The new faces of K-pop: South Korean music genre broadens its horizons

Kpop needs no introduction. Just mention BTS and people will immediately understand. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, its influence can be seen everywhere. But Korean pop music is changing. None of the members of the group Blackswan is Korean, formed about a year ago. The four members of Blackswan come from different countries, but they sing in Korean, and they have a familiar style, including their perfectly choreographed dance routines. We've checked all the details because there's four of us, and we have to do the same moves. Meme Shoes Black Swan's members include Fatou, a Senegalese Belgian rapper who's lived in South Korea for more than five years. Black Swan is a multicultural group. There are no Koreans and we all come from different countries, so it's unique. Yes, we are unique. The group has this music industry executive to thank for taking a gamble on them. Seen from a foreign perspective, South Korea is a mass producer of idols. That's where Black Swan is different from other groups. This group is very creative because it has a unique lifestyle, more attuned to Europe, Latin America and South Asia. That's what makes them more relaxed and free. K Pop has taken on a more international look in recent years. The trend has encouraged foreigners to visit South Korea to learn how to dance like their idols. They include Megan, a 17 year old Thai American dancer. My friend introduced me to like some K pop survival programs which when I started watching it, I was like, this is what I think I want to do in the future. So I searched up some like dance academies from Thailand and then I came to this studio and really enjoyed it. It's more open nowadays, so I feel like even foreigners, they also have a chance of becoming AK Pop item. Megan spends hours rehearsing the dance routine. She's due to perform at an audition for YG Entertainment, a major music label. She's one of five foreign performers hoping to get a break in the industry. I'm #8 for this whole audition. And there are 111 people auditioning for YG today. Depends on the companies, depends on the popularity of the company. But YG is one of the biggest companies, so there are many people's this time, yeah. The auditions being held at her dance school in Seoul, where photographs of former students who went on to become stars adorn the walls. Megan's moment arrives. She is less than 3 minutes to impress the label's representatives. I try my best and I think I rapped pretty well and dance really well today. The young dancer wasn't selected this time, but says she's not giving up. There are good economic reasons for reaching out to foreign artists now that Japan, Europe and America are becoming increasingly lucrative markets for K pop acts. The Korean market is limited, so it is necessary to look outside the country. But it's difficult to succeed in other countries with only Korean stars. That's why developing K pop depends on the formation of multinational groups. I'm expecting this trend to continue. While producers are pinning their hopes on foreign enthusiasts, sales of South Korean pop continue to grow while fans visit South Korea to discover more about the genre's birthplace. Overseas sales of albums reached a record of more than 100 million in 2023. Sales were driven by devotees who think nothing of spending large sums on music and merchandise featuring their favorite bands, many of them multiple times. So this is their most recent comeback and actually hosted group orders for them. So right now I have about 40 of these in my home, but they're not all mine. Obviously. Fans buy multiple copies of the same album because each contains a different collectible. You get 2, you get one of each type in the album. But if I collect two members and there's three versions, that means alone to get all of them, I have to buy six albums. And additionally, they're random. This is very slippery slope. So you kind of have to be smart about it to not let it just totally take over. Your life always builds first, and then everything else, you know? I just work around prioritizing. Major labels like JYP and SM Entertainment have taken their mission a step further, venturing as far as the US and Britain to discover the stars of the future. Many mixed race children born to American GIS and Japanese women were abandoned and stigmatised after World War Two. They would throw stones at us or tell us to leave the country. This trauma never really goes away. It's just surrealistic. You're trying to put two and two together and you don't. You've lived your whole life not knowing. But difficulty fitting in gradually subsides. People's impressions are a barrier sometimes. There was hatred everywhere, but that is in the past. Boy. So's Orphans Revisited on France 24 and france24.com.