll be looking at the absolute powerhouses that the Korean and Japanese pop music scenes are. Before we do that, however, it’s important to look at the cultural contexts in which this music exists. If you’re familiar with either of these genres of popular music, you may also be familiar with the common remark about how “western” they sound - specifically how similar it sounds to pop from the United States and Europe. The chord progressions, instrumentation, production value, and celebrity culture are only some of the commonalities found in all these regions and cultures. These observations are not necessarily wrong, and it is only natural to view the world through your own experiences. However, I think there is some context we can keep in mind to help us view these genres on their own terms. With all that said, let’s briefly talk about globalization, war, and other fun stuff.

Globalization, Modernization, and Imperialism

The first factors contributing to the shared cultural identities across these countries were the 19th-century imperialistic efforts of European nations and the political turning points for many East Asian nations. While not direct targets of imperialism in the 1800s, Korea and Japan felt the economic and political pressures, both internally and externally, to begin opening themselves up to trade and exchange.

For Japan, this is largely summed up in the Meiji Restoration (c. 1868-1912), a political revolution that ended the over 200-year-old Edo period and marked the beginning of modernization and westernization for the country. This would also mark the beginning of Japan’s own imperialistic efforts (including unto Korea) and their relatively open exchange with other trade powers.¹ Meanwhile, the Korean Peninsula’s entry into the modern era and globalization was caused by the social upheaval of established class structures, as well as the great influence of open trade seen by China and Japan by the turn of the 20th-century.²

There are two main events in the 20th-century that lead to the contemporary culture exports found in Korea, Japan, and the United States today; The end of World War II and subsequently the Korean War. After the end of World War II, Japan was expected to reconstruct itself under the occupation of the United States. As you can imagine, the new political and economic systems developed in this vacuum were similar to those found here, and thus the cultural exports of the States were inevitable.³

The Korean Peninsula was equally if not more susceptible to influence from the United States following the end of World War II. With a lack of native government and the removal of the Japanese military, the U.S. seized control of the southern administrative zone of Korea while the Soviet Union managed the northern administrative zone. With the establishment of South Korea and the subsequent intervention in the Korean War, the U.S. imprinted itself on another east Asian country.⁴

Now, in the 21st century and in the information era, the cultural exports of the U.S. (and many other countries) have gone into overdrive. It has never been easier to access information and media from other countries, and U.S. pop culture appears to be more open to foreign media than ever before. This in combination with the profit motive found in commercial music in the budding capitalist countries also explains the gravitation towards western pop aesthetics. All of these factors help explain some of the main reasons why we might consider or relate the 21st-century media from Korea and Japan as “western” in style. For more information on what we’ve talked about here, I encourage you to click through the source links throughout this section to gather more information about these historical events. You can also look into the traditional and folk music of Korea’s hyangak music and Japan’s gagaku.

 K-Pop, Boy Bands, and Idol Culture

Let’s start our listening of K-Pop by listening to one of the most popular groups by far right now, BTS (방탄소년단). This boy band has taken the pop music scene by storm in many countries and regularly produces music with Korean, Japanese, and now English lyrics. You probably are already familiar with some of their discography, but if you’re not, check out this summer ‘21 bop called Butter, an English language song.

Perhaps surprisingly, BTS Google trends suggest that the band is most searched and viewed in Japan over any other county. Regardless of what the search trends suggest, the money the group takes in tells its own story of international popularity. The group has been successfully capitalizing on their celebrity image and the combination of nostalgic R&B aesthetics with contemporary pop - not unlike what we’ve seen in U.S. history in the last couple of decades.

While we’re on the topic, let’s talk about boy bands and the aesthetics behind this genre. In the U.S., boy bands can be traced back to the mid-20th-century, but the modern concept of this cultural phenomenon can be found in the 1990s with groups like Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, and *NSYNC. While subsiding for a while in the late 2000s, boy bands had a bit of resurgence in the 2010s with groups like Big Time Rush and One Direction in the U.S., and in Korea with groups like SHINee (샤이니) and BIGBANG (빅뱅). Since then, boy bands in Korea have seen a major swell in commercial success with a range of groups including BTS and iKON (아이콘). Girl bands, the aptly named counterpoint to boy bands, have shared similar success in the genre with groups like Red Velvet (레드벨벳) and BLACKPINK (블랙핑크). No matter when and where they have existed, boy bands and girl bands consist of some common elements; a handful of singers, choreographed dance/movement, and a strong influence from the acapella, R&B, and electronica genres. A couple of examples of recent hits from other bands are provided below.

  J-Pop and Other Media

As alluded to before, we will be able to find many of the same themes and styles in J-Pop as we do in K-Pop and U.S. pop. This also includes the often unfortunate circumstances of industry-built groups and idol culture. Let’s move away from that, for now, to check out some other styles of music. Check out this music video by YOASOBI called Halzion (ハルジオン), first released in 2020 - later added to their 2021 EP, THE BOOK.

  YOASOBI is a music duo featuring producer Ayase and singer-songwriter Ikura. While successful independent musicians, these two formed the duo in 2019 and have since been producing various singles and music videos.

As far as pop music goes, it’s pretty straightforward. Electronically produced beats, catchy/singable melodies, and a familiar song structure. If we were to start making comparisons to the girl and boy bands we’ve listened to up to this point, or with U.S. pop music, it’s almost hard to articulate in what ways the styles or genres may differ. Let’s listen to some more music and identify some more features of these genres.

These examples are certainly distinct from the Korean girl and boy bands we’ve heard so far - but what features, if any, are you picking out? The most obvious distinction for me is the production value of the songs being smaller in this selection than those of iKON or BLACKPINK, closer to what we would associate smaller indie bands. We also hear a departure from the stylistic elements found in R&B, again opting for a more of a pure pop/rock/electronic approach.

Several of the songs feature similar techniques to one another, including the inclusion of electronic beats, auto-tuned vocals, and layers of synthesizer to add texture to the mix. We also have pretty dramatic changes in instrumentation across the board. Speaking of which, let’s listen to a few more songs, of which the genre-hopping should jump out at you.