Harpers Bazaar: The Beginner's Guide to K-pop

[hagar-tammaa.livejournal.com]

David Yi, Mashable's resident fashion expert, walks us through the music craze.

Today, Karl Lagerfeld presented Chanel's Resort 2015 collection in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to Chanel's front row mainstays—Kristen Stewart, Tilda Swinton, etc.—two K-pop stars joined the fray: G-Dragon of Big Bang and CL of 2NE1. You may have heard of K-pop in passing, but what exactly is the phenomenon all about? Here, Mashable's resident fashion expert, David Yi, explains what you need to know about the craze.

Harper's BAZAAR: What exactly is K-pop?

David Yi: K-Pop is a hodgepodge of all pop sugary goodness. It's very slick and it's very addictive and the beats are very smooth. If you think about the best music videos you've ever watched, from epic videos like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" or "Telephone," these are [like] every single video that K-pop comes out with. And because of the styling and because of the addictive tunes, it's something that appeals to so many people, not just Koreans, but a mass global audience. Take everything great and over-the-top in pop and that's K-pop.

HB: How did K-pop explode into popularity and why is it such a huge phenomenon?

DY: I think it has to do with this one group called Girls' Generation. They're 9 girls who dance exactly in sync, they're sexy, they're cute, their music is addictive. They were signed with the same label that Lady Gaga is under, Cherry Tree Records. They did this entire American Press Tour in 2013, they were on live with Kelly Ripa and they performed on David Letterman, they made their rounds. I feel like the peak probably happened in 2012 and 2013 with groups like Girls' Generation, 2NE1 and Big Bang. I feel like a lot of people think of Korean pop and think, "that must be cheesy, that must be foreign and weird." But if you look at it the stars are not only beautiful, they're flawless with their dancing, they're flawless with their singing, they're flawless with their style and American pop stars can't compare. If you think of American pop stars like Justin Bieber, he's great at singing but he's not known for his style or dancing. If you think of Fifth Harmony, they're known for their singing but not their dancing or style. Every K-pop star is known for all three things. Their singing is always so amazing, their dancing is above and beyond and their style is just out there. It's the perfect storm for fans to become addicted to them. They perfected pop music, they put it on acid and made it addictive and made people really need it. There's a withdrawal for people who need it every single day of their lives. It's a drug.

HB: What sets it apart from traditional pop music?

DY: K-pop is kind of like a machine. These singers aren't just scouted and then they debut. They go through an intense training process of five to eight years. They're discovered when they're 10 and then they go through acting, singing and dancing classes every single day, then the best of the best are put into a group and then they debut. They're like androids! Every single day of their lives is so intense. They train 16 hours every day. The number one profession all kids aspire to be in Korea is an entertainer, which is really shocking and surprising, but if you think about it, they idolize these stars and they can do no wrong, which is why these singers have such huge careers—because they have so much clout and everyone wants to be them. These fans are invested in their lives because they know how much they sacrificed to get there, they know how many years went into their career.

HB: Who are the people to know?

DY: The five artists you need to know are 2NE1, Big Bang, CL, Girls' Generation and EXO—it's a boy band from the same company as Girls' Generation. And G-Dragon, he's the leader of Big Bang. He is always front row at Chanel, always front row at Rick Owen's show, he's an international style star. If you think anyone in the states has swag, G-Dragon takes swag and injects it with his own flavor.

HB: How does fashion and beauty play a part in the culture of K-pop?

DY: I feel that K-pop really does resonate with so many fashion fans because every music video is so highly stylized and Koreans are known for being purveyors of luxury. Look at the K-pop fans, they're not only trendsetters in Korea, but Seoul has become the Hollywood of Asia. We're talking Korean pop stars, Korean drama stars and movie stars, they're like Asian movie stars. They're huge in China, they're huge in Thailand, they're huge in Japan and the reason is partly to do with their style.

There's a group called 2NE1. Their leader, her name is CL and she is debuting in the States under Capitol Records so she is going to be massive. She's part of the whole Jeremy Scott crew, she is always front row at Fashion Week, she's an It girl. Korean style is a mix of streetwear and luxury. I bring up the group 2NE1 because they're the ones who brought Givenchy and Balmain to the masses in Korea and made them huge. Jeremy Scott, they became friends because they always wore Jeremy Scott for Adidas and he became huge in Asia because of the fans. They also discovered talents. They started wearing Hood by Air before anyone else did, same with Off White and a lot of different brands we see at VFiles now. Now it's very trendy to wear these European brands and streetwear brands together.

If you look at American artists, I feel like they're not really trendsetters. Like Beyoncé—we all love her but she's not known for her style. I feel like a lot of stylists are looking at K-pop now to see what the next big trend is. Who is the big style star, what are they wearing and how are they wearing it?

HB: What's the biggest misconception about K-pop?

DY: People think that it's just about Psy (of "Gangnam Style" fame) because he became a two-hit wonder. But it's so much more than that. Psy really isn't K-pop. If you look into it and past Psy, there are so many stars, and there is so much more to K-pop than what people automatically judge it to be.

