K-pop | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | late 1980s—1990s, South Korea |
Typical instruments | |
Local scenes | |
Seoul · Incheon · Busan · Jeju | |
Other topics | |
K-pop (abbreviation of Korean pop; Hangul: 케이팝) is a music genre originating in South Korea that is characterized by a wide variety of audiovisual elements. Although it includes all genres of "popular music" within South Korea, the term is often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop music drawing on a range of Western styles and genres, such as Western pop music, rock, jazz, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, electronica, techno, nu metal, folk, country and classical on top of its traditional Korean music roots. The more modern form of the genre emerged with one of the earliest K-pop groups, Seo Taiji and Boys, forming in 1992. Their experimentation with different styles of music and integration of foreign musical elements "reshaped Korea's music scene".
K-pop "idol" culture began with boy band H.O.T. in 1996, as K-pop grew into a subculture that amassed enormous fandoms of teenagers and young adults. After a slump in early K-pop, TVXQ and BoA started a new generation of K-pop idols that broke the music genre into the Japanese market and continue to popularize K-pop internationally today. With the advent of online social networking services, the current global spread of K-pop and Korean entertainment known as the Korean Wave is seen not only in East and Southeast Asia, but also Latin America, India, North Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the Western world.