How social media has helped launch K-pop into the mainstream.

K-pop; the word elicits some reaction for most people. Some love it, some hate it, some are intrigued or confused by it. Whatever your feelings may be, we can’t deny the power of K-pop. 

K-pop has been around for decades, longer than many of its fans have been alive, but for most westerners it feels like a new global phenomenon that just took over the music scene. Wherever you look in music these days you will find K-pop. Whether it’s an award show, a collaboration, or a feature in rolling stone, these artists are everywhere now. 

The Korean wave as it is called long took over Asia but most attempts to break into the western music scene weren’t successful. Some artists like Big Bang and CLC managed to break through the western wall but never into the mainstream media. It wasn’t until PSYs global smash hit “Gangnam Style” went viral in 2012 was the “k-wave” propelled into the mainstream.

Social media can be a beautiful thing. It has the power to make virtually anything an overnight success. And social media has been the driving force behind the success of K-pop. Sites like YouTube, Twitter (now called X), Instagram, and TikTok have made K-pop more accessible to people all over the world and introduced people to an entire world of music that they never knew about or never really paid attention to before. 

How many times has YouTube suggested videos to you that you would have never searched for, or you have been scrolling on TikTok and videos pop up that aren’t part of your usual for you page, but you stop and watch anyway?

Whether you think it’s here for a good time or a long time you can’t deny the impact K-pop has had on the music scene. Groups such as BTS, Blackpink, Seventeen, Stray Kids, Le Sserafim, Ateez, NCT, New Jeans, etc are now able to be nominated and perform at western award shows and headline music festivals all over the world. In 2021, BTS became the first Asian artist to win Artist of the Year at the AMAs as well as the first K-pop group to be nominated for a Grammy and were nominated for 3 years straight. 

None of it would have been possible without the help of social media launching their music onto the phones and into the homes of people all over the world. 

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