K-Pop
The power of media and entertainment transcend all physical barriers, language barriers, and cultural barriers. This is seen with Hallyu 2.0, the Korean wave, which swept through the United States in the twenty-first century. Primarily initiated with Korean pop-star Psy’s hit single “Gangnam Style” which was released on July 15th, 2012, Korean Pop became a new “fad” that was greatly explored by a new generation of American “k-pop enthusiasts”. This opened the doors for other Korean artists such as the boyband BTS who eventually went on a sold out tour throughout the United States. A common question I commonly find myself asking is “why do Americans love k-pop if they don’t even understand the words?” Well, I’ve come to conclude that it all stems back to the fact that K-pop is culturally different, therefore intriguing. To Americans who are used to the same songs and music videos of rappers flexing their pimped out sports cars and expensive jewelry, the music videos that K-Pop produces are refreshing and open up a whole new world of music as it is seen as weird and unique. When Gangnam Style was released in 2012, I remember sitting in a room with my friends laughing hysterically at all of the ridiculous antics that Psy had presented then we proceeded to copy his dance moves and replicate them wherever we went. It was something that we were fascinated by therefore we bought into this new product. We don’t care what the lyrics are or what they mean, we just seek to be entertained, presented something new. The Korean Wave has put South Korea on the maps as they are now one of the world’s top producers of entertainment with Korean pop, Korean dramas, and many other forms of media being exported into the world. “Korean pride” is something I have commonly heard growing up from my Korean friends who are giddy with joy whenever a new BTS song drops or whenever a Psy music video is released not necessarily because they are fans of their music but rather because it progresses and encourages the exploration of conversation regarding their culture. Psy has gone as far as breaking through into mainstream American media landing a cameo from legendary American hip-hop artist, Snoop Dogg. He has one of the most viewed videos on YouTube and has become a household name globally. As artists such as Psy and BTS continue releasing new music and music videos, it will be interesting to witness the path paved for other Korean entertainers and the unique journey that Hallyu will bring the world on.