Source : harpersbazaar

Comments

[lulufairybubble.livejournal.com]

Something about this article doesnt sit well with me. Like his explanations and comparisons just annoyed me tbh.

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

"This is what you need to know. Trust me, I'm an expert."

(Shallow, exaggerated, out of date description follows.)

[timetocomehome.livejournal.com]

THIS
I couldn't put my finger on why this irked me so much, but this is exactly it.
Thank you for putting it into words

[leighbee333.livejournal.com]

+11111111111

[keki7.livejournal.com]

He lost me at "...this one group called Girls' Generation. They're 9 girls who...". Clearly someone's still stuck in early 2014.

[ah-mui.livejournal.com]

Well he's talking about them circa 2012 and 2013. Obviously Sica has to be included.

[keki7.livejournal.com]

I guess so. But then he should have said "they were" instead of "they're"

[jeugd1.livejournal.com]

They're like androids!

Every time westerners talk about KPOP idols they always have to dehumanize them

[bomsnose.livejournal.com]

this is a good one for those who don't know anything about kpop. otherwise it's sort of bland. at least it's not completely off.

ktz is not very harper's bazaar i guess, otherwise they would've mentioned it.

[itsnvrcldinhell.livejournal.com]

That picture is discusting
something about old men getting kissed by young women vice versa just makes me wanna vomit

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

Don't think of it that way, since I'm pretty sure Mr. Lagerfeld isn't thinking any dirty thoughts about CL....maybe if she was a male, but even then I hear he doesn't like men that much either...he is an interesting fellow.

[milkmp3.livejournal.com]

if you think one of the most disgusting and misogynistic men in fashion is interesting then ok

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

When I was said interesting I didn't mean it in a good way. I personally think he is insane, but I do like his collection for Fendi, so yeah, I really don't think much of him as a human being.

[milkmp3.livejournal.com]

oh ok that's what i thought you meant tbh because for anyone to think he's even remotely a "good person" is just... yikes lmao

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

I didn't have much of a problem with him until I heard his comments about overweight people and I was really turned off by that, because I like his work, but he is a douche monkey.

[milkmp3.livejournal.com]

mteeeee and his ~feminist~ runway show was so awful

[itsnvrcldinhell.livejournal.com]

I know who he is....still doesn't stop my stomach from churning though

[pom-li.livejournal.com]

How does CL fit in with the rest of those names??

[bomsnose.livejournal.com]

she did have an intro that went like "balmain to ktz many styles from a to z"... otherwise you'd also be there if scooter braun was your manager and prepared you for a us debut.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

Bc they're promoting her as the ~muse~ of Kpop like the female GD

[chukachukachoo.livejournal.com]

because the article is partly about fashion and CL has been appearing at a good number of high profile fashion events for years now

[lily-of-west.livejournal.com]

[hipployta.livejournal.com]

Well CL and GD do appear at fashion week in NY and Paris consistently so I'm not surprised they are the names they know well LOL

2NE1 is promoting in the US after their Korean comeback...come on thru!

No shine for you DB5K and SuJu...special shout out to BoA bringing over anime fans

[hagar-tammaa.livejournal.com]

but will they really promote in the US?
I think it's a good omen that their song were re-released under capitol records so it's not just CL that's signed with them but I just am so pessimist today so I don't really feel like my girls will release shit in the US...like where the hell is CL's stuff anyway?!!

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

G-Dragon of Big Bang (pictured above with Lagerfeld in August) and CL of 2NE1.

LMAO at them not even getting the caption right. This article is hilariously bad.

[hagar-tammaa.livejournal.com]

No this is my fault. I'm so embarrassed right now I didn't use the pics in the post. they were three pics of CL GD and Sooyoung

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Whoops. Well, it's still a bad article even with the right caption.

[kjc48.livejournal.com]

And none for my queens Seo In Young, Hyuna, and Sooyoung (I hope Kim Na Young gets a lot of press too).

[hagar-tammaa.livejournal.com]

Sooyoung's pic was in the source and they mentioned GG

[kjc48.livejournal.com]

Wow, they actually picked a really good picture. GD should sue lol

[blueglassbeads.livejournal.com]

yikes, this sounds like it was made in 2011 or some shit.

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

i think his last reply is the best one
kpop is reaaaaaaaaaaally big
he's giving his 'fashion expert' point of view so he speaks about groups that he feels every fashionista should know
i dont know/care too much about fashion neither about groups he mentioned .... so his oppinion is all the same for me
lol at gd's swag part

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

When I first saw the title I actually said out loud: American Harper Bazaar?

Ok so I read the interview and he has a point that K-pop idols are trendsetters, though I hear that models in SK are getting more attention since people can kind of relate to them. There aren't really that many singers that are known for their style. Only one that I can think of that has people always watching them is Rihanna.

I personally try to pay attention to some of the trends that see idols wear, I find that I am drawn to a lot of what male idols wear sometimes.

[leighbee333.livejournal.com]

though I hear that models in SK are getting more attention since people can kind of relate to them.

