10 Things All K-pop Groups Have in Common

Hey guys, welcome to Off The Grid, it's Mike. It's Dan. Again, if you haven't seen it already, check out the Doble Chen Show. That's right. Click right here. Double Chen Show. Check it out. Double Chen Show. Anyway, today we are going to talk to you about K-pop bands. Now you know K-pop bands, artists, and other entertainers have been all the rage over the past years. People, not me, but people go crazy over them. One of the most well-known K-pop singers in America is, of course, Psy. Oppa Gangnam Style. I mean, he's riding a horse. Yeah, and he's got a lasso. But whether it be a girl band or a boy band, here are 10 common traits that all K-pop bands share. Let's start with the basics. Most K-pop bands consist of like four to nine people. That's a lot of people. Of course, there are exceptions such as Super Junior, originally 13 members, or EXO, originally 12. There is SNSD, a nine-member girl band, actually they are eight now, or ZEA, a nine-member boy band. I mean, even nine people, that's still a lot of people. That's Backstreet Boys plus 98 Degrees. Right. I mean, the bands we're used to in the Western culture are normally around five-year-a-take. Look, it's three, mostly four, and five. That's it, max. Yo, I used to love Old Town. Oh, yeah. Old Town was awesome. Because I want it all, we're nothing at all. Hey, I'm not going to complain about a nine-girl girl band, though. You shouldn't. And I shouldn't. K-pop bands usually consist of one leader. The leader's role is to keep the members under control, and is usually someone who can connect with all the members and resolve conflicts, kind of like a baseball manager. Now, leaders shoulder heavier responsibilities, as they also have to pay attention to group However, the leader is not always the eldest member of the band, nor are they equivalent to the lead singer or lead vocal, who is often a different member of the band. An example would be boy band Block B, whose leader is Zico, but lead singer is Taeil, who also happens to be the eldest member. Same for Big Bang, whose eldest member is TOP, but has GD as leader. Now, we're not saying these are definite. There are groups like girl band Miss A, who don't have a designated leader, but the majority of K-pop bands do. As each band gains more and more popularity, they eventually gain their own fan club. Naturally, and each of the fan clubs have their own names. For example, Big Bang has VIP, Girls' Generation has Songs, 2PM has Hottest, and Beast has Beauties. Oh, I see what they did there. They also have their own official colors that are used on their lightsticks, balloons, or other fan items. It is like a team. They got like a club. They got balloons. They got mascots. They have mascots? I don't think they have mascots. They have fan clubs. They should have mascots. So, using the earlier examples, Big Bang is yellow, Girls' Generation is pink, 2PM is K-pop groups tend to be composed of pretty girls or pretty boys. And I sometimes have difficulties telling them apart. I always have difficulties telling them apart. Don't get mad at us. They are also dressed up very fashionably. The pretty boy image and the K-pop fashion are also why many Westerners consider men in Korea to be feminized. It's interesting how the way you were brought up dictates so much of how you think and how you feel. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I mean, it's the whole thing about nature versus nurture, right? Yeah, and because of the way Koreans and many other Asian ethnicities alike were brought up, their standards of what is attractive is kind of different from those in other countries. Yeah, we've definitely talked a lot about that. Therefore, what they think is masculine and attractive in a man is way different from many other predisposed ideals. And it's also because they wear eyeliner and stuff and other makeup items that I can't name. No matter boy band or girl band, eyeliner is always involved somehow, somewhere. And of course, for those that think, whoa, eyeliner on a guy, that's bad enough. Wait till you see them take it to the next step. Check out these man shadows these boys sport on. 2PM's I'll Be Back and MBLAQ's Cry. Yo, eyeliner, you know, never, ever. Now K-pop groups tend to always dance in some sort of heavily themed or futuristic room. And I know what you K-pop fanatics are thinking, only SM Entertainment does that. Oh no, trust me, all of the companies do it. Check these out. Speaking of dancing, K-pop groups almost always dance in the music videos. It's like a trademark. Yup. And it doesn't matter if it's a slower song or a more upbeat song, there's always some choreography. Here's an example of a slow song. And here's an example of upbeat. Not only are the songs super catchy, the choreography, you know, I gotta admit, is kinda catchy. They're pretty good dancers. Bands from all over the world make covers of the dance and post them on YouTube or other social media. They even have competitions to see who can create the best cover. K-pop groups have at least one song, if not many songs, about heartbreak and or tragic story. Always. Yeah, you would love that. I know. Now they tend to be overly dramatic, usually involve and progress into the following sequence. Sadness, flashbacks, anger, throwing of household objects and breaking furniture. And finally, crying. But regardless of what kind of videos they make, the K-pop industry always manages to bring in new fans and new viewers. Like we said earlier, this is especially true in Asia. K-pop is so widely popular in Asia and other parts of the world that the bands often come out with Japanese, Chinese, and even English versions of their songs. I mean, they are so influential that not only the music, but their fashion, hairstyle, and other trends have also spread to other parts of the world. Mike, why don't you show us your best K-pop move? You didn't think I was going to do that. You did think I was going to do that. I just put you on the spot. I think one of our viewers dared you to do a K-pop move. What is a K-pop move? Oh, I got one. I got one. Yeah, do it. Oh yeah, that's good. That's pretty good. You know what would be a funny premise? If me and you started our own K-pop band and we auditioned the leftover seven spots. Yeah, we're going to do it. Let us know. But we would break the boundaries. It could be girls and boys. Yeah, if you want to be in our K-pop band, ladies, let us know. Let us know. All right, guys. Thanks so much for watching. See you later. Peace.