K-pop, short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, rock, jazz, gospel, reggae, electronic dance, folk, country, disco, and classical on top of its traditional Korean music roots. The term "K-pop" became popular in the 2000s, especially in the international context. The Korean term for domestic pop music is gayo, which is still widely used within South Korea. While "K-pop" can refer to all popular music or pop music from South Korea, it is colloquially often used in a narrower sense for any Korean music and artists associated with the entertainment and idol industry in the country, regardless of the genre.
Miss A was a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group debuted in July 2010 with the single "Bad Girl Good Girl" as a quartet consisting of Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy. Their debut song reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, which made them the first act ever to have their debut song reach the top of the chart, the song also became the best-performing single of 2010 on the chart.
Baidu Baike is a semi-regulated Chinese-language collaborative online encyclopedia owned by the Chinese technology company Baidu. The beta version was launched on April 20, 2006, and the official version was launched on April 21, 2008, edited by registered users. As of February 2022, it has 25.54 million entries and more than 7.5 million editors. It has the largest number of entries in the world of any Chinese-language online encyclopedia.
Naver (Korean: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to introduce the comprehensive search feature, which compiles search results from various categories and presents them in a single page. Naver has since added a multitude of new services ranging from basic features such as e-mail and news to the world's first online Q&A platform Knowledge iN.
F.T. Island, is a South Korean rock band formed by FNC Entertainment in 2007. The band currently consists of main vocalist Lee Hong-gi, bassist Lee Jae-jin, and drummer Choi Min-hwan. Guitarist Oh Won-bin left the band in 2009 and was replaced by Song Seung-hyun. Former leader Choi Jong-hoon left the band and retired from the entertainment industry on March 14, 2019, while Seung-hyun left the group on December 31, 2019, to pursue his acting career.
Daniel Armand Lee, better known by his stage name Tablo, is a Korean-Canadian hip hop recording artist, lyricist, composer and record producer. Tablo is best known as the leader and producer of veteran Korean hip-hop group Epik High, and the founder of independent music label HIGHGRND, which housed bands Hyukoh and The Black Skirts.
Park Yoo-chun, formerly known as Micky Yoochun and better known by the mononym Yoochun, is a Korean-American singer-songwriter and actor. He is a former member of the South Korean boy bands JYJ and TVXQ. He has starred in dramas Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), Miss Ripley (2011), Rooftop Prince (2012), Missing You (2012), Three Days (2014) and A Girl Who Sees Smells (2015).
T-ara is a South Korean girl group formed by MBK Entertainment in 2009, consists of four members: Qri, Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon. T-ara's career is marked by hook-heavy dance-pop music, a result of their close partnership with composer Shinsadong Tiger. A broad array of visual concepts have earned the group a "chameleon-like" reputation. The group has achieved commercial success in several regions in Asia including South Korea and China, with their single "Roly-Poly" (2011) being one of the most downloaded domestic singles since 2010.
MBLAQ is a South Korean boy band created by South Korean singer Rain under J. Tune Camp. The group consists of Seungho, G.O, and Mir, and formerly Lee Joon and Thunder. The group debuted on October 15, 2009, at Rain's Legend of Rainism concert.
Kim Hyung-soo, better known by his stage name K.Will (Korean: 케이윌), is a South Korean singer. The name is a combination of the first letter 'K' of his last name 'Kim' and the English word 'Will', which means will. He debuted in 2007 and has since become known for his chart-topping ballads. He has also been dubbed the "Prince of OST" for his frequent Korean drama soundtrack appearances.
Secret (Korean: 시크릿) was a South Korean K-pop girl group formed by TS Entertainment in 2009. The group originally debuted with four members: Jun Hyo-seong, Jung Ha-na, Song Ji-eun and Han Sun-hwa. They released their debut single I Want You Back October 2009. Secret's debut single did not meet great success and it was not until the following year that the group saw a rise in popularity. In 2010, Secret released two singles Magic and Madonna which earned much attention with both singles peaking at No. 2 and No. 1 respectively on the Gaon Digital Chart. With the success of "Magic" and "Madonna", the group received the "Newcomer Award" at the 25th Golden Disk Awards.
JYJ is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 by Kim Junsu, Kim Jae-joong, and Park Yoo-chun, the three former members of TVXQ. Their group name is taken from the initial letters of each member's names. The group was formerly managed by C-JeS Entertainment in Korea.
T-Max, stylized T-MAX or T.max, was a South Korean pop music group formed in 2007 under the label 2Step Entertainment. The group began as a trio, where the "T" in its name was derived from the words "triple" and "trinity". T-Max released an album, an EP, five singles, some of which have songs different from its title, and several soundtrack singles for television shows such as Boys Over Flowers, Detectives in Trouble, and Master of Study. Its members have pursued individual acting gigs in dramas, sitcoms, and musicals.
Sistar was a South Korean girl group formed in 2010 by Starship Entertainment. The group consisted of Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou and Dasom. They made their official debut with the song "Push Push" on 3 June 2010. Their debut studio album So Cool was released on 9 August 2011. Their second album, Give It to Me, was released on 11 June 2013. Their biggest hits include "So Cool", "Alone", "Touch My Body", "Loving U" and "Give It to Me". Their fourth single, "So Cool," debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart as well as the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 singles chart, starting a streak of 9 consecutive number-one hits before the group's disbandment in 2017.
B.A.P was a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 under TS Entertainment.
Soompi is an English-language website providing coverage of Korean pop culture. It has one of the largest international Internet communities for K-pop, mostly concentrated in news and forums. With more than 23 million fans across all platforms, Soompi offers English and Spanish services.
Ellison Kyoung-jae Kim, better known by his stage name Eli, is a Korean American singer and rapper. He is a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS.
Jung Joon-young is a South Korean former singer-songwriter, radio DJ, host, actor, television personality and convicted serial rapist.
Duble Sidekick is a South Korean music producer and songwriting duo consisting of lyricist Park Jang-geun and composer Mikey. The duo was formed in 2010, and rose to fame after producing MBLAQ's 2012 EP 100% Ver. Since then, they have produced many hit songs. From 2011 to 2013, the pair also produced songs under the mantle of 우리형과 내동생, reserved for music with a softer and sweeter atmosphere. In late 2012, they expanded their team to include more composers and started their own entertainment agency called Duble Kick Entertainment. Wellmade Yedang became the agency's largest shareholder in May 2014.
Sexualization and sexual exploitation in K-pop refers to elements of sexualization and sexual exploitation in K-pop, which was once seen as a conservative music industry. This is in part due to 21st century globalization, with Korean entertainment and record label companies intending to market their idols abroad.
