K-pop 101

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I love K-pop so much that I’ve written several books in a romance series with K-pop stars as the heroes with more to come. Be sure to check out the Idol in Love series. When a friend suggested I write a K-pop guide for beginners, I didn’t know I’d enjoy it so much. If you’re new to K-pop, I hope you find the following information useful. I originally wrote this guide in 2020, but K-pop has exploded in popularity since then. So more people have likely at least heard of it. I’ve updated this guide for the launch of my new website in late 2023.

By Trish Milburn
© August 2020/updated 2023

There are some things in this life it’s nearly impossible to stop sampling after only a single taste—potato chips, episodes of favorite TV shows…and K-pop. Whether you’ve heard your teen talking about K-pop with friends or happened to see a performance by a group on a morning show as you drank your coffee and thought, “Hey, this song is catchy,” you might find yourself curious about this new-to-you style of music. But what exactly is it and where do you start to learn more?

What is K-pop anyway?

The simple answer is that K-pop is pop music that originates in South Korea. But while it can bear some similarities and take inspiration from Western (American, British, etc.) pop music, as well as rap, hip-hop, R&B, house and other styles of music, it has many unique qualities including how some of its roots lie in Korean traditional music. K-pop also is way too often compared to Western pop music by Western journalists in a lesser-than type of way that can have a racist tone, whether intentional or not.

Because of its country of origin, most of the lyrics are sung in Korean, though you will often hear lines in English in K-pop songs. K-pop groups also routinely put out Japanese-language albums and songs in Chinese to appeal to fans in those countries. And in recent years, groups such as Monsta X, NCT 127, WayV, BTS and many others have started to release more material entirely in English, either whole albums, singles or English versions of some songs originally released in Korean. An example of a full English-language album is Monsta X’s All About Luv. There have been mixed feelings among fans about particularly the English-language releases. Some believe it strays too far from what it means to be K-pop while others recognize that it’s a smart business move for companies wanting to expand their acts’ international fan bases. Recently, there has been some pushback against K-pop becoming too Westernized and too much of it not being in Korean. This is likely to continue to be a topic with opposing viewpoints.

K-pop is more than simply the music, however. Of course, the music is the core of K-pop, but it’s combined with synchronized dancing, distinctive fashion and styling that can sometimes turn gender roles on their head, constantly changing hair colors and styles, and a much more interactive, intimate relationship between the members of K-pop groups and their fans. This last point can sometimes cause problems when overzealous, stalker fans known as sasaengs cross the line of personal space, privacy and safety of the entertainers. More details on these various aspects of K-pop below.

The Origins and Growth of K-pop

K-pop got its start in 1992 with a group called Seo Taiji and the Boys, but it was the group H.O.T. four years later that really launched the modern type of K-pop centered around idols, the name given to K-pop entertainers who start training with one of South Korea’s entertainment companies typically in their early to mid teens. These young performers move away from home and live in dorms with other trainees. Each day they receive training in singing, rapping and dancing in addition to their school studies in the hopes that they will earn the opportunity to debut in a group. They also take classes in other languages, typically English, Japanese and Chinese but sometimes others as well. It helps when some of the trainees or members of groups are from those countries. As K-pop has gone more international, fan bases have grown in lots of countries with speakers of lots of different languages. For instance, K-pop is very popular in South America, where the predominant languages are Spanish and Portuguese. Occasionally there are idols who have experience living in countries that allows them to help their groups communicate with fans there. YangYang from WayV (which is technically a C-pop group since they’re based in China but are a sub-unit of NCT, a Korean group managed by a Korean company, SM Entertainment) lived for several years in Germany and can speak German. Fellow member Ten is from Thailand, so can easily communicate with Thai fans. Dann from Kingdom lived in Dubai and even was a translator for KCON there.

As you become more familiar with K-pop, you’ll likely hear mention of 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, etc. Though there are no definitive dividing lines between generations of K-pop artists, this terminology is assigned to groups that have debuted during certain time frames, within a few years of each other. For instance, first-generation groups such as boy group H.O.T and girl group S.E.S debuted in the late 1990s. By some accounts, following this was a sort of half-generation, 1.5, that included groups such as Shinhwa and soloists such as BoA (Kwon Bo-ah). Around this time was when the term Hallyu started being used to describe the Korean Wave of popular culture beginning to spread and become popular outside of South Korea. This included music, TV dramas, movies and other parts of popular culture. When the second-generation (and, by some descriptions also 2.5) groups started putting out music in the early 2000s was when K-pop really began to grow in popularity and number of groups. These included boy groups Super Junior, TVXQ, SS501, SHINee, Big Bang, 2PM and Infinite as well as the first of the really popular girl groups, Brown-Eyed Girls, Girls’ Generation, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, Kara, f(x) and others.

