K-POP Now!. Mark James Russell

formula: recruit potential stars young, then train, train, train them incredibly hard, and put together the most promising recruits in a multi-member (and nearly always unisex) band. Almost everything is done in-house, from production to publicity.

      BIG BANG

      15&

      So that is some history and background about K-pop. But it still leaves the core question unanswered: What is K-pop? There are very few signs of traditional Korean pentatonic music in it, or of Korean traditional instruments. Increasingly, top K-pop labels buy music from international producers (and some K-pop songwriters write for Western acts, too). Detractors, even Korean ones, often accuse K-pop of not being Korean at all. But if you listen to it seriously, there is definitely something different about K-pop that stands out.

      It has certainly changed a great deal from the days of Seo Taiji and H.O.T. Tinny New Jack Swing is long gone, replaced with much more of an electronic dance sound, even dub step on some songs these days, most notably on CL’s “The Baddest Female.” There are still a few tinges of trot here and there, but much less than there once was. A popular trend at the moment is to create songs that almost sound like mash-ups of three or four different songs stuck together at random. Although this mishmash sounds weird to many ears, it’s a hyperactive style that has long been popular in Korean discos, where you often get just minute segments of a song before the deejay quickly moves on to something else. Apparently, even pop songs are not fast enough for the high-speed pace of young Korean people today.

      FANS GATHER TO GLIMPSE THEIR IDOLS

      Perhaps one of the most defining parts of K-pop is simply the language. Korean is a snappy, popping language, full of densely packed, tight syllables. In many ways, it is already halfway to hip-hop. Writing melodies for the Korean language forces the songs to reflect the language, often with more syllables in a line than you’d hear in other languages. And since dance and live performances are such an important part of K-pop, songs are also written with their choreography in mind. The things K-pop sings about are different, too. There is much less storytelling than in Western music and more of a focus on describing a feeling or metaphor. While there is plenty of longing and suggestion, K-pop is usually much less graphic and sexual than Western pop (well, except for JY Park).

      Perhaps most importantly, K-pop is overwhelmingly genuine. It is not a music of cynicism. When a singer loves, he loves completely. When he misses his love, it is a deep, soul-crushing ache. And most of the time, it’s just fun. Sure, it can seem a little silly, even childish, but plenty of people appreciate the opportunity to forget about being cool and have a little fun.

      If you have dreams of becoming a star yourself, there is good news as K-pop has gone global, and so has the search for new talent. And with new stars like 2PM’s Thai-American Nichkhun, Miss A’s Fei and Jia and SM Entertainment’s large and growing line-up of ethnic Chinese stars, K-pop is more open to the world than ever. Even non-Asians are increasingly getting chances at stardom now, with girl group The Gloss featuring Olivia, a French woman, and Nicole Curry appearing on the audition program Kpop Stars 2.

      2PM

      However, it’s still an incredibly tough slog. There are untold thousands, even tens of thousands, of young people fighting with all they’ve got to secure one of the few precious slots that open each year in Korea’s leading music labels to become a young trainee. Of the few that make it, fewer will actually get a shot, and fewer still will make it to the big time. Between that audition and becoming a star, a trainee is in for years of brutally tough training. Not to mention that they had better learn Korean fast and well.

      Step one, of course, is the audition. These days, all the big music labels in K-pop recognize the importance of finding stars, so there are more opportunities than ever to try out for a precious slot. Many, like YG Entertainment, accept online applications any time, inviting the most promising young people to live auditions several times a year. The big labels typically have one or two auditions in the United States each year, and another in Japan, and auditions in Canada, Australia, China and other parts of the world are growing more common, but of course there are more chances in Korea.

      What are the music producers and labels looking for? It’s more than just a great voice. It’s more than just dance moves. It’s more than just a pretty face. Everyone is hungry to find stars—that magical but oh so elusive charisma that inspires fans. And you had better be pretty young. It takes years to create a K-pop star, more than four on average, so the window of opportunity is fairly small.

      BROWN EYED GIRLS

      Once you pass the audition, now the hard work really starts—the training. Expect to face years of arduous work, improving your singing, dancing, languages and, most importantly, how to be a star. Expect long, long days, often going well into the night. Expect to sweat. Often labels expect you to live on-site, at small dormitories close to the main studio with many other aspiring young talents. It can be a fiercely competitive environment. “Cut-throat,” said Jay Park in Spin magazine.

      School, however, is usually optional. Some labels, like JYP, insist their stars do well in school and encourage their talents to get into university. Others, however, leave such decisions up to the individual.

      As for dating, don’t expect much. Both during training and after making their debut, artists are usually too busy to have much time to date. And, generally, music labels don’t want their stars to be tied down. Idols are presented to fans as a kind of virtual boyfriend and girlfriend, so relationships ruin the illusion, not to mention that overly enthusiastic fans have been known to go crazy on girls seen dating their favorite male stars.