(A disclaimer I am no expert in any of the topics and am just a guy with ADHD, a hyper fixation and a vision) We have all seen the most common definitions of K-pop As Korean popular music, Korean idol music and as an industry. Now of these are all true to extent but I don’t feel they capture what make K-pop, K-pop in full. There is something that is always discussed when people talk about kpop but I have yet to see it bought in the the discussion of the definition of K-pop And that is concepts. So I would like to propose a new definition of K-pop as a conceptual performance art As I feel a lot of these previous definition have fallen short in taking into account the conceptual and performance aspects of the genre Concepts and why they matter I believe what makes K-pop special and so engaging is its ability to convey a concept or emotion through music and performance despite the on paper linguistics barrier many people have towards the genre. Yes this is done through the music, lyrics and singing but also through the choreography and expressions, styling and sometimes set design. The latter aspects to have the ability to elevate and express the concept of the song more clearly and make us appreciate it better. I am sure we have all had that song where we listened to but were only sold once we saw a performance of it or a song that musically isn’t your usual cup of tea but you adore the performance And this not a new thing this has been there since the beginning and is still here till now I will now discuss and highlight this through a certified classic ‘Candy’ by H.O.T and a recent release ‘Surf‘ by NCT Wish with the same core concept of cute but with different flairs. ‘Candy’ has cute energetic upbeat almost funhouse feel while ‘Surf’ has cute cool summer beachside vibe To study them I looked at the MBC top music 19961207 performance of ‘Candy’ and the Mnet 250814 performance of surf Now how do they display their respective concepts Music ‘Candy’ has a lot of upbeat bouncy sounds and a repetitive drum beat ‘Surf’ makes use of ambient beach sounds and motifs that people associate with the vibe Singing ‘Candy’ the singing is happy sing songy ‘Surf’ has soft smooth singing Rap Both songs have a rap section with is used to add layers but isn’t to quick so it still fits comfortably into the song Lyrics I can’t comment on the lyrics of ‘Candy’ or ‘Surf’ without translation and as I wanted to focus on how the concept is displayed regardless of language. Outside of that I soul like to highlight the use of surf in ‘Surf’ as the the soft sound help display the cool relaxed vibe Choreography ‘Candy’ the choreography is bouncy has multiple cutesy highlight parts Surf makes use of waves to convey the flows vibe of the song Expression ‘Candy’ uses happy expressions ‘Surf’ makes use of both happy and cool relaxed expressions Styling ‘Candy’ has oversized tracksuits soft colourful fabric with accessories like the iconic oversized mittens reminiscent of cartoon characters and the fluffy bucket hat as well as earmuffs, bobble hat, goggles. ‘Surf’ goes with white clothes which give that pure bright vibe, the choice of shorts, some layer outfits with long sleeves, the large socks, open caps that remind me of tennis /country club clothes Set design I am unsure if the set design in the background of ‘Candy’ was for the performance specifically or the show as a whole ‘Surf’ has a set the is reminiscent of resorts in places like Hawaii, Florida and the Caribbean with surfboards palm trees water on the backing screen a beach bar Now in both songs these elements come together to create a clear cute feel along side the addition flairs of each these are my basic observations so if you have more to add please do I hope to hear your thoughts on this and have discussions facilitate the exploration of this idea and see it applied to more songs submitted by /u/ARG_obesessed [link] [comments]
A new idea on how to define K-pop as from a new fan
- reddit.com language
- 2025-08-22 22:04 event
- 4 hours ago schedule