During this era is when idols also began to cross over into acting in television dramas and movies. Fans who found them through their acting then discovered their K-pop groups, and those who were fans of the groups first would watch their favorite idols’ dramas and movies, a lucrative cross-promotion that continues to this day. In fact, watching the Korean drama Scarlet Heart Ryeo was how I discovered K-pop. One of the actors in the drama was Baekhyun from the group EXO, but it wasn’t until I listened to the soundtrack for the drama and heard a song he did with two other EXO members that I first dipped my toe into the K-pop world.

Two important events happened about a decade into the 2000s that really laid the groundwork for K-pop’s explosive growth of popularity overseas that happened on the eve of the third generation and has steadily increased since them. First was the launching of YouTube, which allowed K-pop’s stars and eye-catching music videos (MVs) to be seen in every country where the platform was available. Then came the unexpected international hit “Gangnam Style” by PSY, a song that referenced an upscale area of Seoul that most Western listeners had up until that point not known existed. “Gangnam Style” was a huge international hit and the MV became the first video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. I bet some of you are singing it in your head right now.

The rise of various social media platforms added fuel to the third-gen groups such as boy groups EXO, VIXX, BTS, NU’EST and GOT7 and girl groups Twice, Blackpink, MAMAMOO and Red Velvet. These groups and others are still active today with the exception of NU’EST, as are several second-gen groups, and have huge fan bases. They sell out large venues on international tours, and their fans spend large amounts of money to buy merchandise such as clothing, CD box sets and light sticks that are used at concerts. Those fans know how the time zone where they live relates to Korean Standard Time and they’ll get up early or stay up late to be one of the first to watch new MVs by their faves.

For instance, I live in the Eastern Time Zone, 13-14 hours behind Seoul, depending on the time of year (Daylight Savings Time or not). The first MV release I stayed up for was EXO’s “Tempo,” which debuted at 4 a.m. my time because I lived in the Central Time Zone then. When COVID-19 hit and cancelled in-person concerts, I stayed up late to watch several online concerts that started at 3 p.m. in Seoul, meaning 1 a.m. Central, and they were worth it. The popular KCON conventions that are typically held in several cities around the world, including New York and Los Angeles in the U.S., also had to go to an online event during the pandemic. What had been cost- and travel-prohibitive weekend events for many people became an affordable week-long event in this virtual form.

In addition to third-gen groups such as GOT7 and the mega successful BTS, Gen 3.5 brought more of the groups you’ve likely been seeing on a lot of those morning and late-night programs, groups such as Monsta X, NCT 127 and Seventeen.

Some of the most successful 4th-generation groups are boy groups such as Stray Kids, ATEEZ and TXT and girl groups (G)I-DLE and Itzy. By some accounts we’re now entering Gen 5 with popular groups such as xikers, ZEROBASEONE (the group to come out of the Boys Planet survival show), RIIZE and EVNNE.

Because of K-pop’s increasing popularity, more and more groups debut each year, which makes the marketplace more competitive. But it’s also great for what is known as a multi-fan, someone who loves K-pop as a whole and likes following and listening to a variety of groups as opposed to a solo stan*, someone who only follows a single group.

Note: “Stan” originally meant an overzealous, obsessive fan, a term popularized by the Eminem song of the same name. In common use, it can simply mean a really devoted fan without the negative connotations, though there are definitely stans who are toxic. More about that later. You’ll also see this term used as part of “Stan Twitter,” which doesn’t apply only to K-pop but definitely exists in that realm. Stan Twitter often means the ugly, hateful elements of fandom, those who have a cult-like mentality regarding whatever or whomever they fangirl or fanboy over.

There is some concern about the market becoming oversaturated with too many groups debuting in the hope of capturing some level of the popularity and success of groups like BTS and ATEEZ.

The Makeup of K-pop Groups

K-pop groups typically have anywhere from four to thirteen members. NCT has 26 members, but they are divided up into different sub-units that release music, perform and promote together: NCT 127, NCT Dream and WayV (who are technically C-pop since they are based in China), NCT Tokyo (obviously J-pop), NCT DOJAEJUNG and NCT U. The number of members in a group can decrease, either temporarily or permanently, for a variety of reasons including health concerns, cancelling of contracts because of “scandals” or, unfortunately, even death.

