Currently, Korean bands have been a success all over the world. The most popular ones at the moment are BTS, EXO, and TWICE. However, the origin of music in Korean pop culture is not that recent. It can be said that it began in 1885 when American and British folk songs were implemented in a school. In Korean, this was called changga. And although it was cultural from another region, the songs were sung in Korean.
The first Korean pop album was released in 1925 called Yi Pungjin Sewol (This Tumultuous Time), by Park Chae-seon and Lee Ryu-saek. South Korean musical culture began to develop in the 90s with the mixing of styles like rap and rock. But only in the early 2000s did South Korean musical groups start to expand, paving the way for BTS, EXO, and TWICE as we know them today.
A song that became very popular and opened doors for people to become more interested in South Korean culture was the music video ”Gangnam Style” by rapper PSY. This 2012 video was the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views.
Currently, the Korean entertainment market for music and dramas generates millions annually, and bands like BTS, EXO, and TWICE are only growing. Let’s now look at the most striking aspects of these bands that are increasingly growing worldwide.
Table of Contents
BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan)
Fandom name: A.R.M.Y. – Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth
Members: Suga, J-Hope, V, Jin, RM, Jimin, Jungkook
Suga is named Min Yoon-gi (민윤기), born on March 9, 1993, and is originally from the city of Daegu. He is a rapper and music producer and became interested in music in the fifth grade and started writing his own songs at the age of thirteen. At 17, he joined a rap group called D-Town,
J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Hoseok (정호석), was born in Gwangju on February 18, 1994. The artist is a rapper, dancer, songwriter, and music producer. J-Hope has always stood out in dance and has won several awards in the category. He began his career in 2012 as a street dance dancer.
V, whose name is Kim Tae-Hyung (김태형), is also a singer, actor, and songwriter. He was born on December 30, 1995, in Daegu. Unlike the other members, he did not discover his talent in childhood; in fact, he thought he would be a farmer like his parents, but he was discovered by a scout from Big Hit Entertainment to join the group BTS.
Jin is actually named Kim Seok-jin (김석진) and was born on December 4, 1992, in the city of Gwacheon. Jin was also discovered by a scout from Big Hit to be a model. At that time, he was attending college to become an actor. It was in the same year that he debuted as one of the members of BTS. He is a tenor and plays guitar. In 2018, he opened a Japanese-style restaurant with his brother.
RM, the acronym used to refer to Rap Monster in the past, but upon adapting, he said he prefers the meaning of Real Me. His real name is Kim Namjoon (김남준), originally from Ilsan, born on September 12, 1994. He is a rapper, songwriter, and music producer. In addition to his artistic talents, he stands out for his intellectual talents, being among the top 1.3% of the South Korean population with the best scores on the college entrance exam in the country. His IQ is 148, and he is also self-taught.
Jimin, or Park Ji-min (박지민), is also known as Baby J and ChimChim. He is from Busan, the second most populous city in South Korea. Jimin was born on October 13, 1995. While still in elementary school, he began his career as a dancer. Jimin is one of the most popular members. In 2018, he ranked ninth among the most talked-about celebrities on Twitter and the eighth most tweeted musician in the world, as well as the seventeenth best boy band member in history.
Jungkook, whose name is Jeon Jung-kook, is the youngest member of the band, born on September 1, 1997, in Busan. He is a songwriter, dancer, and music producer. In 2011, he received offers from seven companies, but in the end, he ended up with Big Hit. He was officially recognized at the launch of the group BTS with the single 2 Cool 4 Skool, which would be the first song of their school trilogy.
Trajectory of BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan)
The Korean band BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys (방탄소년단), emerged in 2013 through Big Hit Music. The official debut was on June 13 of the same year with the release of the single ”No More Dream”. The group became so popular that in 2018 they were among the most influential South Korean celebrities.
The first mini album was released in September 2013 titled O!RUL8,2, consisting of 10 tracks. The second was released the following year, also with 10 tracks, themed Skool Luv Affair. On March 7, 2014, the Japanese versions of the songs from the album 2 Cool 4 Skool were announced.
In April 2015, the third mini album was released, The Most Beautiful Moment In Life pt.1. The second part of this album was only released in November. In 2015, they had the Japanese tour BTS’s First Japan Tour-Wake Up: Open Your Eyes. Since then, BTS’s success has only increased with 3 world tours and 4 Asian tours.
10 curiosities about BTS
1 – The band has 6 videos with over 1 billion views;
2 – BTS has participated 3 times in the UN General Assembly;
4 – In 2019, J-Hope was elected the richest member of BTS;
5 – BTS’s official channel became the most profitable in K-pop on the platform;
6 – BTS’s YouTube channel has over 57 million subscribers and a total of 12 billion views across all videos;
7 – BTS was originally a hip-hop group;
8 – The group began to form in 2010;
9 – The first member of the band was RM and the last was Jimin;
10 – The song “Spring Day” completed 240 consecutive weeks in the Top 100 of the most listened to chart on the streaming service Melon (a South Korean music service).
