Rock music, once considered a "non-mainstream genre" or a "past trend," is now taking a big stride toward into the mainstream. K-pop idol groups are differentiating themselves with band concepts, and rock bands that have broken away from the "indie" label have attracted overseas fans as well. K-pop groups, which are styled as bands, are also climbing the charts.
More K-pop Groups Adopting Band Concepts, Like RIIZE and H1-KEY
SM Ent.'s boy group RIIZE has released "Get A Guitar" as their debut single, followed by "Talk Sexy," inspired by the saxophone, and their latest album's title track "Boom Boom Bass," which features the bass guitar. EXO's member Suho, also under SM, released a solo album filled with rock music in May. He explained, "I studied rock during my military service and wanted to express that 'Suho is sincere about rock.'"
Girl group H1-KEY achieved a surprise hit with "Rose Blossom," written by DAY6's Young K, last year, earning them the "miracle of the small-company idol" title. In their latest album, released last month, they adopted a rebellious punk band image. (G)I-DLE saw great success earlier this year with "Fate" which reminds the public of a Japanese pop band.
Pop Bands Like DAY6 and QWER Top the Music Charts
K-pop-oriented pop bands are also enjoying popularity. JYP Ent.'s band DAY6, debuting in 2015, is experiencing its peak. Unlike typical K-pop boy groups who often lose popularity when they return from military service, DAY6's old songs have resurged in the music charts, and they drew over 34,000 fans to a three-day concert at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul last April. Young K commented, "The structure of band music with real instruments remains consistent over time, making it timeless."
Xdinary Heroes, also under JYP, sold out three solo concerts from July 5-7 and will meet fans in Los Angeles and New York starting July 17. Girl band QWER, made up of social media stars, has had their song "T.B.H" in the top 10 of the Melon weekly chart for nearly three months. ONEWE, a boy band from Mamamoo's agency RBW, is also steadily gaining popularity.
"Exhaustion from the Fixated K-pop Trends Leads to Band Music Popularity"
Rock bands are eyeing overseas markets. Silica Gel, one of the most popular rock bands in Korea, was invited to Spain's "Primavera Sound" and Australia's "Vivid Sydney." Wave To Earth, which debuted in 2019, has performed in over 30 cities worldwide. The Rose became the first Korean rock band to chart on the US Billboard album chart.
There is also an evident interest in band music. Seohyeon Kyu, director of MPMG, which manages many indie bands, noted, "With more festivals, the demand for bands on stage has increased, and bands with some fandom have seen their appearance fees rise compared to last year."
Analysts suggest that interest in band music is partly due to exhaustion from the fandom-oriented K-pop market. A music critic commented, "As K-pop, especially boy groups, have become more business-oriented around fandoms, the fatigue has grown. Some of the demand for popular and familiar melody-centered music seems to be shifting towards band music."
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