Trigger warning for this paragraph/death/suicide: It is a sad reality that South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and unfortunately a number of K-pop idols have taken their own lives. We don’t know for certain the true reasons behind these sad losses, but one can hypothesize that perhaps some stem from depression and online bullying, which are both significant concerns that should be addressed more thoroughly and effectively, as well as perhaps the stresses of the industry.

Groups have similar positions across the industry: members who specialize as vocalists, dancers and rappers but who all dance and sing, a leader, and even members who are identified as the visuals of the group, meaning they’ve been deemed the most physically attractive. Though it does seem as if the visual tag isn’t as prominent as it once was, which I think is a good thing.

While it’s understandable that the majority of K-pop idols hail from Korea, there are a number who are of other ethnicities/nationalities or who are ethnically Korean but citizens of other countries. Countries that are home to many idols include Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, the United States and Canada. NCT is perhaps the most diverse, partly owing to their large number of members who are originally from four different Asian countries plus the U.S. and Canada. Stray Kids has two Australian members. Interestingly, girl group Blackswan don’t have any Korean members but have worked hard at speaking Korean and respecting the country’s culture. Their members are from Senegal/Belgium, India, Brazil and the U.S. Having this diversity really helps when groups travel to other countries and can have their members who speak the native language of those countries be the point people for media interviews and translating during the comments portions of concerts. The increasing diversity can also be seen in the number of trainees hailing from countries other than Korea. For instance, on the survival show I-LAND, there were 23 contestants from not only Korea but also Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Vietnam and the United States.

Entertainment Companies

In the early days of K-pop idols, there were three main companies—SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment. More recently, Big Hit Entertainment (home to K-pop global stars BTS and 2019’s Rookie of the Year group, TXT) has grown to that level while YG has suffered a bit as a result of some substantial scandals of both management and idols. This year there was substantial upheaval at SM Entertainment as management changed and there was an attempted takeover. But because of K-pop’s increasing popularity over the past few years, new companies continue to form and launch groups. The biggest companies still have the most groups and soloists, but some smaller companies are finding success too. KQ Entertainment hit it big with ATEEZ and has one of the most popular debut groups of 2023 in xikers.

These companies have trainee programs where they provide housing, food, essentials, education and training for promising young singers, dancers and rappers. The idea is that all this investment will be paid back to the company when the idols debut as artists and start making money with their releases. Unfortunately, sometimes the artists never earn enough to pay back these costs, either because they don’t debut or they do and their group isn’t successful and/or disbands after a short amount of time.

Some notable entertainment companies and their popular acts (FYI: Lineups can frequently change; companies sometimes merge or cease operations; and other companies launch.):

  • SM Entertainment – Super Junior, SHINee, EXO, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, Red Velvet, RIIZE
  • JYP Entertainment – 2PM, Day6, Stray Kids, Itzy, Twice, ITZY, Xdinary Heroes. (GOT7 was with JYP until January 2021 when the members didn’t sign new contracts but were able to legally keep the name. Though not as active as they once were, they are still a group and plan periodic group projects. They as individuals are signed to different companies now, but they control GOT7 group activities.)
  • YG Entertainment – Big Bang, Winner, AKMU, Blackpink, Treasure
  • HYBE Entertainment (former Big Hit) – BTS, TXT, ENHYPEN, &TEAM in Japan
  • Pledis Entertainment – Seventeen (As of May 2020, Pledis became an independent subsidiary of HYBE.)
  • Starship Entertainment – Monsta X, K.Will, Cravity, IVE. Former Monsta X member Wonho is with Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary label of Starship.
  • FNC Entertainment – SF9, P1Harmony, Cherry Bullet, F.T. Island, N.Flying, CNBLUE
  • Cube Entertainment – Pentagon (barely, most of the members have recently left the company), (G)I-DLE
  • RBW Entertainment – ONEUS, ONEWE, MAMAMOO
  • Woolim Entertainment – Golden Child, DRIPPIN
  • Fantagio – ASTRO, Weki Meki. Lun8
  • Jellyfish Entertainment – VIXX, VERIVERY
  • DSP Media (now part of RBW) – K.A.R.D (most well-known co-ed group, which is pretty rare in K-pop), MIRAE
  • TOP Media – TEEN TOP, MCND
  • IST Entertainment – THE BOYZ, Apink, Weeekly, ATBO
  • Beat Interactive – A.C.E, Forestella
  • Brand New Music – AB6IX, Younite, and solo artists such as Bumkey and Verbal Jint
  • KQ Entertainment – ATEEZ, xikers
  • C9 Entertainment – CIX and Cignature, EPEX
  • 8D Entertainment – OnlyOneOf
  • WM Entertainment (now under RBW) – ONF (pronounced On and Off), Oh My Girl, B1A4
  • A Team Entertainment – VAV
  • E Entertainment – E’LAST
  • GF Entertainment – Kingdom, Bang Yedam

