The world of k-pop is made up of some concepts that are not normally used in the universe of western pop music, such as fanchants, photocards, lightsticks, dance practices, and much more.
Over the years, these particularities have become some of the main characteristics of South Korean pop music — but anyone who thinks that the rhythm came from them is wrong. Many ended up appearing over time, thanks to the idols and groups themselves.
Thinking about it, Recreio prepared an incredible list with the creators of some of the most popular concepts within k-pop. Check out!
1. Light stick
Within k-pop, each group or soloist has their own lightstick, which have varying sizes and designs, being responsible for lighting up shows and making artists find their fans more easily at festivals, awards or other events.
The first lightstick in Korean pop music history was created by G-Dragon, leader of BIGBANG, and is known as “Bangbong”. The item is shaped like a yellow crown, with the design developed by the idol himself.
2. Photocards
Nowadays, photocards are extremely popular within k-pop. Small cards with photos of their favorite idols can be provided by groups on different occasions: inside albums, in Summer Diaries, on special DVDs, along with lightsticks, or even being distributed at some events.
The trend that has become so beloved by fans emerged in the year 2010, thanks to Girls’ Generation, a girl group from SM Entertainment, who decided to include in their album “Oh!” cards with the members’ images accompanied by autographs and small messages, as a way to attract the public’s attention so that they would buy more physical records. The practice was so successful that nowadays it is practically impossible to find a group or soloist that does not have their own photocards.
3. Fanchants
Responsible for completing the presentation, fanchants are the famous phrases that fans shout during the music of their favorite artist to make the performance even more complete, also mentioning the name of each member of the group.
This practice has been present in K-pop since the first generation, appearing in 1998 thanks to the girl group Fin.KL, who had a resounding success with the song “To My Boyfriend”.
4. Dance Practice
Choreographies are a highlight of K-pop, and to help us learn them fully, dance practice videos are essential. One of the pioneers in this regard was SHINee, who released one of the first known dance practices in k-pop history. The video in question was for her debut song “Replay”, released in 2008.
5. Colored hair in comebacks
These days, if we see our favorite idols with a new hair color or a new cut, we’re quick to assume there’s a comeback coming — and we’re usually right. That is why, often, artists tend to hide their locks when they are in public so as not to spoil a possible comeback.
Who started this practice was also the G-Dragonfrom BIGBANG, who is considered the first idol to use more colorful tones in his hair, as well as present more radical looks in his comebacks.
Source: Recreio
