Non-Asians
in K-pop
The
Gloss, is a new and upcoming rookie K-pop girl group consisting of four
members. The girls are extremely talented and pretty girls and no one would
second guess them and assume immediately that they are all Asian; until they
look closer. One member in the group is not of Asian descent at all. Her name
is Olivia and she is of European descent born and raised in France. She is
planning to debut with the group very soon. To the K-pop community this is
startling; a Non- Asian in a K-pop group is uncommon and hadn’t exist until
now, But for those who are new to K-pop I’ll explain the situation.
Korean popular music, abbreviated K-pop, is a fairly new
genre of music that originated in South Korea. It is known for it’s addictive
beats, complicated choreography, creative concepts, and a swimming pool full of
attractive boys and girls in great make-up with a stylistic fashion sense. The
love for K-pop is rapidly spreading around the world. There’s Black, White, Hispanic,
young and old people all bumping to the electronic melodies of K-pop, but it
wasn’t always this way. K-pop was first introduced in 1992 by a three member boy
group called, Seo Taiji the boys. They were the creators and pioneers of the
popular growing music genre today. They took Korea by storm with this new genre
of music. Back then K-pop was strictly a “Korean thing”. There were only
Koreans allowed to be in the groups and that’s understandable because it was
something that originated in Korea. It wasn’t until later on that it would
change. In 2005, when a 13 member boy group named, Super Junior, came on the
scene with a new fresh look. All of the members were Korean besides, one. Hangeng
was the first ever Chinese and Non-Korean member in a K-pop group. Since then
Korean entertainment companies have been putting not only Chinese members, but
also Thai, Japanese and Malaysian members in their companies because of the
growing success and popularity of the members in Asia.
Lately in the K-pop community there is a topic that gets
discussed many times on blogs, and forums about since Korean entertainment
companies accept Non-Koreans now would they also accept Non-Asians. The reason
why this topic is brought up is because Korean entertainment companies are
trying to spread K-pop not just in Asia anymore but in America as well; and the
argument is whether they need Non-Asians in their K-pop groups to help spread
the music genre to the states. Olivia’s entry into the K-pop scene could be the
answer to that question. Some people think that “only Asians” need to apply and
that people who are not Asian shouldn’t even try because some people don’t like
the idea of a Non-Asian as a K-pop star/idol. Others love the idea of a Non-Asian
in a k-pop idol group and want to see more Non-Asians in the k-pop scene.
Different people have different opinions about whether Non-Asians will actually
be accepted as K-pop idols. But regardless of race any one should be able to be
a K-pop idol as long as they are willing to learn the language and culture; and
if Korean entertainment companies would not accept a talented applicant simply
because they were not Asian that would display the racism and discrimination
that dwells not only in K-pop but South Korea as a whole.
In K-pop this topic is brought up constantly on whether
Non-Asians can become K-pop idols. Some say no for multiple reasons. In an
article a young author stated that “ K-pop is a platform where Asians get to
shine, and as an Asian person it makes me happy to see myself getting
represented not only in Asia, but internationally as well ” (KpopSecrets). To the author the main reason why Non-Asians
shouldn’t be K-pop stars is because they are simply not Asian. I can understand
where they are coming from because K-pop does stand for Korean popular music
and is a part of not only Korean culture but also Asian culture. On blogs and
forums many people ask whether a Non-Asian could be accepted into a Korean
entertainment to become K-pop idols; and many people say no because they
believe that applicants need to be Asian or at least half-Asian to be
considered. On a Yahoo Answer forum one commentator said, “No. At least you have
to be half Asian, preferably half Korean. It's hard enough for KOREANS to
become K-pop idols, so just imagine how hard (impossible) it would be for a
non-asian. If you want to sing or dance do it in your own country.” (Bazinga) There
are plenty of comments that express these same feelings towards Non-Asians in
K-pop. But, in the comment I used it stated that to even be considered to
become a K-pop idol you must be of Korean descent, whether it is full Korean or
half Korean. But there are Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Malaysian idols now and
more are being recruited. Times have changed; young hopefuls don’t have to be
of Korean descent to be a K-pop idol.