Some groups and soloists have made the decision to start their own management agencies/labels, either after group disbandments or shake-ups, disagreements with previous companies, or for creative freedom. Some examples:

  • KNK – 220 Entertainment
  • Rain – Rain Company
  • Kang Daniel – Konnect Entertainment
  • Shinhwa – Shinhwa Company (They are the longest-running K-pop group, still together in their original form since 1998.)

While a lot of groups depend on songwriters and producers to provide them with material, a growing number of groups have members who write songs and even self-produce. Among the self-producing groups are Pentagon, Seventeen, Winner, Stray Kids, Day6, (G)I-DLE, Block B, EXID and ONE PACT (who are about to debut as I update this guide in November 2023).

Of note is that many of Korea’s entertainment companies don’t just represent K-pop idols. They also manage actors and actresses.

Entertainment companies are often the target of fan ire if they are perceived to or have been proven to mistreat their artists in any way. This can range from not promoting them to the level fans believe the artists deserve all the way to horrible physical mistreatment. Sometimes companies draw fans’ hatred for ejecting members from groups for “scandals” that often wouldn’t even register as a problem with fans of Western artists, such as dating. Some companies have or have in the past had no-dating policies for their idols.

Conversely, companies also can create fan upset if they don’t eject members for the same “infractions” or “scandals.” One recent example is when EXO member Kim Jongdae (stage name Chen) announced that his long-term girlfriend (whom fans didn’t know about) was pregnant and they were getting married. Though he announced this and said he wanted to spend his life with this woman he loved, there were “fans” who demanded that he be removed from the group because he’d brought shame to EXO. Many other fans came to his defense, pointing out how ridiculous and selfish were the calls to destroy his career because he got married and started a family. Luckily, the company didn’t remove him.

K-Bands

There is a distinction between K-pop groups that focus on singing, rapping and group choreography and K-bands, in which the members play instruments. K-bands have also been gaining in popularity. Some popular ones:

  • The Rose (I’ve seen them in concert twice, and they are awesome.)
  • ONEWE
  • N.Flying
  • Day6
  • 2Z
  • IZ
  • Bursters
  • FTIsland
  • CNBLUE
  • Bandage
  • Hoppipolla (winners of the show Super Band; they are awesome and have a cello player)
  • LUCY
  • Xdinary Heroes
  • Catch the Young
  • CNEMA
  • Movning

The Reality of Military Enlistment

A reality of the K-pop industry for the members of boy groups is that if they are Korean citizens, they will have to report for mandatory military service at some point. This compulsory enlistment lasts between 18 and 21 months depending on the branch of service. The majority of K-pop idols and Korean actors choose the army because it has the shortest enlistment period. Even though it’s a limited term of service, the pictures of the idols getting their buzz cuts on the eves of their enlistments always cause fans pangs of sadness. Part of it is the not being able to see their faves for a couple of years, but there’s also the very real uncertainty about what it means for the group as a whole. Will they survive the interruption, especially if so many members have to enlist close together that the group has to go on hiatus? After all, with new groups debuting each year, re-entering the marketplace could pose challenges unless a group has a large and dedicated fan base that will eagerly await their return. But the group ONF proved that even if all the members go at the same time, still a rarity, they can come back to a dedicated fan base.

This mandatory enlistment exists because technically South Korea is still at war with North Korea since only an armistice to cease hostilities was signed at the “end” of the Korean War rather than a peace treaty to actually end the war. Though there have been occasional calls by fans to exempt idols from this service, that idea is frowned upon by the Korean public. The idols themselves often say they are proud to serve their country, even though it interrupts their careers and can spell the end of some groups. This is why entertainment companies like to spread out the ages of their groups’ members, so that some can serve their enlistments while the remainder continue to release music, tour and do promotions. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen more older groups having comebacks following all of their members serving via the spaced-out enlistments: Super Junior, SHINee, INFINITE, TEEN TOP, UKISS.

