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History of Korean idols
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History of Korean idols
Korean idol groups began to appear in the early 20th century. Its earliest examples came in the form of vocal groups that both sang and danced. The most notable early example is the Jeogori Sisters, who debuted in 1939.
In the 1930s through the 1950s, the earliest mainstream Korean idols consisted of vocal groups that sang and performed at the same time. One of the first girl groups was the Jeogori Sisters, who debuted around 1939, while one of the first boy groups to debut was the Arirang Boys. The first idols to go abroad were The Kim Sisters, a three-member girl group that performed in the U.S. and South Korea from the 1950s to the 1970s. With the success of The Kim Sisters, a number of "sisters-type" girl bands started to rise in popularity, including the Silver Bell Sisters (1954), Hyun Sisters (mid-1950s), Jung Sisters (mid-1950s), Lee Sisters (1962), Lily Sisters (1969), Bunny Girls (1971), and National Treasure Sisters (1981). However, these groups differed from the concept of idol groups associated with the Korean Wave and K-pop.
In the mid-to-late 1980s, independent music that was founded in the newly introduced genres of disco, soul, and funk began to rise in popularity. The debuts of Sobangcha and Setorae in the 1980s is now considered to be the beginning of the current trend in boy and girl groups respectively. Korean dance singers and groups held performances based on Western dance music which combined exciting music and fancy dances, with the most prominent representatives of the movement being Sobangcha, Setorae, Kim Wan-sun, and Nami.
In the early 1990s, songs started to combine repeated rhythms of electronic dance music such as house, techno, and trance with a melody that gives a trot-like feeling. In addition, simple rap due to the influence of American hip hop was especially popular among teenagers. This musical composition is called "new generation dance music" and has been adopted by current idol music. These younger generations were exposed to new musical influences as they began to find and listen to foreign music that had not yet been introduced to Korea. Seo Taiji and Boys, who debuted in 1992, is often credited with this transformation of the K-pop genre, popularizing these western influences such as hip hop while targeting a younger audience.
In the 1990s, the South Korean government introduced state cultural policies to promote the industrialization and internationalization of Korean pop culture. In this context, an idol-training model began developing in the South Korean entertainment industry.
In 1989, contemporary agency-fostering idol company SM Entertainment was founded, and in 1992, SM Entertainment put forward Hyun Jin-young, who was well-known as a "dancer", to debut as its first singer. However, in 1993, the company suffered financial difficulties when Hyun was discovered to be taking methamphetamine. As such, they attempted to establish a new training system for singers in which teenagers were selected through auditions to practice singing and dancing before eventually debuting as singers. The company then recouped the capital they invested during their debuts through record sales and performance activities. H.O.T. was the first group under this system to be presented by SM Entertainment.
The first-generation idol groups are usually groups of approximately five people, each of whom divided their roles into lead vocal, sub-vocal, dancer, and rapper. While singing on stage, their synchronous choreography, known as "group dance," was more sophisticated compared to previous dance music, but at the same time included "point choreography" that teenagers could easily imitate. Musical performances were done only for two or three songs in the album—the title song and follow-up song—and these songs were produced with music videos that showed each member's characteristics. After several months of performing, the singers took a break and resumed their career with their next album. This system became the basis for the second and third-generation idols.
The first-generation idol groups were mostly formed by SM Entertainment, which had a focus on mysterious images, and DSP Media, which had a focus on realistic images. The two were known to have a rivalry with each other. Boy groups such as SM's H.O.T. and DSP's Sechs Kies arose, both of which made their debuts with songs about social criticism and became popular for their rhythmical dance music. Shinhwa maintained the group's identity with their masculine visual appeal and strong audience reception, while g.o.d built a friendly image by appearing on entertainment shows and producing songs that many generations could relate to. Meanwhile, girl groups such as SM's S.E.S. and DSP's Fin.K.L. maintained a cute and pure girl image for the band. Later, S.E.S displayed a mysterious image, and Fin.K.L displayed a friendly image for the band members. Baby V.O.X and Diva had become popular for their strong female image as well.
