Rise of K-pop singers: from low culture 'ttanttara' to artists

From left are boy band Big Bang's lead rapper G-Dragon, soloist IU and boy band BTS member Jung Kook. The boy band members and IU take part in the production of their music as singer-songwriters and record producers. / Korea Times file

Singer-songwriters help K-pop find its own identity

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Amid the glitz and glamour of show business, people there have long lived in their own shadow. Actors, actresses and singers were characterized as “ttanttara,” a derogatory term referring to people involved in low culture.

The term originated in show business in the 1960s. With a lack of proper means to advertise theater shows, some art troupes dressed as clowns and wore other hilarious, eye-catching costumes and pitched their shows riding on the back of a truck with a loudspeaker. The sound waves from the loudspeakers alerted the public of the art troupes and their forthcoming shows.

This scathing description has since continued for decades. In the music world, a lack of musical identity in K-pop in its early years made it vulnerable to criticism.

Lee Soo-wan, a lecturer at Seoul National University's Department of Aesthetics, claims Korean pop music has no elements that can characterize it as uniquely Korean different from Western pop music. “There are no outstanding musical elements that make K-pop truly Korean music,” Lee wrote in the article, titled “K-Pop: The Awkward Encounter of Korea and Pop Music,” published in the Journal of Humanities in 2016. The author wrote K-pop was branded as such in order to export it as such.

An increase of singer-songwriters in recent years, however, helped K-pop find its own identity, ending decades of stigma attached to their occupation.

Being called ttanttara has traumatized those involved in show business.

Veteran actor Shin Seong-il, 81, reacted strongly to the negative characterization of actors and said he was deeply hurt.

“I hate the word ttanttara,” he said on Oct. 15 last year during a press conference for a Korean Cinema Restropective Night program at the Busan International Film Festival.

He blasted those who displayed such a disrespectful demeanor.

Recalling how badly he had felt when he heard someone calling him ttanttara back in 1967 at a bar in the southern port city, he said “I'm not ttanttara.”

Back in the 1960s, Shin said the disrespectful term shaped the public's perception of entertainers, so they were treated as people of low culture.

People still use the term, albeit its usage is not as frequent as before.

In the K-pop world, the disrespectful term has been gradually disappearing as some singers began to create their own songs, not simply singing and dancing to the songs made by prominent songwriters. These singers explored various genres and created their own music world, making K-pop music more diverse and mature.

Pop music critic Choi Kyu-sung said the increase in singer-songwriters is “very positive.”

“In the past when there was a division of work between singers and songwriters, music was considered a commodity. Songwriters tried to compose songs that could appeal to fans and naturally followed a certain formula for success. Their songs were almost identical. Singer-songwriters, however, lifted K-pop to a piece of art people can enjoy, rather than a commodity that can be consumed,” he said. “Singer-songwriters also show that music has diversified and there's no one-size-fits-all type of music anymore.”

K-pop groups captivated fans with their synchronized choreography and appealing songs. As time went by, fans became tired of the same old K-pop.

K-pop groups faced criticism that they are no different from “manufactured goods” by the “Big 3” entertainment companies_ namely, SM, YG and JYP.

An increase of singer-songwriters, however, broke through the negative stereotypes of K-pop groups. Big Bang's lead rapper G-Dragon, solo singer IU and some members of the now-disbanded Girls' Generation are some of the K-pop musicians who not only sing but also make their own songs.

In K-pop, the origin of singer-songwriters dates back to the late 1990s when the five-member boy band H.O.T. debuted. They dominated music charts until they disbanded in 2001 over a contract disagreement.

Among others, Choi said G-Dragon is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his time. Other Big Bang members also took part in producing their records. In 2015, Big Bang unveiled their single “Loser.” All five members participated in the production of their records.

Seven-member boy band BTS exemplifies how talented singers came to be recognized as artists. Unlike many other K-pop groups who simply sing and perform songs made by composers, the boy band members compose their own songs. Their lyrics are based on their own lives. Their realistic lyrics appeal to young adults their age. The boy band won the fan-voted Top Social Artist Award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards after garnering over 300,000,000 votes from around the world.

BTS is credited with being the first Korean singing group to lift K-pop to the U.S. mainstream.

With an increase of singer-songwriters, K-pop bands are no longer described as puppets or as being part of low culture. Some teens are dying for careers in show business, showing that singing and acting have emerged as reputable occupations.

“In a capitalist society, it's natural those who make lots of money are recognized and treated accordingly,” said Kwak Dae-kyung, a professor of sociology at Dongkuk University. “Singers and actors no longer are perceived as puppets, partly because they have followers. Singers, for example, play a sort of activist role because some try to raise public awareness of particular social issues.”

Music critic Jung Duk-hyun said the boom of singer-songwriters in K-pop is a consumer-driven phenomenon.

“Before the rise of singer-songwriters, global listeners were sick and tired of K-pop groups because their songs and dances were almost always the same. They wanted creative music and their demands drove entertainment companies to shift their strategies to encourage talented pop idols to be part of the music producing process,” he said.

He said musicians explored diverse genres to create their own songs, but there's a pitfall as well.

In the face of pressure to create their own songs, Jung said some artists are wrestling with allegations of plagarism. “There were a few plagiarism cases in the past. There was also a truth controversy as some alleged that some of the singer-songwriters were not the actual composers of the songs,” he said.

Pop music critic Choi, however, disagrees. He said an increase of singer-songwriters is a phenomenon that everyone in the music industry should hail with open arms and dismissed the allegation that plagiarism is a byproduct of the phenomenon.

“Plagiarism has been on the music scene throughout history and it's not something that popped up in the wake of an increase of singer-songwriters,” he said.

“The benefits of a surge of K-pop singer-songwriters far outweigh the possible disadvantages because Korean music has been diversified and musicians are able to create their own music instead of relying on professional songwriters who compose songs to curry favor with fans.”