The Idol/Fan Relationship

K-pop is structured so that fans feel very connected to the idols and groups. Most groups’ and artists’ fans have fandom names (SF9’s Fantasy, BTS’s ARMY, EXO’s EXO-Ls, NCT’s NCTzens, Blackpink’s Blinks, Pentagon’s Universe, SHINee’s Shawols, Astro’s Aroha, MAMAMOO’s Moomoos, KNK’s Tinkerbells, Kingdom’s Kingmakers, etc. Most acts also have their own designated fan colors.

In addition to the various social media posts and video lives the artists do, they also often will have fan-sign events at which you get to talk to and have items signed by the idols. Also, after concerts, for a higher-priced ticket, they have what is called hi-touch where you literally walk by and give them a high five and sometimes even group photos or Polaroids with individual members.

Even in a world where most people download music rather than buy any sort of physical, playable format such as an LP or CD, K-pop still sells a lot of physical CD box sets. People don’t buy these typically to play the CDs themselves. They buy and collect these box sets for the extras that come with them – photobooks, photo cards (typically of one or two members; the ones you get are called your “pulls”), bookmarks, stickers, posters, etc. Fans often post videos of their unboxings in which they show all the extras that came in their CD box sets.

Another fun thing that K-pop fans do is either react to new MVs while video recording themselves or watch reactors, some of whom have extensive followings on YouTube.

Variety and Music Shows, Online Lives

Part of K-pop’s unique culture is how often fans get content from their favorite groups and solo artists. K-pop groups put out new material typically multiple times a year. These can be full albums, mini albums with around four or five songs, singles or collaborations with other artists. This frequent release schedule helps prevent them from being easily forgotten in a crowded marketplace. With each new release, they have what is called a comeback, a period of typically a couple of weeks during when they are actively promoting the new release with performances on the weekly music shows and variety shows that are popular on Korean TV and increased social media posts.

They compete on the music shows against other acts who also have new releases. Each show calculates scores differently (some combination of digital sales, physical album sales, radio play, views for the MV of the title track, online fan voting both before and during the live broadcast, and social media mentions), and winning the trophies is a big deal for groups. Getting a first win is a hurdle they try hard to accomplish. During the live broadcasts, groups will perform their new title track and sometimes a second song off the album.

The shows:

  • The Show (SBS MTV) – airs on Tuesdays
  • Show Champion (MBC Music) – airs on Wednesdays
  • M Countdown (Mnet) – airs on Thursdays
  • Music Bank (KBS) – airs on Fridays
  • Music Core (MBC) – airs on Saturdays
  • Inkigayo (SBS) – airs on Sundays

There have also been some music survival shows that resulted in limited-run groups, meaning that when they debut they already know when the group will disband and the members will either go back to existing groups they are in or launch solo careers. Produce 101 was such a show, the first season of which produced the girl group I.O.I and the second season resulting in the boy group Wanna One. Unfortunately, a later season called Produce X 101, which produced the group X1, was rocked by allegations of vote rigging by producers of the show (not by the contestants). Though X1 had garnered a lot of success after their debut in the summer of 2019, they were disbanded in early 2020 as a result of the arrests of two of the show’s producers and their admission that they’d manipulated votes in all four seasons of Produce 101.

Variety programs are also popular with K-pop fans. These vary in content but can include interviews, performances and hilarious competitions. Some popular ones are Weekly Idol and Knowing Brothers. Idols also often will “go live” on live-streaming apps or social media platforms; during these lives they’ll read fan comments, share their thoughts, eat, or just generally goof off and cause much hilarity, to the delight of fans.

Also very popular are videos the groups post of their dance practices that show off the full choreography of songs that might not be shown in their entirety in the MVs. Special dance videos that are fun for fans are relay dances, suit dances, dance choreographies done in special costumes (animal outfits, Halloween costumes, baseball uniforms, historic hanboks, etc.) or the always hilarious part-swap videos where they swap parts with each other and try to do the choreography. The more of a hot mess these part-swap videos are, the better. They are a sure-fire way to lift your mood. Seriously, go watch some GOT7 part-switch videos on YouTube if you need a laugh or a hundred.

The Negatives of Fan Culture and Stresses of Idol Life

In the early days of K-pop, there were instances of fan clubs actually contributing to the living expenses of idol groups alongside the companies. Perhaps because of this or the term “idol” itself, there can be an unrealistic sense of ownership by some fans toward K-pop artists. They put them on a pedestal, but that also means that the slightest misstep or even a perceived misstep can literally mean the end of a career the idol has put years into building. Idols have been let go from their entertainment companies and contracts cancelled for dating, after accusations were leveled against them that were later disproven, and, more understandably, for a DUI. In some cases, the idols themselves reportedly volunteered to leave so that a negative light didn’t affect the entire group.

