"For a while, it was impossible to move without Gangnam Style pounding the eardrums — whether it was SuperBowl commercials, flash mobs, primetime TV performances or mobile ringtones chiming away," Omid Scobie, an expert on the entertainment industry and K-pop genre, says in the lengthy online article headlined "Whatever happened to Psy and K-pop’s bid to conquer the world?"
"Every corner of the globe, it seemed, had become obsessed with Psy's viral hit in 2012," says Scobie, the European bureau chief for U.S. Weekly magazine and founder of Korean entertainment news site, IdolWow!
In the article, talent manager Scooter Braun attributes the global K-pop boom to a large investment in K-pop videos.
"K-pop as a genre invests a lot in their music videos, with unique and vibrant visuals and even a bit of an exoticness to them," Braun says, adding that "these larger than life visuals allowed fans who may not understand the language to still understand the music."
Braun says: "The fact that fans around the world can see content online is really helping to establish K-pop outside of Korea and Asia."
Regarding K-pop concerts, the article notes that the 2013 Alive Galaxy Tour took South Korean boy band Big Bang to 48 international stadiums worldwide, including sold-out shows at London's Wembley Arena.
"And for those still unaware of the genre, Braun's next discovery could be about to change things. Step forward 24-year-old Korean pop sensation, CL," it says. "CL is tipped by some to make K-pop a global phenomenon." CL is leader of popular K-pop girl group 2NE1.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