Korean entertainment companies host auditions in other Asian countries
like China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and recently Indonesia. I used that
comment to prove that if companies only wanted Koreans than they wouldn’t spend
money going to these different places to host auditions.
Many
also feel that if someone really wanted to do music they would do it anywhere;
and as the commenter claimed if you want to sing or dance do it in your own
country.” Since this is a part of Asian pop culture there should only be Asians
a part of it; K-pop is how Asians get representation in the music industry and
according to the author of KpopSecrets
K-pop is the ONLY platform for Asians to be represented. One of the commenters even stated that “The
Korean market is pretty strict when it comes to nationality and stuff. It's
pretty hard to pursue your music career in [a] country where [you’re] not
really familiar with. Why don't you try out in the country [you’re] living in?”
(Bazinga). To this person the idea of a Non-Asian wanting to be a K-pop idol is
ridiculous; that they would have a better chance just trying to break into
their own companies market. But if that were the case than K-pop music industry
shouldn’t try to spread to the American entertainment market and should just
stay an “Asian thing”. Korean entertainment companies are constantly producing
idol groups with goals, specifically, to enter the American market. For every
K-pop idol group that debuts in every interview when they are asked “What are
their main future long-term goals as K-pop idols?” Every one of them says to
become GLOBAL international stars; they can’t do that if they only promote in
Asia. The three main companies in Korea such as, JYP entertainment, SM
entertainment and YG entertainment are constantly trying to promote their
groups in America. In 2009, JYP began promoting their first idol girl group, The WonderGirls, in the US performing
the English version of their song “Nobody”
and opening on tour with the Jonas
Brothers. Their song reached number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. This act made the WonderGirls the first South Korean group to enter the
charts (WonderGirls-Wikipedia). In 2008, SM entertainment solo artist, BoA,
made her English debut with the single “Eat You Up”; it made it to number nine
on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was even remixed with a feature
from well-known rapper, Flo-Rida. She
did this in pursuit to become a world renowned artist like Janet Jackson
(BoA-Wikipedia). Also in 2008, YG entertainment’s solo artist, Se7en, released his first English track
“Girls” featuring the legendary
female rapper, Lil Kim. “Se7en 's
"Girls" music video premiered on BET 106 & Park on June 2, 2009” (Seven-Wikipedia).
These are just a few of the many attempts the Korean entertainment market have
done trying to break into the American market. If they would have just stayed
in Asia the idols and companies would be limited to their level of popularity.
They also wouldn’t be able to collaborate with other artist from other countries
other than their own; and it would be limiting the overall revenue of the idols
and the company. Why would any company want to do that?
It’s understandable that some people would want K-pop to
stay the way it is now; to some having a non-Asian in K-pop would make K-pop
not K-pop anymore. In a YouTube video I watched there were two American girls
giving their opinions about whether Non-Asians would make it the K-pop music
industry. One stated that “I feel that this just isn’t going to work, because
when I got into K-pop you know what I wanted to see?...Asians! because
honestly, Asians are gorgeous, I love Asian cultures and that’s what I wanted
to see…if I wanted to watch Europeans, Americans, Canadians, South Americans
whatever yourselves maybe I would watch your genre of music, But I’m watching
K-pop because I like Asians and everything about it.” (Kpopwrapup) To her K-pop
wouldn’t feel the same it would’ve lost all its meaningfulness and essence of
what makes it so unique. To some others it may not be the fact that they are
Non-Asian but the fact that they don’t look Asian. “Personally, I'm not against
it. As long he/she looks Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, etc. it would be fine. Not
being racist but, imagine a black dude in a K-Pop group and singing in Korean.
