Their names dominate the trends on a regular basis. His music has settled in the West, especially in the United States and Latin America. Some can already boast of strengthening collaborations with figures such as Coldplay, Lady Gaga o Dua Lipa. The move and the history of k-pop has gained a lot of ground on the international scene.
The success of this move it did not come by chance. His staging is so striking that it borders on perfection. As singers and dancers, the execution is top notch. And within all that, the talent is undeniable, but also there is a severe dose of discipline and preparation that some define almost as military.
Yeah, k-pop rose to the top. but at what cost does it do it? What is behind all this? Here, we review how the controversial and successful Korean pop machine works.
The history of k-pop and the dark side of its success
K-pop bands and ‘idols’
The music industry and the top executives who run it have their tricks. It is no secret to anyone that certain artists, from a very early age, must detach themselves from their common life to become superstars, as happened with Justin Bieber, Lorde or for example, several of the Disney litter such as Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato o Miley Cyrus.
But these pop figures maintain some control over their personal lives through it all. And so, it does not happen with several of the known exponents in the history of k-pop. We know the latter more for forming youth groups almost in the style of boy-bands o girl-bands American and British, but with a more defined concept in aesthetics and music.
We see k-pop bands with extravagant outfits, colorful videos, doing impressive choreography. There are groups that divide their duties between singing, rapping or accompanying voices. Its functions per member are well defined. Bands like BTS, Twice, Blackpink, BigBang o Super Junior they also try to give a good image, far from scandal.
The calls ‘idols’ -artists trained in singing, dancing, modeling and other areas- of South Korean pop they have a prestige that they must take care of almost tooth and nail. Hence, that term referring to idolatry with which they are known.
And as regularly happens with youth gangs, behind them there is an important machinery that moves to take them to the top… But with quite exhaustive training regimens that take place in academies, an essential part of the history of k-pop.
Academies and entertainment companies in the history of k-pop
To fully understand the history of k-pop and its success, you have to know that behind its artists there are entertainment companies that make up the bands. Some of the best known companies are YG, JYP et al SM Entertainmentthe latter known as one of the pioneers in the field.
And in case you were wondering: yes, this artistic business model is not exactly new Well, only SM has been producing artists since the late 80s. In this sense, some experts mention the importance of holding the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul as a factor of public attraction and economic power.
Just one year after the sporting event, SM Enterteinment founded by the excantante Lee Soo-man (remember his name from now on) began operations and would be in charge of leading the so-called ‘Korean Wave’.
These companies establish gyms for ‘idols’ in Korea -recently some have gone international- to channel talent through massive auditions. Most of the boys and girls who go to the castings are young people who are in their preteens or even younger ages. From time to time, some foreigners also try their luck.
Forming a band is a daunting task due to the number of people who audition. In an article from the BBC of 2020, the british youtuber of south korean origin Euodias He talked about his experience on how he tried to get into an idol academy, in an audition that had up to 2000 candidates looking for a place.
Another article of LA Timesmentions that the competitiveness rate is a single chosen for every 700 applicants.You progress through the selection phases until you finally get a place in an academy as an apprentice or ‘trainee’… and that’s where what we might call ‘the hunger games’ begins.
The youtuber says that a contract is signed with the entertainment company and these regularly force the applicant, wherever you are from, go to live in Seoul, where these schools are located.Contracts vary and on average, range from 2 to 10 years. More if the candidate sees potential.
Once inside, the dynamic is similar to that of a military school -according to various testimonies- in the aspect of discipline, training times, physical conditioning and talent, among other things. The story of the dark side of k-pop does not end there.
The controversy of the ‘idols’ academies
As a result of the popularization of k-pop, several former candidates and some more who have already gone through fame have given testimonies of the strict regimen that academies and their instructors exercise on potential idols. In the case of Euodias, she mentions that in the building where she stayed there were people from nine to 16 years old, separated between men and women.
The most talented, says the youtuber, made up the ‘Team A’ and were small groups of candidates. ‘Team B’ had up to 200 and from time to time, someone would be promoted to the main team. She mentions that dance and singing training started at 4:00 AM to then go to school for conventional academic activities at about 8:00 AM.
