Despite generational rift in music, trot fandom wider than expected

Trot singer Lim Young-woong performs during TV Chosun's mega-hit show “Mr. Trot” in this file photo. / Courtesy of TV Chosun

Gallup survey finds trot singers also popular among 20-somethings

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The polling agency Gallup's annual year-end surveys of top 10 singers/songs by age group found some interesting results.

In general, younger people prefer trendy K-pop over any other music, whereas older people are fascinated with old-fashioned trot songs, confirming a generational rift in people's music preferences.

But the annual survey also uncovered that trot fandom is wider than expected.

Global superstar K-pop band BTS topped the survey of top 10 singers of the year among teens and those in their 20s and 30s. The boy band secured the top spot for the third year in a row.

BTS is unrivaled with 39.2 percent of support, followed by K-pop muse IU (21.1 percent) and K-pop girl group sensation BLACKPINK (13.6 percent). The survey results showed that BLACKPINK's fandom is weaker at home than overseas.

But for people in their 40s or older, trot singer Lim Young-woong is the most favored singer of this year. Lim topped the survey with a 36.9 percent rating, followed by trot singers YoungTalk (27.3 percent) and Na Hoon-a (17.2 percent).

Lim, 30, is the winner of TV Chosun's mega-hit trot audition show “Mr. Trot” which set a viewership record of 35.8 percent in its last episode. He is a heartthrob for middle-aged female music fans. YoungTalk finished the competition as a runner-up. He performed “A Drink of Makgeolli” at the show, helping the song become one of the most popular songs of the year.

Veteran trot singer Na Hoon-a created a sensation after his successful TV concert which aired on the eve of the Chuseok holiday.

Despite the spread of favored music and singers, Gallup's year-end surveys found an intriguing phenomenon in younger people's preferences. Trot singer Lim is also popular among people in their 20s and 30s. He came in fourth place with 8 percent support, following BLACKPINK, among 20-somethings, and he is the second-most-popular singer among people in their 30s. He garnered 18 percent support following BTS which scored 28.8 percent in the age group.

Five trot singers made the top 10 singers list in the survey of people in their 30s, and all top 10 singers in the surveys of 40s or older are trot musicians.

Lim is a stalwart leader in the surveys of people in their 40s or older.

Gallup conducted the survey of 5,100 people aged 13 and older in July, September, October and November. This is the first time the polling agency included people in their 60s or older in their surveys since it first conducted the annual year-end survey of music preferences by age groups in 2007.