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Can’t follow the music playing at your house? Listen carefully and you might find that it’s Korean lyrics that are being belted out. Welcome to the K-pop craze that’s taking over kids in Hong Kong!
If you have never ridden the Hallyu wave, you probably can’t quite understand its popularity. Korean everything seems to be taking over Hong Kong – from Korean food to Korean beauty, drama, hair, clothes and of course, Korean music or K-pop. Kids in Hong Kong (and all over the world!) can’t seem to get enough of K-pop! Did you know that 19 of the 20 highest-selling music albums last year were K-pop ones? It’s time you tune into what your kids are listening to.
Read More: Top Kids’ Music Schools For Guitar Classes, Singing Lessons And More In Hong Kong
What Makes K-Pop So Popular With Kids?
This is an easy one! It wasn’t so long ago when Psy had all of us galloping to Oppa Gangnam Style! There’s something remarkably catchy about Korean music, with its emphasis on rhythmic beats and choreographed dances. The lyrics too have a smattering of English – just enough for non-Korean speakers to be able to catch on to a few words and sing along.
The other reason for K-pop’s popularity has been the clever usage of social media by the bands, their members and agencies. The K-pop idols appear to be within reach of their fans (stans) and respond with personal and heartfelt messages, announce their albums on social media, build up audience anticipation, do simultaneous releases on YouTube and then allow fans to take over and give the songs a life of their own.
Read More: “I feel nagged 24/7 by Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube – it feels like it takes control of my brain.”
Should I Be Worried About The K-Pop Influence On My Kids?
K-pop songs rarely have explicit lyrics and unlike what our parents had to go through with our musical choices growing up, you usually don’t have to worry about the influence of drugs, sex and rock n’ roll with K-pop. You will have to keep a watchful eye though for unrealistic beauty standards and unhealthy body image issues, in case that starts affecting your children. K-pop follows a careful formula – each group has the oldest member who has the cultivated, responsible image, the youngest who’s always the cutest, the lead singer, the lead dancer and the lead “visual” or someone who is considered the most attractive. Band members can rarely deviate from their assigned roles, they have to watch their body weight and their public persona at all times, and can appear to be quite plastic-y and “delulu” (fun fact: this popular urban slang term was actually coined in K-popdom!).
If your child is enamoured by K-pop, there might be ambitions to join the K-pop industry. Children need to reminded that behind the glamour is usually years of hard work, training and sacrifice. Children keen to join the K-pop world (or those being pushed into it) start auditions as young as 10 years and sometimes go through years of auditioning and training before getting picked by an agency.
Does the hold of K-pop last for a long time? I’m no social researcher but I have done my own rudimentary research (with my own kids, their friends and classmates). The K-pop craze lasts for 3 to 4 years, after which kids lose the taste for the sameness of the music. Having said that, K-pop has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to reaching new audiences so you could expect new and exciting trends from this musical genre.
Read More: Beyond “Beautiful” – 3 Practical Ways To Start Meaningful Conversations About Body Image
Get To Know The K-Pop Bands That Your Kids Love
If your kids are too young to own their own devices, you’re probably used to the commands of “Alexa! Play BTS/BLACKPINK/SEVENTEEN!”. The next time that happens, why don’t you surprise your kids by crooning along or dropping names or interesting trivia? You’ll see yourself shoot up in your child’s eyes!
BTS
Bangtan Sonyeondan, also known as the Bangtan Boys, or BTS, was formed way back in 2010. They have become legendary and their popularity doesn’t show any signs of waning. The band consists of seven members – J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Suga, and V.
Popular songs: Spring Day; Dynamite; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Butter
Trivia: The BTS fan base is called ARMY, short for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. As per some records, if all the BTS fans were put together, it would be enough to make 13 armies!
The oldest member of BTS, Jin, has been officially discharged from the military and will reportedly carry the torch for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
BTS members Jimin and Jungkook will feature in a new travel variety show, Are You Sure, that will air next month on Disney+.
BLACKPINK
This all-girl K-Pop band comproses Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa. BLACKPINK was the first K-pop group to reach 1 billion views on YouTube for their music video “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du”.
Popular songs: Ddu-Du Ddu-Du; Boombayah; Lovesick Girls
Trivia: This K-pop group’s fan name is Blink.
BLACKPINK’s Lisa (who’s originally from Thailand) is rocking the global charts currently with her solo debut ROCKSTAR.
BLACKPINK became the first female K-pop group to perform at Coachella in 2019 and the first K-pop band to headline the festival in 2023.
Seventeen
How many members does this K-pop band have? Don’t fall for your child’s trick questions – this popular K-pop group has 13 members. And did you know that theirs was the highest selling album of 2023? Seventeen’s album FML sold 6.4 million copies globally last year, a million more than the second highest selling album.
Popular songs: Super; Don’t Wanna Cry
Trivia: Seventeen’s fan group name is Carat.
Last week, Seventeen became the first K-pop group to perform at Glastonbury Festival.
Also last week, Seventeen was named UNESCO’s first-ever Goodwill Youth Ambassador and the K-pop band has pledged a $1 million USD grant for youth projects around the world.
NCT
NCT stands for Neo Culture Technology and this group has (hold your breath!) 26 members! Why such an unwieldy number? Because they are divided into six different sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, NCT DoJaeJung and NCT Wish. NCT is known as K-pop’s “most experimental boy band“.
Popular songs: Boss; Baby Don’t Stop; Without You
Trivia: The fan group of NCT is called NCTzen (pronounced N-citizen).
Stray Kids
This 8-member boy band is known to produce and write their own music. The K-pop group is very popular with tweens with their empowering and relatable songs.
Popular songs: Christmas Evel; Maniac; Miroh
Trivia: The fan name for Stray Kids is Stay.
The band recently crossed 30 million followers on Instagram, making them the third-most popular K-pop band on the platform.
Their latest mini-album “ATE” will release on Friday, 19 July 2024.
Itzy
This 5-member girl K-pop group is fast gaining popularity. They are known as a “teen crush” group because they are so young and cute!
Popular songs: Wannabe; Born to be; Not shy
Trivia: The official fan name is Midzy.
Launched in 2019, they reached soaring heights that year and were named “monster rookies”.
Other Notable K-Pop Bands That Kids Love
- Aespa – New hyperpop K-pop band.
- New Jeans – Very popular and trending these days. Known for their girl-next-door styling and musical style that reminds us of the 90s.
- EXO – K-pop band that performs in Korean, Mandarin and Japanese.
- TXT – Tomorrow X Together debuted in 2019 and is often known as a young BTS.
Read More: 24 Urban Slang Words Every Mama Should Know In 2024