After returning from school to the academy, the training continued and lasted until 11:00 PM. Going out or visiting is basically prohibited even on holidays, or there was little patronizing. So more or less the routine of an aspiring idol than average, spend up to 10 years training for the next big band.
If that already sounds like almost military-style training, The most controversial thing is the issue of the good image. Romantic relationships have no place for an idol candidate. A scandal, to say love, is an unforgivable sin in every way. It is said that some academies, even exclude candidates from the LGBT+ community.
The issue of ideal weight and height is what most obsesses applicants. Just to give you an idea, it is said that one of the statutes of the academies is that their candidates do not weigh more than 47 kilos or otherwise, a strict diet is implemented -even fasting- to reach the ideal weight.
And not only that: if necessary, the academy in question pays for cosmetic surgeries so that their scholars are more attractive. And if you want to withdraw from the academy, you must pay a large sum of money corresponding to everything that the entertainment company invested in you.
The culture of fear of failure is latent from a very early age. “It’s hard not to think about failure… They say that at 17 you have a 50% chance of becoming an apprentice. I’m already 19, so my chances are slim.”talked to The Guardian Kevin Lee, a BTS backup dancer.
And in the end, out of hundreds or even thousands of trainees and aspirants, only a few remain who are the ones we see succeed in the industry. And the others? Thus continues the history of k-pop, its academies and the culture of fear of failure.
The culture of fear of failure and its implications
It doesn’t matter if they fell by the wayside or if they made it to one of the big bands; the traumatic experiences under the regime of the idol academies, as part of the history of k-pop, they have left terrible consequences everywhere.
In his Netflix documentary Light Up The Sky, Blackpink members they openly talk about how complicated their 14-hour workout was with only one rest day every two weeks. Another recurring theme is that it takes years for k-pop stars to earn money or establish fortunes due to their predatory contracts.
In the worst case, it comes to the subject of suicide. One of the most notorious is that of Kim Jong-hyun, SHINe member passed away in 2017, reportedly after speaking out about the pressures of success. Some even attribute that after this unfortunate death, the controversial industry that manages k-pop began to be seen more thoroughly.
You can also read: CHA-LE: NORTH KOREA EXECUTES PEOPLE FOR CONSUMPTING OR DISTRIBUTING K-POP
CT: The ‘Cultural Technology’ Handbook
Believe it or not, k-pop works based on a manual. Do you remember that we told you that you will remember the name of Lee Soo-man? Well, the man who founded SM Entertainment is the one who is credited with the concept and creation of the SM Entertainment manual. ‘culture technology’ (CT) with which South Korean pop and the so-called ‘Korean Wave’ start their machinery in motion in the world.
“The information technology era dominated the 1990s. I predicted that the era of cultural technology would come next.”Soo-man said in an interview with The New Yorker.
It is an elaborate process that was established in 1998 and as such, consists of three essential steps: 1. The export of culture, 2. Expansion through the collaboration of local artists and 3. An alliance between companies and therefore between artists from different countries.
This is based on adopting the musical trends of other countries, perfecting them and taking them to the international scene. It is an influenced mirror of the aforementioned 1988 Olympic Games, where the South Korean government showed its ability to organize an event that was historically held in the West.
The newspaper The country exemplifies the operation of the CT manual in the case of Lee Soo-man’s company: “All SM employees must memorize their guidelines: at what point in the process should foreign composers, producers and choreographers be incorporated; what chord progressions to use in each country; which eyeshadow color works best in each region; how the hands should move when greeting according to the culture; or what camera angles to apply for the videos“.
The application of the manual is seen in the fact that k-pop bands usually have a member who knows a different language for when they have to give interviews in different countries. Citing El País again, the correct application of the cultural technology manual allows an artist is sold as if he were a productand what has a significant impact on the global level.
Thanks to this and the good image they usually project, the exponents of k-pop are used as ‘indirect ambassadors’ of South Korea. Although it is not its primary function, some experts mention that the impact of this musical style facilitates the country’s relations with other nations.
A cultural weapon of the industry? sounds dense but this is how the machinery works within the history of k-pop… And it has paid off, but at what cost?
