Before anything, what even is K-pop for those out there who don’t know? K-pop is Korean Pop. This type of music has become very popular all around the globe and you may have even seen or heard some of your friends talking about it and trying to get you into it (honestly I wouldn’t know about it if it weren’t for my cousin). In case you’ve never heard any K-pop songs, remember “Gangnam Style,” because that is a K-pop song. Although, if you haven’t heard of that song or just don’t remember it, above is a song called “DOPE” by BTS, an extremely popular group.

A few anonymous K-Pop fans have been asked questions on what exactly they feel K-Pop is, and what makes it so likable to them.

Person 1: “I think K-Pop is a door to a different culture. It’s knowledge you know, it’s deep that you can feel something without knowing what they’re saying, along with a little taste of Korea. Learning different things and get a feel of what its like to be over there. I love knowledge, I love learning. I recommend BTS obviously, because they are so well organized. Like if you’re going to be listening to K-Pop, BTS is definitely the first you should listen to. They’re organized, they keep things nice, they switch up their style, and also, they just know how to connect with you.  I’m just sayin, my babies work hard. What got me into K-Pop? Honestly, I’ve always been a Jay Park fan even though he does not claim K-Pop anymore, but I’ve always searched for different things to get into and one day my friend told me to listen to BTS and now I listen to BTS. But Jay Park dropped K-Pop because where K-Pop customs and rules are so strict, he was in a bad place where he was getting abused. Like it’s crazy strict rules, like when they walk down the street they can’t even look at people sometimes, can’t date a person, can’t talk to a person, they basically can’t breathe, ok?”

Person 2: ” K-Pop is a Korean pop band. My favorite group would probably have to be BTS, which my friend Hudson introduced me to around last year, and ever since I’ve just been into it. Like, my first thought was ‘ I don’t understand any of it but I like it!’ If I were to recommend K-Pop to people, I would be careful because people sometimes get frustrated on the fact that they can’t understand it but, if you’re just one of those people who want to try new things, then I recommend it. To the people that have a problem with the fact that they don’t know what the songs are saying, I say just give it a chance.”

Person 3: ” K-Pop to me is a way to experience something new and different than the American culture. K-Pop is a way for me to embrace different cultures and learning things from a different perspective. It taught me life lessons and that there are other people and places that work hard and could be having a much more difficult time than here in America.  I like K-Pop so much because it relieves a type of stress that only music can relieve, it helps me be more open-minded on the world, I can learn new languages, and expose myself to a different culture rather than be biased to America my whole life. What’s wrong with liking something that is different than what I was raised on? It allows me to be myself because I genuinely like it. my favorite group is BTS only because their music connects and relates to me. I learned of three groups before BTS but I chose BTS music as my favorite because it felt like my concerns and heart was being helped. Their music is about youth, growing up, love, and in my opinion puberty. Their music makes me happy because no average person is brave enough to talk about things that aren’t normal. Who would I recommend K-Pop to? I obviously would recommend myself thank you very much. But honestly, I would recommend K-Pop to people who want to experience something new, see a different part of the world from a different perspective, or people who just want to….you know….be more passionate and mind blown.  I would recommend K-Pop to anyone who is willing to try something new. Plus, it’s fun trying to identify choreography and dancing to them. You can appreciate K-Pop or let some variety into your life. I’m not one to say what people should like. But I like K-Pop, and I like variety.”

»Top 10 Popular K-Pop Groups!«

• BTS
• EXO
• Wanna One
• BTOB
• JBJ
• SEVENTEEN
• Super Junior
• Highlight
• SHINee
• INFINITE

K-Pop is just one gigantic community of over 35 million worldwide fans that consider each other family and can all share this amazing cultural interest with one another. People in our own school are a part of this lifestyle. Though K-Pop may not be for everyone, if one is interested they should try to get into it, it’s a great experience to at least learn and get to learn to love.