Life after a “scandal” can take many forms. Almost always there are written public apologies given by the artist and the companies, the language of which quickly becomes familiar to K-pop fans. They always apologize for disappointing fans, often say they aren’t worthy of the fans’ love, and will work hard to reflect on their actions and become a better person. I believe some of this language is very damaging to the idols’ mental health, especially when they haven’t really done anything wrong, but it emboldens toxic, demanding fans who see that their public, loud and often oversized outrage has forced a famous person to have to apologize publicly.

The no-dating rules, whether actual rules by entertainment companies or simply unrealistic fan expectations, are particularly strange to those new to K-pop and even to many who have been fans for a long time. It seems to exist to feed the fantasies of fans who like to imagine themselves with the idols. Yes, idols sometimes eventually date or even marry non-celebrities, but this is no reason to demand that they stay single in the delusional hope that a fan will become that special someone. Demanding that they not have romantic relationships is selfish and cruel, and entertainment companies caving to these types of fan demands upsets reasonable fans who understand these young people are human beings just like the rest of us; they simply have very public careers.

Sasaengs, who I mentioned above, are fans who step way over the line of appropriate fan behavior. Their actions include stalking idols at airports and public appearances, trying to get past security to grab them, buying access to their phone numbers and constantly calling or texting them, hacking their social media accounts, setting up hidden cameras where they live, invading their dorms, attempted kidnappings and, in one case, a poisoning when Yunho from the group TVXQ was given a drink laced with glue that required him to be rushed to the hospital.

Another reality of K-pop fandom that seems really stupid is the constant fan wars between fandoms. Despite how the idols in different groups are friends with each other, there are toxic elements in various fandoms who attack other fandoms or the groups, belittling their talents or successes in an ugly attempt to elevate their own favorites. What they evidently don’t realize is that these types of actions can have the opposite effect, turning potential new fans off to their favorite idols and groups through no fault of those idols themselves.

Even with all the problematic “fans,” there are lots more who know proper boundaries and who gain a lot from being a K-pop fan. Many stories have been shared about how the music has helped people through their own depression, the loss of friends or family members, or stressful times. Lots of my K-pop friends on Twitter posted about how looking forward to new music and then listening to the songs has helped them deal with the stress of the pandemic.

Useful Terms to Know

Aegyo – to act in a cutesy, babyish way (This is popular in Korea.)

Age line or “liner” – people all born in the same year (i.e. Hyuk from VIXX, Taeyong from NCT 127, Seungsik from VICTON, Dawon from SF9, Baekho, Jisoo from Blackpink and Siyeon from Dreamcather are all 95-liners, meaning they were born in 1995.)

All Kill – When a song or album simultaneously reaches the #1 spot on all eight K-pop charts (iChart’s 2 lists, Genie, Melon, Bugs, Mnet, Naver, Soribada). Soloist IU was the first artist to get an all-kill with her song “Good Day” and has done so 12 more times since then. Big Bang also has a lot of all-kills to their name.

Antis – anti-fans; those who show hatred toward a group or artist

Bias – Your favorite member of a K-pop group. Ult (ultimate) bias means your favorite idol from all of K-pop.

Chocolate abs – a well-defined abdominal six-pack often flashed by boy group members, to the delight of their fans

Concept – A style, feel or theme for an album. Types of concepts that are common: sexy, dark, bright summer vibe, school uniforms, cutesy/aegyo, etc.

Daebak – an exclamation that means awesome or incredible

Daesang – a grand prize or top prize at the big annual award shows such as MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards)

Dispatch – papparazzi-style celebrity gossip news site

Fan cam – amateur footage of concerts or other performances taken by fans; fan cams can be fun but also can be rude or annoying if used in the wrong way (i.e. posting them in the comments sections of unrelated articles, particularly serious ones, as a way to get views). Fan cams and K-pop fans made the news in the summer of 2020 for bombarding hateful Twitter hashtags with fan cams so that the hateful messages were drowned out during the BLM protests following the killing of George Floyd.

Fan chant – Words that are chanted during K-pop performances. These can be certain lyrics or simply a listing of the members’ names when the idols are not singing.

Fan service – Actions taken by idols to please fans, such as singing part of a song, displaying aegyo or taking a photo. Mostly it’s harmless but some fans take it too far and request things that make the idols uncomfortable, either because they are inappropriate or the idol has made it known they no longer want to take that action. Sometimes this is when managers step in and usher the fan along.

