What is K-Pop? Thanks for asking!

On October 15th, Big Hit Entertainment debuted on the Korean stock exchange. If you’re not familiar with the company itself, you’re more likely to have heard of BTS, one of the bands they created. In barely 24 hours, the success of the IPO had exceeded all expectations. A single day of trading was enough to bring the value of Big Hit Entertainment up from $4.5bn to nearly $7.4bn. Also known as the Bangtan Boys, BTS are the most famous boy band from South Korea, and a global music phenomenon. Particularly popular among teenagers, the group’s last single “Dynamite” reached 350 million views on Youtube in under a month.

So what’s the magic K-pop formula?

There are two essential ingredients really. Firstly a flashy look, usually accompanied by an equally extravagant hairstyle. And the second key part is of course the Korean language. K-pop band members are generally young and quirky. Throw in a strong marketing push and you’re ready to turn these young people into stars. K-pop bands really are popular icons for the youth of South Korea. The songs themselves talk about various themes like friendship, love, life and death, right and wrong, and of course sex!

It sounds like a neatly packaged commercial product! In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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