K-pop or, more simply, Korean pop is bursting into our lives more and more rapidly. After the resounding success of the famous musician PSY, everyone, including Russia, paid attention to South Korean pop. In the last five years alone, the number of stars in this genre has grown by 72 percent.
According to recent surveys, 21 percent of Korean children, when asked what they would like to become in the future, answer: “K-pop star.”
On this moment V South Korea works great amount management companies engaged in “creating mega-stars.” They audition, teach, and then turn young talents into the most popular performers.
So why is this genre of music so attractive?
According to the author of an article from the American Rolling Stone, K-pop is a "mixture of trendy Western music and high-energy Japanese pop" and "hunts listeners' heads with repetitive hooks, sometimes English language" K-pop "treads the line of mixing styles, combining both singing and rapping and emphasizing action and powerful visuals."
We invite you to get to know five of the most sought-after and popular musicians in the K-pop genre.
G-Dragon
Let's start with young man with the pseudonym G-Dragon. For nine years now he has been a member of the BIGBANG team, engaged in solo career, and has already become a fashion icon of our time. In his wardrobe you can find the most fashionable new items - from Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Rick Owens, Balmain to street brands Hood By Air, KTZ, Ambush.
Naturally, this 26-year-old young man is always in the forefront at fashion shows. Among his friends: , and many others.
The guys from the SHINee team have been together since 2008. Foreign media call them the “princes of the K-pop scene,” and fans believe that this team best choreography and vocals that have ever been seen on the Korean scene. They came out in May of this year. new clip for the song View, which took first place in the ranking of the most viewed Korean videos for May 2015 in America and around the world.
Girls' Generation
Before Gangnam Style, the most popular Korean song on YouTube was Gee by the girl group Girls' Generation, founded in 2007. Just a couple of days ago it became known that the group's new track Lion's Heart had reached unprecedented heights - it became number one on the Billboard world chart.
The music and songs performed by the eight-member group belong to different genres, including K-Pop and bubblegum pop. According to journalists, what the public likes most is the way the members look, their “simplicity and restraint,” and their friendliness to fans and each other. Fans told the magazine that when Girls' Generation is on stage, it feels like sometimes they look you straight in the eyes and communicate with you personally.
The main character of the Gangnam Style video, rapper Hyuna, also sings and has become quite a popular lady. In Korea, her Bubble pop video was banned from being shown on television as it was corrupting young people. They even banned the public performance of the song and its choreography.
Every year Hyuna's work becomes more popular and interesting. Now the “bubble” girl has released a new video called Roll Deep, where she looks like the Korean Iggy Azalea.
BEAST debuted on October 16, 2009 on the KBS music show Music Bank with the single Bad Girl. After their debut, the group released their first mini-album, Beast Is the B2ST. They were not taken seriously for a long time until, during the promotion of the single Shock, the group performed an orchestral version of the Noel ballad Despite Holding On. After this, they were recognized as a group with outstanding vocal abilities.
Roman Litvinov, better known as Mujuice, is perhaps the most notable performer electronic music in Russia last decade. The artist has more than a dozen full-length releases, a minority of which were recorded with live vocals.
The last such album was Amore e morte, released last year. The release got lost in the flow new music and was not as successful as, for example, Cool Cool Death!, released ten years ago. Despite this, Mujuice is still popular today; musicians such as Zemfira Ramazanova do not hesitate to collaborate with him, and the performer himself is a welcome participant in major Russian and foreign festivals.
2. Antokha MC
“Antokha MC” is a musician from Moscow who started by studying in music school in the “Trumpet” class, and now one of the most promising Russian hip-hop artists.
In Anton’s work you can find echoes of 5’nizza and Mikhey, but in general it is quite original - it is not hip-hop in the classical sense of the term. The music is influenced by funk and reggae, and an additional highlight is the accompaniment, which in some songs is played by a trumpet.
3. Medjikul
The absence of the St. Petersburg group “Medzhikul” in radio and TV rotation is quite possibly a temporary phenomenon. Their debut album “Everything about Marfa” has everything to please almost any listener: you can dance to both incendiary and slow dancing, they want to sing along, while the music itself is very far from the tired pop music.
“Medzhikul” is perhaps the first group in Russia that performs music in the genre of rhythm and blues of the 70s - the so-called Motown Sound. St. Petersburgers skillfully combine the features of this genre with modern musical techniques and funny lyrics in Russian, as a result their compositions sound fresh and familiar at the same time.
4. Harajiev Smokes Virginia!
A group from Kazan, which started in 2009 with killer math-rock, now performing indie rock with elements of pop music. The group has six full-fledged releases, each of which will probably remain forever in the memory of my smartphone.
There are only three people in the group, the main instrumental core consists of drums, bass, guitar and vocals. There are other tools used in HSV records, but this minimum set enough to perform songs at concerts. If you love playful and romantic guitar music, do not understand English lyrics and have no prejudices about high-pitched male vocals, then Harajiev Smokes Virginia! you'll like it.
5.Motorama
Rostov-on-Don gave fans of hip-hop “Casta”, and fans of modern independent music - the couple Vlad and Irina Parshin, who were at the origins of the projects Motorama, “Morning” and “Bergen Kremer” (“Summer in the City”). Motorama is considered to be the main project of the musicians: the band’s discography includes four full-length and two mini-albums, and the tour map extends far beyond Russia.
Motorama's work is usually classified as post-punk and twee-pop. Unpretentious progressions and melodies, a 4/4 time signature and minimalistic accompaniment make Motorama's music simple and enjoyable.
