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'Seo Taiji and Boys' - The South Korean band was the first of their kind, in 1992. Their first three albums sold more than 1.6 million copies each.
© Youtube
0 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - From 1995 onwards, talent agencies in South Korea started investing and promoting girl and boy bands.
© Getty Images
1 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - The K-pop industry is incredibly lucrative as well as demanding, and up to half a million dollars can be spent investing in new talent.
© Getty Images
2 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - The agencies give future stars voice training, teach them professional choreography, and get them personal trainers to get them into shape, as well as teaching them various different languages.
© Getty Images
3 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - K-pop is gaining a wider audiences in markets outside of Asia, like the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and other Latin American countries.
© Getty Images
4 / 25 Fotos
Fans - Fans of K-pop are something else, they follow bands as if they were actual religions, becoming almost fanatical.
© Getty Images
5 / 25 Fotos
Fans - Each fan club is identified by a different colour in order to not confuse each other, and the fans actively participate in the professional life of their idols.
© Getty Images
6 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - One of the principal characteristics is the clothing style, which aims to attract attention through its authenticity.
© Getty Images
7 / 25 Fotos
Women's fashion - Many are fans of street style, an urban trend that includes a lot of colours, boots, clashing patterns, sneakers, jackets, caps and hats, creating a number of different combinations.
© Getty Images
8 / 25 Fotos
Women's fashion - There are also the Girlies, a cute style that incorporates floral patterns, candy colours, collared shirts, knitwear, round skirts, dresses, bows and bibs.
© Getty Images
9 / 25 Fotos
Men's fashion - Koreans usually aren't very tall, and tend to be slimmer, and because of this tend to use tightly fitted outfits, rather than looser, bigger clothes.
© Getty Images
10 / 25 Fotos
Men's fashion - The 'Casual Dandy' is a style that usually uses coats, blazers, cardigans and oxfords. The trousers are usually looser, fitting tight around the ankles and calves with a low crotch.
© Getty Images
11 / 25 Fotos
Men's fashion - There are also those who enjoy a more casual style including jackets, mesh shirts, jeans, sneakers, caps and sometimes baseball jackets.
© Getty Images
12 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - Another peculiarity of the K-pop world is when the band members all dress in coordinated outfits, generally with the same clothes and accessories.
© Getty Images
13 / 25 Fotos
Music - K-pop tends to be dance music, with catchy beats and choreography that would make anyone want to dance.
© Getty Images
14 / 25 Fotos
Spectacular shows - Their concerts and music videos are always full of surprises, complicated choreography, resulting in an impressive visual show.
© Getty Images
15 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - Some groups look like famous anime characters, with coloured hair, make up and stylised clothes.
© Getty Images
16 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - Other trends include leather, animal prints and doll-like make up.
© Getty Images
17 / 25 Fotos
International recognition - The pop scene in South Korea is becoming more and more well known all over the world, with artists winning awards and topping the music charts.
© Getty Images
18 / 25 Fotos
Psy - The rapper has been one of the most famous internationally recognised artists from the K-pop scene, with his massive hit 'Gangham Style', and its fun music video.
© Getty Images
19 / 25 Fotos
BoA - She's considered to be the 'Queen of K-pop'. She was the first South Korean artist to release an album in Japanese, popularising K-pop in Japan.
© All Right Reserved
20 / 25 Fotos
G-Dragon - The singer, rapper, composer, music producer, fashion icon and model is well known on the scene.
© Getty Images
21 / 25 Fotos
G-Dragon - After seven years as a trainee in the recording studio YG entertainment, G-Dragon became the frontman of the group BIGBANG in 2006.
© Getty Images
22 / 25 Fotos
CL - Lee Chae-rin - The singer has been described as the 'future of K-pop in America', and her first single released in the US 'Lifted' appeared on the Hip-Hop Top 30.
© Getty Images
23 / 25 Fotos
CL - Lee Chae-rin - As a professional model, the singer is seen as an inspiration to all her fans.
© Getty Images
24 / 25 Fotos
'Seo Taiji and Boys' - The South Korean band was the first of their kind, in 1992. Their first three albums sold more than 1.6 million copies each.
© Youtube
0 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - From 1995 onwards, talent agencies in South Korea started investing and promoting girl and boy bands.
© Getty Images
1 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - The K-pop industry is incredibly lucrative as well as demanding, and up to half a million dollars can be spent investing in new talent.
