5 K-pop idols who started major trends

K-pop emerged in the 1990s and has since undergone several changes, transformations and additions. Among these are the trends followed by groups and soloists, which emerged through the pioneering work of other artists in the genre, such as dance practice videos or the inclusion of members of different nationalities in the same formation, for example.

With these cases in mind, RECREIO has put together a list of 5 K-pop idols who created trends that are still followed today in the South Korean music industry. Check it out:

1. Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taemin (SHINee)

Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taeminfrom SHINee, were responsible for popularizing dance practice, which are nothing more than videos where idols appear in the practice rooms of the agencies that manage their careers, rehearsing the choreography of some new release.

In the case of the group, they released the first dance practice in the history of k-pop with ‘Lucifer’, from the eponymous album released in 2010. The video was published on August 3 of the same year the album was released, and today has almost 30 million views.

2. Good

Dubbed the “Queen of K-pop”, Good debuted with the release of the album “ID; Peace B”, on August 25, 2000, by SM Entertainment, months before her 14th birthday. She was the first Korean artist to break into the Japanese market with the release of her first Japanese album, “Listen To My Heart”, in 2002, as it became the first album by a Korean artist to sell over one million copies in Japan.

With her success in the Land of the Rising Sun, it didn’t take long for her to expand her reach to other countries, as with the release of “Every Heart,” a song that became one of the most well-known themes of the anime “Inuyasha,” and other tracks that were part of the soundtracks of Japanese animations, the artist gained international fans all over the world.

She, who is considered one of the greatest artists in Asia, became the first Korean artist to enter the main album chart of the United States Billboard, the Billboard 200, and due to her many pioneering achievements, she is considered one of the leaders of Hallyu – the Korean wave responsible for taking South Korean culture to the rest of the world.

3. Hangeng (Super Junior)

Han Gengfrom Super Junior, was the first foreigner to debut in the K-pop industry. He was born in Mudanjiang, China, and allowed subsequent lineups to include members of other nationalities, such as Chinese Laywho is part of EXO, the Thai BamBamin GOT7, the Taiwanese Tzuyufrom TWICE, the Brazilian Readwho was once part of BLACKSWAN, and many others.

4. Chaeyeon (DIA/IOI)

Chaeyeon was the first idol to star in the final moment of a K-pop performance called the “ending fairy”, where the camera focuses on the face of one of the artists on stage as they strike different poses. This happened while the idol was part of IOI, during a group performance of Girls’ Generation’s “Into The New World”; remember!

5. Solar (MAMAMOO)

Created by Dingo, Killing Verse is a segment on the channel where rappers can sing live a selection of some of their best hits. Due to the quality of the segment, Solarfrom MAMAMOO, was invited to participate in a special with the group, but the request was denied, as only rap singers were chosen to demonstrate their skills in real time.

Still, the request led to the creation of Killing Voice, where MAMAMOO was the first participating group in 2020, opening doors for performances by groups such as EXO, TWICE, Red Velvet, ATEEZ, SEVENTEEN, and many others over the past four years.