I think I heard that line in some article as well, but that's weird to me, since idols seem designed (by that I mean, selected, coached, and marketed) to be more relatable to teens/the public

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

I think maybe the fact that idols are created to the "perfect relatable teen" it can kind of be intimidating. You have someone who is the same age as you, who is gassed up to be this pretty perfect well behaved beginning, and there you are....a potato compare to them. Of course Models aren't really relatable to a teen, but I think because to these teens they may seem more out going and less restricted. I sometimes think some SK teens don't see idols has human. I remember Taemin getting told by a fan night to look up at the sky because he would fly away because he is a fairy and I'm over here like "Ummmm....."

[odd-fish-stick.livejournal.com]

No tbh

[love-keiko.livejournal.com]

ummmm....

[achan123.livejournal.com]

group called Girls' Generation. They're 9 girls who dance exactly in sync

group called Girls' Generation. They're 9 girls who dance exactly in sync

no shade, but lol

[leighbee333.livejournal.com]

If you think about the best music videos you've ever watched, from epic videos like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" or "Telephone," these are [like] every single video that K-pop comes out with.

LOL not really. They're mostly box videos or on some 'in the streets of some small town' set with amazing choreography. I think a more apt Western comparison is to the bubblegum pop/boy band MVs from the late 90s/early 2000s period that still featured choreography.

They were signed with the same label that Lady Gaga is under, Cherry Tree Records.

They "were"? Did they get dropped?

If you think of Fifth Harmony, they're known for their singing but not their dancing or style.

Are Fifth Harmony really known for anything?
::not excited about them becoming popular, especially with basic songs like "Worth It"::


I bring up the group 2NE1 because they're the ones who brought Givenchy and Balmain to the masses in Korea and made them huge. Jeremy Scott, they became friends because they always wore Jeremy Scott for Adidas and he became huge in Asia because of the fans

Is this true?

If you look at American artists, I feel like they're not really trendsetters.

I know, I like that.

Just from his answers, you get the sense that he's either really shallow, really dim or both. His answers to 'How did Kpop explode in popularity?' and 'What sets it apart from traditional music?" made me cringe.
Lmao at him giving us the skinny on the idols you need to know - he just named the most popular groups! It was nice of him to call Psy a two-hit wonder, though.

...and idk, the more I see YG artists desperately schmoozing with any Western celeb they can get access to, the harder it is for me to root for them to breakthrough in the U.S.

[lily-of-west.livejournal.com]

It is 2ne1/Big Bang and Teddy/CL/GD are among first people to wear many of the brands which are now popular in SK and kpop. JS, Givenchy, Balmain, Off-White.

Although there are probably moments when some YGE people are just taking pics with certain western celebs cause they're fans or just want a pic with that celeb, mostly western celebs do gravitate to YGE when they're introduced to kpop cause their music mostly resembles western music and they can identify with it. Plus most of YGE are very friendly and actually do speak with them so that helps too.

[piqapique.livejournal.com]

I saw you posting the same thing about YG artists desperately schmoozing with any Western celeb in that one tiffany's article too. The thing about YG artists(BB and 2NE1) being so active in the fashion scene are all thanks to their stylist, 2NE1's xin and BB's ji eun.

They started from the bottom with actually buying designer products with their own money and most of the time altering them. This is what 2NE1 so famous for in their early days. Fashion bloggers adore them because they always wear modified stuff thanks to xin, danny and sometimes cl. I'm not sure until when but Balmain did not do sponsoring back then. So 2NE1 is the only(correct me if i'm wrong) group who wears balmain. Both xin and ji eun actually know how to do their job. idk how to explain this but you can see the vast difference between them and other stylists whose idols wear imitation clothes or directly plagiarise clothe. 2NE1's concert outfit are personally designed for them from established designers so when there are other artist wearing the same thing, it's clearly an imitation(this actually exist).

They also have a HUGE connection in the fashion scene. Top designers and models are their bff. Xin, GD, soohyuk, the late daul kim, designer KYE are all friends since wayyy before their debuts.

The recent Virgil Abloh's party was actually not YG peeps trying schmooze their way with him but Xin is the man behind the party. He is the one who brought Virgil into Korea to collaborate with boontheshop.

[fibfables.livejournal.com]

haha ya people seem to forget that 2ne1 didn't just magically start wearing givenchy and balmain when they first debuted. 2ne1 tv season 1 showed yang gaeng diy-ing and modifying pretty much most of their stage costumes and accessories.

[kawaiisis86.livejournal.com]

I remember that time and it was nice because of their stuff came from TOPSHOP so it was easy to find. Or eBay had a lot of the stuff they wore. Now it's all high end fashion and custom made stuff they wear which is great but sad we can't really find their stuff as much.

[seroquels.livejournal.com]

First paragraph I was like, "ok, *nod nod* you seem excited...but okay..." Then paragraph 2



so much 2nd hand embarrassment for this guy. I don't read magazines much anymore, but maybe this is normal for this type of interview.

[kawaiisis86.livejournal.com]

This is a strange article because David Yi is Korean himself-he used to to the Seoulcialite videos with Ellie back in the day and he knows quite a few KPOP stars, so I'm just here like 0_0 at why it came over so strange. He knows better.