Reference no: EM133761948

Assignment:

Add the comments on the post of your group member. Following is the post of one of the group member.

"When assessing whether or not a group is a K-pop group, I think that it is important to note that the general definition of that has changed in recent years. For example, as has been seen with BLACKSWAN, there are now K-pop groups that do not contain any members of Korean nationality. Because of this, I think it is important to make the distinction that there can be an all-Korean pop group that is not a K-pop group, and at the same time, we can have an all non-Korean pop group that IS a K-pop group. This stems from the fact that K-pop groups have transcended their literal definition, and have rather become a distinct label for groups that follow a strict pattern of themes involving various musical elements such as music style, production processes, and visual aesthetics. K-pop groups have a very strict adherence to these themes that I think defines them.

Firstly, K-pop as a whole is a unique genre of music, defined by a fusion of many contrasting established genres such as pop, hip-hop, rap, and R&B. Rather than producing music that can be defined by any of these categories, it takes elements from each and makes it something new and unique. Additionally, K-pop groups tend to stray from norms seen with traditional music groups. For example, it is not uncommon for individuals in a K-pop group to be completely absent from one song, and then others be completely absent from others. Moreover, in K-pop groups it is not uncommon for songs on an album to be heavily influenced by completely contrasting genres, such as one song being rap and another being pop.

Secondly, when looking at the K-pop production and training process, it is something that is completely unique from any other music groups. In the K-pop industry, it is well known that groups can undergo years of stringent training, and still not even ever be revealed to the world. Additionally, it is almost unheard of for other groups to go through so much accessory training such as learning foreign languages and dancing, as it is typically the vocals/singing that is the focus. However, with K-pop the image is extremely important and everything has to be perfectly defined in a group, demonstrating their uniqueness.

Last, the visual aesthetics of K-pop groups are extremely defining and unique to them. Whereas other groups may follow trends or themes in their styles, K-pop groups place a heavy focus on it.

Therefore, I think it should be understood that being a K-pop group now relies very little on the nationalities of the members it contains, but rather the image and sound that they produce. For example, revisiting the example of BLACKSWAN, we can understand that although they now contain no members of Korean nationality, they still produce the same sound, they still produce the same image, and they have undergone the same strict training that we associate with becoming an idol. That is why I think it is important to update the definition of a K-pop group to focus more on the genre itself and the image that is expected, rather than the members that make that happen."