Fighting!/Hwaiting! – an expression of support/“you can do this”

Hoobae – one’s junior (how older idols or ones who debuted earlier would refer to those who are younger or debuted later)

Hyung – literally means “older brother” but is used by a male to refer to an older male friend; the younger members of a male K-pop group would call the older members hyung or combine it with their name, i.e. Jihun-hyung

Kakaotalk – a popular chatting/messaging app in Korea

Maknae – the youngest member of a K-pop group

Naver – Korea’s largest internet portal

Netizen – internet users; too often they can employ a negative mob mentality in attacking an idol, group, entertainment company, other fans or an entire fandom. Netizens who are based in Korea are often referred to as Knetz.

Noona – literally “older sister”; term that a younger male uses to refer to a somewhat older female friend

Noraebang – karaoke room (a business, not a room in your house)

Oppa – term that younger females call somewhat older males they either are or want to be close to

OST – original soundtrack; a lot of idols or K-pop groups contribute to TV drama or movie soundtracks. This is how I discovered K-pop, when I heard an EXO song on the soundtrack of the Korean drama (K-drama) Scarlet Heart Ryeo.

Repackaged album – full album that is re-released with a new title track and MV and some additional songs and sometimes remixes; this is a common thing in the K-pop industry.

Selca – a selfie

Skinship – physical contact such as holding hands, hugging, etc. Very common in K-pop, and fans love it.

SNS – stands for social networking service, aka social media

Sunbae/Sunbaenim – A senior idol or group. For instance, Infinite’s members are the sunbaes of Golden Child’s members because Infinite debuted before Golden Child. It’s a term of respect and can be used either by itself or in combination with someone’s name.

Teaser – a sneak peak; K-pop acts typically in the days ahead of a comeback will post daily content such as teaser photos or clips of some of the songs on the upcoming album to get fans excited about the new release.

Unnie – literally means “older sister”; what females call older female friends

A Beginner’s Listening/Viewing List

So now that I’ve told you a boatload of stuff to familiarize you with the world of K-pop, what songs should you listen to and watch their MVs first? Ask a hundred K-pop fans this question and you’ll likely get a hundred different answers. But I’m going to share a few of my favorite songs by a variety of artists – groups and soloists, male and female, ballads and hype songs that will make it almost impossible to not get up and dance.

“Monster” by EXO – Watching the dance practice for this song is what made me go, yep, I’m in this K-pop thing for life.

“Say My Name” by ATEEZ – great song by the first K-pop group I saw live in concert

“Excalibur” by Kingdom – This group is one of my favorites, so much so that I did the VVIP package when I saw them this year so I could meet them, tell them how much I love their music, and get my picture with them. Their concept is unique. Each member has adopted a persona of an ancient king from somewhere in the world, starting with King Arthur in this MV. I encourage you to watch all their MVs and listen to their beautiful B-side tracks.

“Bang Bang Bang” and “Fantastic Baby” by Big Bang – to get a taste of one of the most iconic second-generation K-pop groups; fun tidbit: South Korea used to blast “Bang Bang Bang” into North Korea at the DMZ!

“Soso” by Winner – my favorite song of 2019; Kang Seung Yoon is one of my favorite K-pop vocalists.

“Dr. BeBe” by Pentagon – my favorite song of 2020 and a great example of a dark concept by one of my favorite groups

“Fake Love” by BTS – one of several super successful songs off their Love Yourself album

“Epiphany” by BTS’s Jin – my favorite BTS song and a lovely example of a K-pop ballad; this link is to a live concert performance I really like.

“Scream” by Dreamcatcher – a dark concept song done by a girl group; Dreamcatcher is my favorite girl group because of how they mix rock with K-pop. They are also the only girl K-pop group I’ve seen live so far.

“Reveal” by The Boyz – They were also the winners of the music survival show Road to Kingdom. Their performances on the show as fantastic. Check them out on YouTube.

“Fear” by Seventeen – one of my favorite songs of 2019 and what insisted I must be a Seventeen fan (known as Carats)

“Left and Right” by Seventeen – an example of a fun, summery concept

“Back it Up” by Seventeen – There is no MV for this, so this is a live performance from one of their concerts. Seventeen has three sub-units (dance, vocal and hip-hop). This is a great hype song by the hip-hop unit, really great to crank in the car. Check out their “Lilili Yabbay” MV for a great look at their dance sub-unit. Fun tidbit: Seventeen is widely seen as the boy group with the best and most in-sync choreography though there are other groups that are also excellent, including VERIVERY, THE BOYZ and Golden Child. (I didn’t include girl groups here because I’m not as familiar with their choreography.)