Would it look right?” ( Soompi) Therefore, since they aren’t Asian and don’t
look Asian why should they be considered to be part of something that is a part
of Asian culture? Why should they be able to become K-pop idols before an
actual Asian? Why should Asians accept them into their culture? But, what about
the amount of foreigner bands/artist that come to break into the American music
industry. Look at all of the greats like The
Beatles, Rolling Stones, AC DC, Daft Punk, U2 and the list goes on and on. None
of these bands hail from America; for some of them English is not their first
language but, because they embraced the American culture and made good music
America accepted them with open arms. They were something different and
refreshing to see. If America can do this than why not Korea? People say that
Korea is not ready for a Non-Asian in the K-pop music industry but, there are
people who actually want more Non-Asians in the K-pop industry and think that
Korea would accept them as K-pop idols.
Some
people think that more Non-Asians should be accepted as K-pop idols because with
K-pop constantly spreading throughout the world Korean entertainment companies
have been and are still trying to expand into the American market but have not
been successful. People think that if a Non-Asian is added into a K-pop group
that it might give the companies the edge. They think that adding a Non-Asian
would be the key to their success in the American market. In an article it
states that Korean entertainment companies are looking for and willing to
accept Non-Asians in their companies. “If there are talented applicants, we
are going to train them no matter if they are white or black,” Jeong Wook, CEO
of JYP, was quoted as saying by Chosun Ilbo…Yang said. “We are going to produce
new stars by signing up talents regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.”
(Limb) In the article it also stated how in 2012 the numbers of Non-Asians that
participated in global auditions hold by the Korean entertainment companies were
more than half of total amount of participates. Reasons for this are probably
because Non-Asians feel like they have a chance now because entertainment
companies have been reaching out to more Non-Asians in multiple ways like
hosting global auditions and stating on their websites that they accept anyone
regardless of age, gender, race, nationally or ethnicity. With the mere fact
that companies are willing to accept Non-Asians into their companies why shouldn't Non-Asians be accepted into K-pop?
Also
another reason is because there is always that slim chance that a Non-Asian can
succeed in the K-pop industry. There is this blogger and her blog is called, Ask A Korean, the author from the blog
was born and raised in Korea and still resides in Korea. Every week the author has
people ask them questions about Korea or Korean life and how society is like in
Korea. One person asked the question, “how ready do you think Korea is for a
foreigner in the K-pop scene? My definition of a foreigner in Korean market
would be someone who isn't Korean and does not look visibly Asian.” The Korean
responded with the fact that a Non-Asian is already successful in Korea. “The
number one band of K-pop in 2012 has three members, all of who [are] young men.
Two of this band's members are Korean, but one is not. One of them is a white
man from America, named Brad Moore. Mr. Moore has been quite visible in all of
the band's activities (including music videos and show programs,) and his
whiteness or non-Korean-ness has never been a subject of discussion in Korean
people's appreciation of the band.” (AskAKorean). The band’s name is, Busker Busker, and According to the blog
post they were the number one K-pop band in 2012, “Busker Busker sold the most
number of albums in 2012 in Korea, and their songs were the most downloaded.
(They sold significantly more songs online than PSY in 2012 Korea, even with
PSY's Gangnam Style.) The band also placed six different songs in the top 10 of
Gaon Chart (the most authoritative chart for K-pop) through 2012, and five
songs in the top 10 of Billboard's K-pop chart. Busker Busker also took home
three Korean Music Awards for 2013, including Best Pop Album and Best Pop Song.”
(AskAKorean) With the success of Busker
Busker and maybe the future success of The Gloss this is the little ray of
light that Non-Asians need that they may also have a chance to be K-pop idols
as well. This gives Non-Asians hope that they could possibly be accepted in the
K-pop music industry as well.
