Book chronicles legendary pop music artists

 

Seo Taiji and Boys perform during their debut on MBC's talent show in April 1992. Korea Times file

'The Dance' rebuffs popular discourse about K-pop's progenitors

By Kang Hyun-kyung

A brief conversation between U.S. actress Emma Stone and talk show host Conan O'Brien in July 2015, which aired on TBS, gives a sneak peek into Americans' perception about Korean pop music, suggesting that K-pop was barely known to the U.S. public until very recently.

When Stone said that K-pop was her latest obsession, O'Brien reacted with the witty comment, "There're some people who think you're talking about a weird drug." As their conversation suggests, back in 2015, lucky88 six years ago, K-pop was an unfamiliar, strange thing that many Americans were not aware of.

Since the meteoric rise of the South Korean boy band BTS, there has been a media frenzy to examine the making of the global K-pop sensation, along with the people who are credited with taking musical artists of the once obscure country to the global stage. The big 4 entertainment agencies ― SM, JYP, YG and Big Hit ― are portrayed as the pioneering founders of Korea's unique training system and key contributors behind K-pop's global expansion.

In the recently released book, "The Dance: 100 Years of Korean Dance Music," published by SoMusic, the two authors ― singer-turned-radio show host Kang Won-rae and pop music critic Park Sung-geon ― rebuff this popular belief.

They claimed that the ongoing discourse about the progenitors of K-pop overstates the role of the four agencies and their founders, noting that there are numerous singers, mostly dance music artists, who laid the groundwork for K-pop's global appeal, but that their roles were omitted in media reports.

"H.O.T., SECHSKIES, Fin. K.L… You've probably heard about these names," the book reads. "There's one thing you need to know about how these groups emerged: they didn't rise to the top of the music scene by themselves. They learned music from somebody, got inspiration from one another and collaborated with their backup dancers on stage."

The authors imply that there were numerous collaborators whose roles were critical to enabling certain artists to rise to stardom, but these unknown backstage figures are forgotten.

"The Dance: 100 Years of Korean Dance Music" released by SoMusic

"The Dance: 100 Years of Korean Dance Music" is an ode to the headliners and legends in Korean pop music since 1928 when the nation was exposed to Western music for the first time through newspaper ads promoting American jazz musician Paul Whiteman's album.

The subtitle of the book is not technically correct, but the authors seem to claim that Korea's pop music history has lasted almost a century.
Based on extensive research and interviews with insiders and other key figures in the music industry, the book unveils the names of hundreds of singers who dominated the music charts of their times, from the 1920s to the present, and elaborates on how they paved the way for K-pop's ascent to global sensation.

The release of the book is historically significant in that it's the first text that has summarized Korea's pop music history based on the prominent singers of each decade, starting in the 1920s.

The authors claim that the lack of recorded data has led to an unproductive debate about music genres. In the 2000s, the authors say, there was a person who claimed he introduced hip-hop to Korea, a claim they said is not based on facts. "Hip-hop arrived in Korea far earlier than the 2000s. In the 1980s, for instance, there were singers who tried to emulate the American music genre," the book reads.

One of the big differences in searching for talent, between the 1990s and now, lies in the primary platforms through which artists are discovered.

Nowadays, stars are born via TV audition programs. But in the 1990s, it was an Itaewon-based nightclub, Moon Night, that attracted talent from all over the country. They would gather there and show off their dancing skills.

Backed by the popularity of dance music, the nightclub hosted dance competitions regularly to entertain their clients. The winners later got the public's attention through entertainment agencies who were there to discover Korea's next pop stars.

Moon Night served as a popular platform for aspiring singers to make their debuts and find success, the authors say. Park Nam-jung (likened to Michael Jackson for his amazing dance skills) Hyun Jin-young and several other legendary dance musicians of the 1990s were discovered at the nightclub.

Singer Kim Wan-sun was an unrivaled diva here in the late 1980s. Korea Times file

"The Dance: 100 Years of Korean Dance Music" sheds light on the pre-K-pop game changers.

Among others, singer Kim Wan-sun, who dominated the local music charts in the late 1980s with her bold stage manner, Seo Taiji and Boys, who created cult-like fandom, with several hit songs during their relatively short, but intense, time in the music scene, and male duo Clon, were emphasized for their respective significant roles in the Korean pop music history.

Calling 1980s diva Kim Wan-sun "Korea's Madonna," the authors said that Kim was one of the most undervalued singers during her time and even afterwards, despite her immense influence on Korean pop music.

"What she and her manager and aunt, Han Baek-hee, together achieved was unprecedented. Kim was a game changer in every aspect. She was different from the other singers of her time and even her stage costume, accessories and choreography… were all outlandish in a positive sense," the book reads. "She was an unrivaled diva in the late 1980s, but her reputation didn't exactly reflect her status in the music scene. Back then, singers with powerful voices were lauded, while those who were great at choreography didn't get due recognition. So she was depicted by many as a singer who outperformed others only in terms of dancing."

The book gives readers a rare peek into the behind-the-scenes stories about Kim's rise to stardom.

The authors say Kim was the product of her manager Han's years of ruthless training. Recognizing her talent, Han began to work with her niece when she was still a middle school student. Before her debut, Kim mingled with the nation's best dancers at a training center owned by her aunt. Her aunt made this space available for aspiring singers and dancers for free on the condition that they taught her niece how to dance.

"The way that Kim was trained before her debut is very similar to the trainee system K-pop agencies introduced later. Considering that SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man sought advice from Han, and that he's the man who trained K-pop bands H.O.T. and S.E.S. (two of the most successful groups in the 1990s), we believe that he was likely inspired by Han," the book reads.

Together with the 1980s dance star, Kim, "The Dance: 100 Years of Korean Dance Music" also analyzes the cultural phenomenon created by the three-member boy band, Seo Taiji and Boys. They were rebels and created a culture of resistance among teens.

"All three members of the band quit school to fully focus on improving their dancing skills and vocal training. Their fans reacted favorably to their single-minded devotion to make their dreams come true and thought they were just cool. Many teens quit school after that. Their influence on teenagers was enormous… During a National Assembly plenary session, one opposition lawmaker asked the then culture minister if she had any plan to address the hip-hop band's deleterious impact on teenagers."

Male duo Clon, consisting of author Kang Won-rae, behind, and his long-time friend Koo Jun-yup / Korea Times file

Male duo Clon, consisting of author Kang and his long-time friend Koo Jun-yup, is portrayed as the first K-pop band that sparked overseas fans' interest in Korean music. Since their debut in 1996, the duo conquered the music charts. They were popular both at home and in Taiwan with numerous hit songs.