Stars born through sweat and grit

By Kim Ji-soo

The world rages over top K-pop stars BTS, and in consideration of the band's hectic schedule and demand from overseas, people are constantly on the lookout for newly rising stars with fresh sounds.

One of these is the new girl band (G)I-DLE, poised to challenge existing stars with the song “HANN.” The song is unique for a K-pop song, starting out with a melody that evokes Indian pop with whistling.

Listening to the song over and over like my sibling who first encountered it at an aerobics class, it's not hard to become addicted. The girl band has six members, and they only debuted in May this year. Its first extended-play album titled “I Am” and the song “Latata” did well on the charts. Then just three months later, the members put forth the single “Hann” (Alone), which was another hit. “Hann” is also playing in the halls of aerobic centers and gym classes and garnering more clicks with its official video.

The sound of (G)I-DLE's music is refreshing in the landscape where pop dance numbers reign. Its members ― Miyeon, Minnie, Soojin, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua ― have been trainees with talent agencies before coming together under Cube Entertainment. In the case of Soyeon, she took part in the reality audition program “Produce 101” but did not make it to the final debut team of I.O.I. Soyeon is making up for that for herself, not only by being a member of the most-watched-for band but also for co-writing “Latata” and “Hann” with producer Big Sancho.

It's encouraging to see young musicians continue to strive for their dreams, and even worldwide fame that predecessors such as Psy, Big Bang and BTS have worked to pave.

Music with melodies, rhythms and beats is a universal language that knows no boundaries. It has an outreach that fierce anti-globalization advocates may envy. The infusion of music among countries, by continents, has produced the joyful range that we enjoy. Sometimes, it inspires with the latest case of the success of Paul McCartney. His latest album “Egypt Station” topped the Billboard 200 chart for the first time in over 36 years in September.

In this “era” of BTS, it's easier to communicate even with strangers when the word Army, the name for the boy band's fan club, is dropped. It's a small amount even an iota that enables talk, dialogue and rapport. Then unlike in the past, diverse social media platforms facilitate it.

The flourishing of K-pop domestically means music aspirants have a more solid base to live out their dreams. Often criticized for its rigorous management of trainees and then its artists, the K-pop talent agency system is functioning. So that Korea, the nation of leapfrogging innovation, a nation of hardware, can focus on thickening its software foundation.

As K-pop finds fans in United States, Europe and Asia, it also means exchanging, communicating and taking in the musical influence of these other nations. Diversity can become a fruitful source for K-pop itself as well.