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History of Korean idols
Korean idol groups began to appear in the early 20th century. Its earliest examples came in the form of vocal groups that both sang and danced. The most notable early example is the Jeogori Sisters, who debuted in 1939.
In the 1930s through the 1950s, the earliest mainstream Korean idols consisted of vocal groups that sang and performed at the same time. One of the first girl groups was the Jeogori Sisters, who debuted around 1939, while one of the first boy groups to debut was the Arirang Boys. The first idols to go abroad were The Kim Sisters, a three-member girl group that performed in the U.S. and South Korea from the 1950s to the 1970s. With the success of The Kim Sisters, a number of "sisters-type" girl bands started to rise in popularity, including the Silver Bell Sisters (1954), Hyun Sisters (mid-1950s), Jung Sisters (mid-1950s), Lee Sisters (1962), Lily Sisters (1969), Bunny Girls (1971), and National Treasure Sisters (1981). However, these groups differed from the concept of idol groups associated with the Korean Wave and K-pop.
In the mid-to-late 1980s, independent music that was founded in the newly introduced genres of disco, soul, and funk began to rise in popularity. The debuts of Sobangcha and Setorae in the 1980s is now considered to be the beginning of the current trend in boy and girl groups respectively. Korean dance singers and groups held performances based on Western dance music which combined exciting music and fancy dances, with the most prominent representatives of the movement being Sobangcha, Setorae, Kim Wan-sun, and Nami.
In the early 1990s, songs started to combine repeated rhythms of electronic dance music such as house, techno, and trance with a melody that gives a trot-like feeling. In addition, simple rap due to the influence of American hip hop was especially popular among teenagers. This musical composition is called "new generation dance music" and has been adopted by current idol music. These younger generations were exposed to new musical influences as they began to find and listen to foreign music that had not yet been introduced to Korea. Seo Taiji and Boys, who debuted in 1992, is often credited with this transformation of the K-pop genre, popularizing these western influences such as hip hop while targeting a younger audience.
In the 1990s, the South Korean government introduced state cultural policies to promote the industrialization and internationalization of Korean pop culture. In this context, an idol-training model began developing in the South Korean entertainment industry.
In 1989, contemporary agency-fostering idol company SM Entertainment was founded, and in 1992, SM Entertainment put forward Hyun Jin-young, who was well-known as a "dancer", to debut as its first singer. However, in 1993, the company suffered financial difficulties when Hyun was discovered to be taking methamphetamine. As such, they attempted to establish a new training system for singers in which teenagers were selected through auditions to practice singing and dancing before eventually debuting as singers. The company then recouped the capital they invested during their debuts through record sales and performance activities. H.O.T. was the first group under this system to be presented by SM Entertainment.
The first-generation idol groups are usually groups of approximately five people, each of whom divided their roles into lead vocal, sub-vocal, dancer, and rapper. While singing on stage, their synchronous choreography, known as "group dance," was more sophisticated compared to previous dance music, but at the same time included "point choreography" that teenagers could easily imitate. Musical performances were done only for two or three songs in the album—the title song and follow-up song—and these songs were produced with music videos that showed each member's characteristics. After several months of performing, the singers took a break and resumed their career with their next album. This system became the basis for the second and third-generation idols.
The first-generation idol groups were mostly formed by SM Entertainment, which had a focus on mysterious images, and DSP Media, which had a focus on realistic images. The two were known to have a rivalry with each other. Boy groups such as SM's H.O.T. and DSP's Sechs Kies arose, both of which made their debuts with songs about social criticism and became popular for their rhythmical dance music. Shinhwa maintained the group's identity with their masculine visual appeal and strong audience reception, while g.o.d built a friendly image by appearing on entertainment shows and producing songs that many generations could relate to. Meanwhile, girl groups such as SM's S.E.S. and DSP's Fin.K.L. maintained a cute and pure girl image for the band. Later, S.E.S displayed a mysterious image, and Fin.K.L displayed a friendly image for the band members. Baby V.O.X and Diva had become popular for their strong female image as well.