FOR THE END OF THE SPECIAL: What is Kpop?

With you guys and the world(well I'd like to think that way..) to see, I've spent the past few weeks submerging myself in Korean Pop - YouTube hopping, listening to albums, reading Kpop blogs and doing my fair share of research. I've discovered heaps of new artists and songs, shared my favorites with you guys and learned even more about this new music industry. In the end, exactly what really seeped into my brain?

Korea is insanely full of amazing music and talented people - people who aren't afraid to try new things with their music but still retain what defines them as a culture. They've adapted to the internet and used it to their advantage - they only have an album chart that counts sales figures, all singles are ranked by the TV stations' music shows(MBC, KBS, SBS and MNET). They've built a friendship with the internet and even if they take down a lot of videos on YouTube, albums hardly ever leak before the release date (at least I don't think they do..).

They also like Rap (hahah). A lot.

Their music industry works differently from the UK and the US and a lot of bands are manufactured to the point where the talent agency will force the band to go into another genre(Kara, the girl group.) but for some reason I don't mind. It's bad, but at least the transformation is done well - not lackluster or confused.

The music itself is not something that can be put to words but thanks to a lot of the songs I featured on the special, I got a clear idea of what it sounds like. You can't really describe what music of a certain country sounds like - you feel and hear it which is why I think ears and a brain to process it are the most important things to have when you're listening to music from an unfamiliar country. Above all the research and blog-hopping you do to get a feel for the industry, the only surefire way to know who a country is musically is to listen and feel. I've heard K-pop's musical identity - that's the most important think I can take with me. Even if I hear only the melody and instrumentation of a song without the lyrics and the language(the biggest giveaway), I'll know it's from Korea.

It would take me forever to appropriately answer what Kpop is. Heck, I haven't even answered what UK Pop is! For now though, I've answered a few of the questions that point me to that direction - not bad for a few weeks worth of music and reviews, eh?

So that's it - the Kpop special is officially OVER. Tomorrow I go back to my regular schedule of single reviews, promotional material and rants. With my knowledge of Kpop continually growing and my adoration for it staying - I'm optimistic about the next few months of blogging. (was that corny?)