© Getty Images
2 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - The agencies give future stars voice training, teach them professional choreography, and get them personal trainers to get them into shape, as well as teaching them various different languages.
© Getty Images
3 / 25 Fotos
From Korea to the world - K-pop is gaining a wider audiences in markets outside of Asia, like the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and other Latin American countries.
© Getty Images
4 / 25 Fotos
Fans - Fans of K-pop are something else, they follow bands as if they were actual religions, becoming almost fanatical.
© Getty Images
5 / 25 Fotos
Fans - Each fan club is identified by a different colour in order to not confuse each other, and the fans actively participate in the professional life of their idols.
© Getty Images
6 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - One of the principal characteristics is the clothing style, which aims to attract attention through its authenticity.
© Getty Images
7 / 25 Fotos
Women's fashion - Many are fans of street style, an urban trend that includes a lot of colours, boots, clashing patterns, sneakers, jackets, caps and hats, creating a number of different combinations.
© Getty Images
8 / 25 Fotos
Women's fashion - There are also the Girlies, a cute style that incorporates floral patterns, candy colours, collared shirts, knitwear, round skirts, dresses, bows and bibs.
© Getty Images
9 / 25 Fotos
Men's fashion - Koreans usually aren't very tall, and tend to be slimmer, and because of this tend to use tightly fitted outfits, rather than looser, bigger clothes.
© Getty Images
10 / 25 Fotos
Men's fashion - The 'Casual Dandy' is a style that usually uses coats, blazers, cardigans and oxfords. The trousers are usually looser, fitting tight around the ankles and calves with a low crotch.
© Getty Images
11 / 25 Fotos
Men's fashion - There are also those who enjoy a more casual style including jackets, mesh shirts, jeans, sneakers, caps and sometimes baseball jackets.
© Getty Images
12 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - Another peculiarity of the K-pop world is when the band members all dress in coordinated outfits, generally with the same clothes and accessories.
© Getty Images
13 / 25 Fotos
Music - K-pop tends to be dance music, with catchy beats and choreography that would make anyone want to dance.
© Getty Images
14 / 25 Fotos
Spectacular shows - Their concerts and music videos are always full of surprises, complicated choreography, resulting in an impressive visual show.
© Getty Images
15 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - Some groups look like famous anime characters, with coloured hair, make up and stylised clothes.
© Getty Images
16 / 25 Fotos
K-pop style - Other trends include leather, animal prints and doll-like make up.
© Getty Images
17 / 25 Fotos
International recognition - The pop scene in South Korea is becoming more and more well known all over the world, with artists winning awards and topping the music charts.
© Getty Images
18 / 25 Fotos
Psy - The rapper has been one of the most famous internationally recognised artists from the K-pop scene, with his massive hit 'Gangham Style', and its fun music video.
© Getty Images
19 / 25 Fotos
BoA - She's considered to be the 'Queen of K-pop'. She was the first South Korean artist to release an album in Japanese, popularising K-pop in Japan.
© All Right Reserved
20 / 25 Fotos
G-Dragon - The singer, rapper, composer, music producer, fashion icon and model is well known on the scene.
© Getty Images
21 / 25 Fotos
G-Dragon - After seven years as a trainee in the recording studio YG entertainment, G-Dragon became the frontman of the group BIGBANG in 2006.
© Getty Images
22 / 25 Fotos
CL - Lee Chae-rin - The singer has been described as the 'future of K-pop in America', and her first single released in the US 'Lifted' appeared on the Hip-Hop Top 30.
© Getty Images
23 / 25 Fotos
CL - Lee Chae-rin - As a professional model, the singer is seen as an inspiration to all her fans.
© Getty Images
24 / 25 Fotos
K-pop: taking over the world
Check out the trends from the South Korean scene which are appearing all over the world
© Getty Images
K-pop is well known for its mixture of western music combined with the aesthetics of asian performance. Now the name is applied to most pop music in South Korea, with many considering the genre to be all inclusive, encompassing a vast spectrum of musical and visual elements. A good way to describe it could be as 'a fusion between synthesised music and dance routines, with colourful and fashionable clothes'.
Apart from this, K-pop is massively influenced by the trends in Asia, where fashion is created by pop idols and followed by their young audience. Some artists have established themselves as icons of fashion in a world still preoccupied with strict social norms, such as skin whitening, which has been popularised by the industry. This same industry has been the target of significant criticism in terms of its restrictive understanding of beauty.
Learn more about the genre which started in South Korea in the 90s, and is now spreading all over the world.
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