“Middle of the Night” by Monsta X – example of an all-English song off their all-English album All About Luv

“Highway to Heaven” by NCT 127 – my favorite NCT 127 song and also another example of an all-English song by a K-pop group

“I Need Somebody” and “Zombie” by Day6 – a look at two styles of songs by one of my favorite K-bands. Bassist Young K became one of my favorite vocalists on the strength of his “Why am I alone?” line in “I Need Somebody.” And the lyrics of “Zombie” spoke to a lot of people, and how the MV was shot was really interesting and fit the meaning of the lyrics well.

“Eclipse” by Moon Byul – a member of the girl group MAMAMOO, Moonbyul is also one of the greatest female rappers in K-pop. This MV/song also shows off her vocal and dancing talents. I really like her style and vibe. 

“Umpah Umpah” and “Psycho” by Red Velvet – These two songs show how girl groups can swing widely in concepts too from the light and fun “Umpah Umpah” to the dark “Psycho.”

“Error” by VIXX – VIXX are the kings of dark concepts, especially some of their earlier work. Once a six-person group, they now only have four and have recently been promoting as three because member N has been busy acting in dramas like Castaway Diva.

“Lucifer” by SHINee – One of the most iconic groups in K-pop and one of their most iconic songs. SHINee is one of my top three groups (along with SF9 and Pentagon). The leader of SHINee, Onew (real name Lee Jinki) is my ult bias. His voice is phenomenal. Be sure to watch his performances of  “Nessun Dorma” and “Rainy Blue.” I literally get chills every time I watch that “Nessun Dorma” performance. And you’ll see Onew shed a tear during “Rainy Blue.” This was probably due to a combination of it being an emotional song and the fact that this was his first solo performance after undergoing vocal chord surgery.

“Good Evening” by SHINee – This song is off the group’s Story of Light album, the first one released after the passing of Jonghyun, one of their members. The band members and their fans were still deep in grief during this release, but it’s still a wonderful album. You won’t be a K-pop fan long before you hear the phrase “SHINee is five.” It simply means that SHINee will always be five members despite the loss of Jonghyun, who was one of the most gifted songwriters in the industry.

“O Sole Mio” and “Summer Breeze” by SF9 – shows different styles and change over time by my favorite group.

“Turn Back Time” by WayV – Their entire discography is great, but this is an example from the group that is based in China but with a Korean company.

“Sage” by OnlyOneOf – This is an example of what’s called an underrated group. There are so many K-pop groups that it’s hard to keep up with them all and some get lost in the crowd. OnlyOneOf were rookies in 2019 when this song came out. It’s one of my top three songs of that year. Also check out this live performance to see the full effect of the really cool choreography. They have more recently made a name for themselves with their music and videos showing LGBTQ couples in a positive light. This is notable because South Korea is still a very conservative country where it’s extremely difficult to be open about being LGBTQ.

“Sunset” by KNK – This is another underrated group that I love. I own their entire discography. They are also one of the groups that started their own agency and actually went through a member change when one of the original members left due to anxiety and was replaced by a new member. This song has a distinctive fashion runway sort of feel to it. Since it was released, however, two more members have left the group.

“Rose, Scent, Kiss” by Lee Dae Hwi from AB6IX – This was my favorite track on the 5NALLY album AB6IX did that was comprised of solo songs by all five members. Dae Hwi is a former member of limited-term group Wanna One, and he has such a unique voice and style that I just love.

“Wing” by Park Ji Hoon – Another member of Wanna One whose solo work I really like. He has such gorgeous use of color in his MVs. Ji Hoon and I also share a birthday. He also is a good actor. Check him out in the K-dramas Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency and Weak Class Hero 1. The latter is about school bullying and very violent, but also very good.

“Waves” by Kang Daniel, featuring Jamie and Simon Dominic – Yet another former member of Wanna One. This is a great example of a collaboration with other artists.

I could suggest so many other songs by a wide variety of artists, but this will get you started and by watching the MVs on YouTube, you’ll start getting suggestions for other songs you might enjoy. And I’m always here for K-pop-related questions if you have them. Also, follow me on Twitter @TrishMilburn for my latest recommendations and fangirling.

One extra tip: A great place to learn more about the members of a specific group is Kprofiles.com. I use this site all the time.