K POP
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K-pop is a genre of popular music originating
in South Korea. While the modern form of K-pop can be traced back to the early
90s, the term itself has been popularized since the 2000s, replacing the term
Gayo, which also refers to domestic pop music in South Korea.
Blackpink is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted on
August 8, 2016, with their single album Square One, which spawned
"Whistle", their first
number-one song in South Korea, as well as "Boombayah", their first number-one hit on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart,
which set the record as the most-viewed debut music video by a Korean act.[citation
needed] With the group's early commercial success, they
were hailed as the New Artist of the Year at the 31st Golden Disc Awards and
the 26th Seoul Music Awards.
As of 2019, Blackpink is the highest-charting
female K-pop act on both Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, peaking at
number 41 with "Kill This Love", and
peaking at number 24 with Kill This Love, respectively. They are also the first and
only K-pop girl group to enter and top Billboard's Emerging Artists chart. They are also the first female
K-pop group to have four number-one singles on Billboard's World
Digital Song Sales chart. At the time of its release, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was the most-viewed Korean music 
video in the first 24 hours on YouTube, and in January 2019, it became the most viewed music
video by a K-pop group on the website.
video in the first 24 hours on YouTube, and in January 2019, it became the most viewed music
video by a K-pop group on the website.
BTS , also known as the Bangtan
Boys, is a seven-member South Korean boy band formed in Seoul in
2013. The septet co-writes and produces much of their output. Originally
a hip hop group, their musical style
has evolved to include a wide range of genres. Their lyrics, often focused on
personal and social commentary, touch on the themes of mental health, troubles
of school-age youth, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, and
individualism. Their work features references to literature and psychological
concepts and includes an alternative universe storyline.
Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several world tours.
The group initially formed as teenagers under Big Hit Entertainment and
released their debut single album, 2 Cool 4 Skool (2013). Subsequent work such as their
first U.S. Billboard 200 entries The Most
Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2 (2015), The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016),
and Wings (2016)
helped establish BTS' reputation as a socially conscious group. Wingsbecame
BTS' first album to sell one million copies in South Korea. By 2017, BTS
crossed into the international music market, leading the Korean Wave into the United States and breaking numerous
sales records, becoming the first Korean group to receive a certification by
the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA) with their single "Mic Drop". The band is the first and only Korean act as
of 2019 to top the U.S. Billboard 200 with their studio
album Love Yourself: Tear (2018)
and have since hit the top of the U.S. charts with their albums Love Yourself: Answer (2018)
and Map of the Soul: Persona (2019),
making BTS the first group since The Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than
a year. Love Yourself: Answer also broke South Korea's Gaon Album Chart's all-time monthly record previously set
by Love Yourself: Tear and became the first Korean album
certified Gold in the United States.
Having sold over fifteen million albums,[3] BTS are the best-selling artist in South Korea
of all time[citation
needed], and hold the best-selling
album in Korean history with Map of the Soul: Persona.
BTS were the second best-selling artists of 2018 worldwide according to
the IFPI's Global Artist Chart, as well as the only non-English
speaking artist to enter the chart. The group has won Top Social
Artist three years in a row and Top Duo/Group at
the 26th Billboard Music
Awards. Featured on Time's international cover as "Next Generation
Leaders", BTS has appeared in the magazine's 25 most influential people on
the internet (2017–2019) and Time's 100 most influential people in the world (2019), with the
outlet giving them the nickname 'Princes of Pop'. Forbes Korea named
BTS the most influential celebrities of Korea in 2018, and BTS ranked 43rd in
the Forbes Celebrity 100 (2019) as one of the world's
top-earning celebrities. In June 2019, BTS became the first Asian artist ever
to headline and sell out Wembley Stadium. BTS are worth more than $4.65 billion to
South Korea's economy each year, attracting one in every 13 foreign tourists
that visit the country, and are cited as one of the key acts 
boosting
global music sales to $19 billion in 2018, a figure not seen since 2006 after
digital purchases gained momentum.
boosting
global music sales to $19 billion in 2018, a figure not seen since 2006 after
digital purchases gained momentum.
Influence to the world:
K-pop has become the international face of South Korea thanks
to an extremely regimented, coordinated production system. More than any other
international music industry, K-pop has been strategically designed to earworm its way into
your brain — and to elevate South Korea and its culture onto the world stage.