Another
reason why they would be accepted is also a reason why they would not be
accepted, the fact of whether Korea is ready for a Non-Asian to be accepted in
the K-pop scene. Some people say the Korea isn’t ready for a Non-Asian to be in
the K-pop scene right now. But when the first Non-Korean was added into the
picture people would have probably said the same thing. In fact when Hangeng,
the first Chinese K-pop idol, debuted with Super Junior in Korea he wore a mask
in all the live performances so Koreans wouldn’t know that he was Chinese
descent. Once Korea found out they had to do some warming up to the idea but
after a while it wasn’t much of an issue anymore and now they have Thai,
Chinese, Japanese and Malaysian members and Korea has accepted the idea of them
so why wouldn’t they be ready for the idea of a Non-Asian? Some people would
say the reason why is because Korea is a very homogeneous society. Most of time
(especially with the older generation in the countryside) they would live their
entire lives and would have never seen anyone outside their ethnicity. With the
younger generation that is not the case because more students are exposed to different
ethnicities in their schools because their English teachers are, most of the time,
Non-Asians all together. Most of the hate would come from the older generation
who don’t know a lot about other cultures and have never had the chance to
experience them because of Korea’s lack of diversity in their society. I have a
Korean friend and she is from Korea but she came to America with her husband
because of his occupation, they will be going back in the summer. She is an
older lady with children of her own and I use to help her with her English. One
day I was singing and dancing for her and she asked me if I knew what K-pop was
and I told her I did. She said I should audition for one of companies in Korea
because I could become an idol if I was talented enough. When I heard this it
surprised me because I didn't expect to hear that especially from someone of her generation.
That
gave me hope that Non-Asians could possibly have a chance to become K-pop
idols; and that Koreans aren't so appalled by the idea either. In fact In a
YouTube video I watched a man living in Korea stated that he would like to see
more Non-Asians in the K-pop music industry. He stated that “I really enjoy
seeing…Non-Koreans/Asian people getting into K-pop songs and mixing them. And I
would like to see more you know not just Asian but from like…Western countries
as well like Non –Asians I would like to see Blacks, Whites, Hispanic and you
know all the other ethnicities.” (Uncle JJ) He is a YouTuber and he was born
and raised in Korea as well and this is his opinion about Non-Asians becoming
K-pop idols. This source shows that there Koreans out there who would like to
see Non-Asians in K-pop as well. It is encouraging because it goes against the
racist stereotype of Korea and their ideas and feelings of other races embracing
their culture and wanting to be a part of it.
He’s
is not the only one that supports the movement many people would like to see
more Non-Asians in the K-pop scene. In a discussion forum someone stated “I
have thought a lot about this also everyone’s first thought is to say that
since you are not Asian you won’t make it but i think times are changing. I
helped out the WonderGirls when they opened a concert in Kentucky. NOBODY knew
who they were but some gave them a chance. JYP is trying to get his artists to
the states. It is only a matter of time before a Non-Asian is in a group. Even
Asians in the groups get put down by their community so not everyone will like
you (or this mysterious Non-Asian person…” (Yahoo Answers) This person claims that when people think
about a Non-Asian making it into a K-pop peoples first thought would be, no. I
think that’s how a lot people think at first. Others comment state “Music has
no language or face, it only has two common things: enjoyment & feeling. I'm
Asian-American, definitely not Korean, but I've been in love with K-pop for
over 10 years. However, I've never minded whether the person who sang my
favorite K-pop songs were Korean or not. As long as I like the song then that's
all that mattered” (KpopSecrets). To
this person music is still regardless of who’s singing it. If you like it…then
you like it. To another commentator she
states that if people always thought that something was impossible to do than
there would be little progress in the world.
“So many people say "Don't bother, it has never
happened before" But I say, that if everyone always thought like that
there would be little development at all in the world. Someone is always the
first to do something new, and the kpop industry had already begun to peer
overseas wanting to spread to more places than just Asia. But to reach a
break-through there they will have to at some point break the racial barrier,
or the majority of the American industry won't accept them as too few would
find the music and the stars relatable….So if
caucasians/afro/african-americans/latinos and all other ethnicities to speak of
keep on auditioning and push for this transition, I believe we will see a
change in this” ( Non-Asians In Kpop).