EXO (Exoplanet)
Fandom name: EXO-L (from “Love”)
Members: Suho, Chen, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Lay, Kai, Sehun, Xiumin, D.O.
Suho, whose name is Kim Jun-myeon (김준면), was born on May 22, 1991, in Seoul. In addition to being a singer, he is dedicated to acting. He officially began his career as a singer when he debuted in the band in 2012, and his acting career began two years later in the series Prime Minister and I. So far, he has made 6 film appearances, 3 theater roles, and 12 appearances on TV shows. He composed 8 of the songs used by the group.
Chen is the stage name of Kim Jong-dae (김종대), born in Siheung on September 21, 1992. He began his career as part of the group in 2011 but only debuted the following year. He has won 5 awards so far. SM Entertainment confirmed Chen’s solo debut in March 2019 with the release of his first EP called April, and a Flower.
Baekhyun, also called Byun Baek-hyun (변백현), was born in the city of Bucheon on May 6, 1992. He sings, dances, and acts. His career began at the age of 11 when he started training to become a singer.
Chanyeol, or Park Chan-yeol (박찬열), was born on November 27, 1992, in the capital of South Korea. When he was in elementary school, he started playing drums and participated in the school band during his teenage years. He joined the band EXO in 2012, and his acting career began in 2015 with the film Salut d’Amour.
Lay is the stage name of Zhang Yixing (장이씽), he is Chinese, originally from the city of Changsha, born on October 7, 1991. He is a singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, and actor. He began his career in 1998; he was very young, only 6 years old, when he participated in We The People. He had a few roles on Chinese TV until 2008 when he went to the South Korean agency, SM Entertainment. But it was only in 2012 that he joined the group EXO.
Kai is actually named Kim Jong-in (김종인), he belongs to the city of Suncheon and was born on January 14, 1994. In addition to music as a rapper, he acts, dances, and is also a model. His career began with jazz and ballet at just eight years old. He joined SM Entertainment in 2007 and received training in singing, dancing, and acting.
Sehun, or Oh Se-hun (오세훈), was born on April 12, 1994, in Seoul. He joined SM Entertainment at just 12 years old after being discovered by a talent agent. He is also successful as an actor; in 2018, he was cast as the protagonist in Dokgo Rewind and that same year, he had several roles in TV shows. His modeling work is noteworthy for participating and modeling for major brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior.
D.O is named Do Kyung-soo (도경수), he was born on January 12, 1993, in the South Korean city of Goyang. He also has work as an actor. His first acting role was in the series It’s Okay, That’s Love. However, in childhood, he participated in singing contests. He was called to SM Entertainment in 2010 and stayed for 2 years before officially joining EXO. He has appeared in 9 films.
Trajectory of EXO
The Korean band EXO debuted on April 8, 2012, initially with 12 members divided into two groups of 6, EXO-K and EXO-M, with songs in Korean and Mandarin. But currently, it has only 9 members. The division was as follows: EXO-K: Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun EXO-M: Xiumin, Luhan, Kris, Lay, Chen, Tao
Luhan, Kris, and Tao left after filing a lawsuit to cancel their contract. The first single to be released was Mama. In 2013, they released XOXO, the first album of EXO’s career. This album sold 1 million copies, and this record made them the first K-pop artists to surpass that value. From 2014 to 2017, they were the most powerful celebrities according to Forbes Korea magazine.
The album Overdose was the best-selling album in South Korea in 2014. The group entered the Guinness Book as the band that won the most Daesang at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. The band has collected over 100 awards.
10 curiosities about EXO
1 – Chen posted a message saying he no longer wanted to receive gifts from his fans to avoid misunderstandings about him using some gifts and not others;
2 – Chanyeol became interested in music after watching the movie School of Rock;
3 – In 2014, Kris filed a lawsuit against the company claiming that his health was disregarded and that the group was treated as a business, among other accusations;
4 – Suho was the first member to join the agency;
5 – Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun became ambassadors for the Korean Red Cross Youth in 2012.
6 – The member who learns the choreographies the fastest is Lay;
7 – According to Suho, EXO will exist until the last member;
8 – In 2014, Luhan filed a lawsuit against the agency claiming to be treated differently from the other members and having health problems;
9 – In 2015, Tao also filed a lawsuit against the agency to cancel his contract;
10 – In 2016, several EXO members spent some time engaging in solo activities.
