II. The Evolution of Kpop:: Late 1990s: Introducing The Idols

Kpop has evolved over several generations since the early 1990s. The first generation began in 1992 with the group Seo Taiji and Boys, who helped establish the first entertainment companies. The golden age of the second generation saw extremely popular groups in the early 2000s that helped spread Kpop worldwide. The third generation beginning in 2011 saw Kpop become more creative and diverse, with companies producing groups of different ethnicities and the music blending various genres to spread Kpop's global influence.

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II. The Evolution of Kpop:: Late 1990s: Introducing The Idols

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II.

The evolution of Kpop:

 Late 1990s: Introducing the Idols:
The earliest form of Kpop started in the early 1900's, during Japanese rule and continued
to evolve long after. The music called Trot, is actually a modified version of Japanese
enka style. The Korean people infused the music with their woe's and sorrows, making it
their own.
 The very first Kpop group ( Gen 1):
Unlike other musical genres, contemporary Kpop start can be pinpointed to a certain date:
April 11th of 1992, when the groups Seo Taiji and The Boys performed their music on
TV for the first time. This was the driving force that also led to the formation of all your
favorite idol groups, with SM Entertainment being established in 1995, JYP
Entertainment in 1997, and YG Entertainment in 1998. The very first K-Pop idol group
to exist was H.O.T., which debuted in 1996.
 Early 2000s until the late 2010s ( Gen 2):
There is so much to say about the 2nd generation because this is the golden age of the
Korean music industry. BoA, DBSK, Big Bang to Super Junior, SNSD, T-ara, Kara,
2AM and 2PM, SHINee, f (x), miss A, SISTAR ... are the representatives of this period.
Until 2009, a giant storm called "Kpop group" swept the music race, bringing in a large
number of "cool" factors.
Their unique, distinctive choreographies, captivating melodies, and lyrics captured the
hearts of many. This was when ballads and mellow love songs also started becoming
more popular. But even with slow melodies, Kpop never fails to incorporate intricate
choreography and movement to their performances—a very crucial aspect of the industry.
 The late 2010s till now (Gen 3):
The third generation started in 2011. Some people say it ended in early 2018, while
others claim that this generation is ongoing. It can definitely be seen that Kpop has
evolved from the first generation to the present era. It has become more creative,
expressive, and brave when it comes to the message of their lyrics. The music has
become more modern with combinations of different genres such as techno, rock, ballad,
etc.
Companies these days are more open to producing groups of different origins and
ethnicity (unlike before, where all the idols had to be purely Korean). Some groups from
this generation include EXO, Blackpink, BTS, Twice, Red Velvet, iKON, GOT7,
Winner, Apink, G-friend, and CLC. This era continues to spread K-Pop’s infectious
charm all over the world with their on-point choreographies and awesome performances.