Gangnam Style was a global sensation — who can forget its unlikely star, Psy, horsing around on screen, unleashing high-energy rap-style vocals that celebrate everything trendy about the upscale and fashionable district in Seoul. The video, released in 2012, quickly crossed over 2.5 billion views and Guinness World Records called it the most “liked” video on YouTube.
Following that, there has been a huge rise in the popularity of Korean popular music or K-pop, and the Korean Wave (Hallyu). Aside from Psy, artistes such as Girls Generation, Super Junior and TVXQ have topped the charts. With Big Bang winning the “Best Artist from the World” in the Italian MTV Awards 2016; EXO landing the number one spot on World Digital Songs; and SHINee winning Asia’s “Best Group Award” at the 23 rd DongFang Music Awards, the unique sounds and beats of K-pop do seem to be spreading across the world.
How about K-pop in India? The K-pop scene in India seems to be limited to only those who are aware of its existence. And this is a very close-knit community. What got these fans hooked on to K-pop? And why is it still not very popular in Indian homes?
InKo Centre
The InKo Centre, in Chennai, seemed to be a place where one could get the answers to these questions. Last week, with the Centre all decked up for the Ggotggozi Flower Arrangement as part of the two-day Korean Flower Art show, the synergy between Indian and Korean cultures was evident.
The Centre, set up in 2006, is an inter-cultural bridge between Korea and India which promotes programmes that draw on the rich traditions of both countries, marked by inclusiveness and diversity. Primarily supported by the TVS Motor Company and Hyundai Motor India Limited, the InKo Centre conducts regular programmes that cover language studies, performing and visual arts and exchange of information.
The Consul-General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai, Kyungsoo Kim, is himself astonished at the hype K-pop is generating nowadays in Chennai. “Yes, there are quite a few fans in Chennai, more than one would expect. The younger generation does like K-pop!”
He spoke of the songwriters as well as scriptwriters taking ideas from the music and films of both countries, drew parallels between the two nations and how a lot of learning can take place across the two cultures.
In fact, even the languages are similar, with phrases such as “Iri wa” and “Inge wa” in Korean and Tamil, respectively, meaning the same thing.
After viewing the Ggotggozi Flower arrangement, we learnt that a Korean language class was taking place. Students were ready for their class, notebooks in hand, waiting for their Korean lesson to begin. After meeting some of them, and interacting with K-pop fans in other cities, one thing is clear — K-pop is addictive.
Indian K-pop fans
“I was into Korean drama, which eventually led to my knowledge about K-pop,” says 18-year-old Dhwani Shah from Mumbai, who has been listening to Korean music for a year-and-a-half. “Even though I can’t really understand Korean, K-pop has a certain charm. Each band has a unique concept and the videos are known for their vibrant visuals. The artistes are astoundingly talented, with some of the performers being as young as 14 years!”
The catchy music notably plays a huge part in removing language barriers. “I’m a person who listens to the tune more than the lyrics, so I like songs from different languages. K-pop by itself is like the perfect little package of entertainment. You can't help but be in awe of their dancing, and their videos. Before you know it, you find yourself humming the tunes,” says Taarika Ranjith from Chennai.
For some, the love for K-pop pushed them into learning a new language. A student at the InKo centre spoke of how K-pop played a role in her wanting to learn Korean. “Many young people like K-pop and that pushes them to learn an extra language, get to know about a different culture”, says Subhikshaa Sridhar, a 17-year-old.
Why is it still not as famous?
So if K-pop is really as hip and addictive as its fans claim it is, why is it not yet as popular across India as it is in other countries?
Twenty-two year old Anaswara Kumar, an actor from Chennai, pegs the reason to lack of awareness — and offers a solution. “Collaborating with the film industry for promotional songs will help it get a wider reach, especially if they include Indian actors and dancers,” she says, adding, “If they have regular concerts and fan-meets here, it will increase K-pop awareness.
“The western music market had already established itself years ago — channels such as Vh1, MTV, Channel V, and SS Music would keep playing English music videos along with Indian music videos. Since they were promoted well, people became more aware of these songs.”
Agreeing with her is Steffi Lionel, 26, another student at the InKo centre, who says, “Their scope will increase in India only if they find a way to promote their music or drama on our local TV networks. In India, we don’t have a pop culture, as is prevalent in America or any other country. We get to listen to music only through films. Maybe that is one reason why K-pop is not so big in India.”
Culture diversity
The fact that India is a diverse country doesn’t help. Harnoor Kaur, 20, adds, “It is probably because India is a really large country with different cultures every few hundred kilometres. I can bet hundreds and thousands of Indian youngsters are into K-pop but this is still a small number. It’s only a matter of time, though, before it catches on widely here.”
Varsha Subramanian from Chennai explains, “I’ve not been into K-pop for very long — just three months. But India has its own music, like Bollywood, and honestly, I feel the marketing for K-pop bands isn’t targeted towards the Indian audience.”
Agreeing with her is Dhwani Shah, who says: “Every country in Asia offers Korean channels except India. That’s why it’s unlikely that people in India would have heard of the Hallyu wave. Increasing their presence in India through Korean channels such as KBS, MBC or Mnet would help.”
South Korean hip-hop group JJCC
Nevertheless, with K-pop idols featuring in sold-out concerts across the globe and their popularity increasing through YouTube, the wait, it seems, will not be too long.
In fact, Chennai will soon host a mini-concert and fan meet by the band JJCC, a South Korean, a hip-hop group managed under Jackie Chan Group Korea, on July 31.
Get ready for some K-pop, Chennai!