TWICE
Fandom name: Once
Members: Nayeon, Momo, Jeongyeon, Sana, Mina, Jihyo, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Tzuyu
Nayeon, or Im Na-yeon (임나연), was born on September 22, 1995, in Seoul. In 2010, she started as a trainee at JYP Entertainment, and initially, the goal was for Nayeon to be part of a group called 6mix, but it never actually came to exist. To join TWICE, she had to participate in a talent show called Minet.
Momo, or Momo Hirai (平井 もも), is Japanese, originally from Kyoto, born on November 9, 1996. She liked to dance since she was a child and was interested in an artistic career. She was discovered by JYP Entertainment after they saw a video of her dancing with her older sister. Both were called by the agency, but only Momo passed the auditions. However, her career began with the group TWICE.
Jeongyeon, or Yoo Jeong-yeon (유정연), is from the South Korean city of Gyeonggi. She was born on November 1, 1996. She also passed the auditions and managed to join the group, where it was her first professional work as a singer. In 2016, she and her older sister presented the music program Inkigayo for 7 months.
Sana, or Minatozaki Sana (湊崎 紗夏), known simply as Sana, is Japanese, originally from Osaka. She was born on December 29, 1996. She was discovered at the age of 15 and soon after participated in auditions in April 2012. Sana has hosted 3 TV shows in 2016, 2017, and 2019.
Mina, or Myõi (名井 南), simply Mina, is American and was born on March 24, 1997, in San Antonio, Texas, but grew up in Japan. Since she was little, she loved to dance and took ballet for many years. She was found by a talent scout from JYP. In 2014, she went to South Korea to JYP to become a K-pop singer. She debuted in the group TWICE in 2015, but in 2019 she took a break from the group for 3 months due to anxiety and insecurity issues.
Jihyo, named Park Ji-hyo (박지효), was born on February 1, 1997, in Gyeonggi, South Korea. She started her career with JYP at just 8 years old, and by the time of her debut in TWICE at 18, she had received training from the agency. She was voted by her groupmates to be the leader of the band.
Chaeyoung, or Son Chaeyoung (손채영), is from Seoul and is the youngest member of the group. She was born on April 23, 1999. She is also a rapper, songwriter, producer, and dancer. She started modeling for a children’s magazine when she was still young. She took singing and dancing lessons. Her first audition at JYP was at the age of 14. She has 8 song compositions.
Dahyun is the stage name for Kim Da-hyun (김다현). She was born in Gyeonggi on May 28, 1998. She is also a presenter, rapper, and model. In 2017, Dahyun was among the most popular celebrities in South Korea. She also knows how to play the piano. Her career officially began with TWICE in 2015. She has 5 of her own compositions.
Tzuyu is named Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜) and is of Taiwanese nationality. She was born in Tainan on June 14, 1999. She was discovered by talent scouts from Taiwan in 2013, and that same year, she moved to the capital of South Korea to join JYP Entertainment. Tzuyu underwent 2 years of training before starting her career in TWICE.
Trajectory of TWICE
The Korean band TWICE (트와이스) debuted on October 20, 2015, and was selected through the reality show Sixteen. Fame came the following year with the single ”Cheer Up”, which was the best single of the year. The next single called ”TT” topped the charts for 4 consecutive weeks. The album Twicecoaster: Lane 1 was the best-selling K-pop album of 2016.
The albums Twicetsgram from 2017 and Eyes Wide Open from 2020 are Korean, while BDZ from 2018 and &Twice from 2019 are Japanese albums. In 2018, a film telling the story of the group called Twiceland was released. The first award received by TWICE was in 2015 (the same year of their debut) at the Mnet Asian Awards 2015, and the following year they won the Best New Artist award.
The group continued to receive more awards, and surely more are on the way. In August 2021, TWICE became the female group with the most music videos with over 300 million views, surpassing even other groups like BTS and Blackpink.
10 curiosities about TWICE
1 – Jeongyeon was sidelined again in August 2021 to treat anxiety and panic syndrome;
2 – The name Jeongyeon received at birth was Kyung-wan, but she thought it was a masculine name. So she changed her name to Jeong-yeon when she was in the third grade, and it was a legalized process;
3 – The group has 3 Japanese members;
4 – The group is called TWICE because the goal is to win over fans first (once) through their ears and then (twice) through their eyes;
5 – Jihyo was the member who had the longest training time at the agency;
6 – TWICE is one of the groups that participated in Weekly Idol with the shortest debut time;
7 – TWICE has accumulated over 3 billion streams on Spotify, being the fastest Korean artist in history to reach that milestone;
8 – The group has songs in both Japanese and Korean;
9 – In June 2017, the album sold over 135,000 copies in one week, breaking a two-year record for the highest sales week for a Korean artist in Japan;
10 – On October 1, 2021, the group’s first single entirely in English will be released at 1 AM.
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