In
conclusion, to some people Non-Asians shouldn't be accepted as K-pop idols for
multiple reasons. One reason is because they aren't Asian and this is the only
platform where Asians get to shine and that shouldn't be taken away. Another is
because the reason some people got into K-pop is because it was strictly only
for Asians to do and they liked that about it and they feel like putting an
Non-Asian in it would just take away the reason why they fell in love with it
in the first place and it would take away the unique characteristics and
essence of K-pop and it would no longer be K-pop. However, I want to make the
point that K-pop IS just a music genre just like country, reggae, classical,
Hip-pop/R&B and it should be treated as such. It's a music genre and anyone
regardless of their race, gender, nationality and age should be able to do it
if they want to. I believe that the reason why this is such a huge issue to
some people is because they look to K-pop not for the music but the physical
aspects of it. Some people watch it and listen to it simply just to look at
Asians; it’s like a fetish for them. So I can see why they have a problem with
it because if you add a Non-Asian in the mix than you take away the reason they
fell in love with K-pop in the first place and they don't want to have their
wonderland taken away. But, if that were the case than people would just listen
to country when they want to see white people, Hip-pop/R&B when they want
to see black people, rock when they want to see Emo and Goth kids, and
classical when they want to see old people. But they forget the fact that there
is a black guy who is a country singer, there are white rappers and R&B
singers, Preppy kids like to bang their heads to Nirvana and Linkin Park just
as much as Emo and Goth kids do; and there are young people every day being
recognized for their talent in classical music. You can't just hold certain people
to a certain genre because in the end people are people the only thing that differentiates
us is our appearance, genes and our race but none of that has anything to do
with our different personalities. If a Non-Asian wants to be a K-pop idol why
not let them, would it really be that hard to accept them?
WORKS
CITED
, Bazinga. "Could
a non-asian do kpop?." . : Yahoo Answer , . Print.
"BoA." Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, 4 May 2014. Web. 4 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BoA>.
"Can Non-Asian
Foreigner Succeed in the K-pop Scene?."Ask A Korean!. Google
Blogger, 12 June 2013. Web. 8 Feb.
2014. <http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2013/06/can-non-asian- foreigner-succeed-in-k.html>.
Kpopwrapup.“'Westerners'
in K-Pop... Aye or Nay?!.”Youtube.Youtube,
Jun 16. 2012. Web. 20 April. 2014
Limb , Jae-Un. "Foreign young talents flock to K-pop
auditions." Korea.net: Gateway to Korea. KOCIS: Korean Culture and Information Service,
22 Oct 2012. Web. 21 Jan 2014. <http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=103123>.
"Non Asian K-pop
Chances." Apr 2009. Yahoo , Online Posting to Yahoo Answers .
Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
<https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090901181644AAlxrsk>.
"Non-Asians in
Kpop." March 2011. Soompi, Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://forums.soompi.com/discussion/359204/non-asians-in-kpop>.
"ONE ASIAN’S
PERSPECTIVE: NON-ASIAN KPOP IDOLS." KpopSecrets . Tumblr, 18 February 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://kpopsecrets.tumblr.com/post/43392636518/one-asians-perspective-non-asian- kpop-idols>.
"Seven (Korean
singer)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Mar. 2014. Web.
4 May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_(Korean_singer)>.
"The Gloss' Olivia: Whiteness and Representation in
K-pop." seoulbeats Token White Member The Problem With Foreign Kpop Idols Comments. Seoulbeat, 6
June 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
<http://seoulbeats.com/2013/06/the-gloss/>.
"The Great Soompi
Debate: Are you in favor of non-Koreans joining K-pop groups?."Soompi.
Soompi , 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Apr.
2014. <http://forums.soompi.com/discussion/373736/the-great-soompi-debate-are-you-in-favor- of-non-koreans-joining-k-pop-groups>.
Uncle JJ. “[Misc] None
Korean becoming a KPOP star?” Youtube.Youtube.
16 Jun. 2013. Web 21 April 2014.
"Wonder
Girls." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 4
May 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Girls>.