6. Thank you
"Musical group from Moscow" is full text annotations in the “Thank you” community “VKontakte”. The participants do not try to show off the variety of style tags and do not compare themselves with the hegemons of the genres. The band's style is truly difficult to describe without resorting to boring musical terms. Speaking in simple words, "Thank You" - playful and sometimes experimental guitar rock with intelligent texts in their native language.
7. BCH
BCH is a project of Moscow musician Viktor Isaev. It all started with the album “Minion”, released in 2014, unusual both in form and content. Quality R&B and soul are not very common in Russian music, and BCH not only became a good alternative to James Blake, but also released an original experimental release. “Minion” is the album where very non-Russian music is combined with the most Russian lyrics - poems by poets of the Silver Age.
The latest release of the BCH “Hellenic Secret” was recorded with the author’s texts. The music itself has also undergone changes: the songs are different from each other and combine echoes of many directions - from trip-hop to retrowave.
8. Pinkshinyultrablast
Pinkshinyultrablast is a shoegaze band from St. Petersburg and the only Russian band that Pitchfork likes to write about. Shoegaze is an alternative rock genre that originated in England in the late 80s. Music of this style is characterized by specific work with guitar effects and the detached behavior of musicians on stage, absorbed in this work.
In Russia, the boom of shoegaze music in the 80s and 90s went unnoticed, which is why this genre is still not popular among a wide audience. Pinkshinyultrablast do not count on success with Russian listeners: they give concerts abroad much more often than in Russia.
9. On-The-Go
A group from Togliatti, which started in hometown from killer dance-rock and later changed both genre and place of residence. After moving to the capital, the Togliatti residents were taken under the wing of the Xuman Records label, and the very first release In The Wind marked the beginning of the group’s creativity in a new style. Now On-The-Go is a Moscow band working in the indie-pop genre and sounding completely un-Russian.
10. Sirotkin
Moscow bard Sergei Sirotkin proves year after year that in Russia you can become popular performer just playing beautiful music. The pursuit of fashion, the desire to turn creativity into bold experiments - this is not about Sirotkin. Here there is only a guitar and a young man with a beautiful voice.
Introducing the list best singers 2019, which can be included in the TOP 40 best celebrities in the world. The rating included both emerging artists and “sharks” music industry, which gather entire stadiums, and fans around the world are waiting for new concerts, videos and songs from these singers of our time.
TOP 40 famous women in music
Adele
The photo shows an exotic singer, as well as an actress and designer
Ariana Grande
It was with the Broadway musical "13" that the singer's career in show business began.
Lady Gaga - in the Top 10
The photo shows a producer, actress, designer, philanthropist and singer who captivates the public with incredible charisma and outrageousness.
Emotional, tender and reverent jazz and pop singer.
Pink
Alisha Beth Moore (real name Pink) is the rebel singer pictured who is also the perfect mom and wife.
Christina Aguilera
The photo shows one of the most popular singers modernity, which is distinguished by an incredibly thin and clear voice.
Demi Lovato
Taylor Swift
The photo shows a country pop singer who became popular 10 years ago. And since then she has only confirmed her status as the most beautiful and talented woman on the planet.
Kelly Clarkson
Katy Perry
Singer and actress who began her career in show business at the age of 15.
Shakira
One of the most beautiful Latinas on the planet. Talented singer and a happy mother of two sons. Moreover, she managed to steal the heart of one of the most handsome men world - the talented and sexy football player Gerard Pique. Shakira should definitely be on the list the most beautiful and sexy Latinas
Celine Dion
The photo shows an artist who has been delighting with her creativity for several decades. It is her voice that is associated with legendary film"Titanic". "I will always love you" is the No. 1 hit in love in the world.
Carey Underwood
Mariah Carey
Having been on stage for so many years, the artist knows what the public likes.
Lana Del Rey
Lorde
Ellie Goldwing
The photo shows the singer who became popular thanks to the soundtracks to the erotic trilogy “50 Shades of Grey”. She has an incredibly alluring and exciting voice, according to men. And beauty is so reverent that it rightfully occupies a prominent place in the list of the most beautiful women singers of the world.
Whitney Houston
Madonna
A singer who is considered a true veteran of the stage. But despite such a long creative activity, she knows what shocking means and how to surprise a very demanding audience.
Selena Gomez
On the picture young singer, who has already managed to gain a foothold in the status of the most beautiful women on the planet.
Gwen Stefani
Avril lavigne
Miley Cyrus
Shocking and more shocking is the motto of this artist, who is not shy about undressing in public and demonstrating her quirky character in every possible way.
Britney Spears
A singer who became famous in her youth. Over the years it has passed the real way growing from a teenage girl who suddenly became famous to a real woman.
Kesha
Jennifer Lopez
Incredible JLo in the photo, who at 50 looks at most 30.
Nicki Minaj
And now for something completely different...
Let's admit it to ourselves: you can listen to rock, electronics, metal, rap and hip-hop, jazz, classical music, folk tunes - in general, everything that comes to your mind - but the fact remains: you like several, and maybe even several dozen pop songs. Don't even think about denying it. It's like if you suddenly release smelly farts in the company of friends: it's embarrassing, but you need to confess. What is natural is not ugly. And there is nothing surprising in this - given the fact that any music is made for one and only one purpose - to earn as much money as possible - the composers who create this chaos fundamentally try to compose melodies that would be firmly rooted in your brain and never again they didn't leave him. It's like Coca-Cola - for decades its creators have tried to create a taste that everyone would like: believe me, those people who say they don't like it are lying to you and themselves. You may hate a particular song, but sooner or later you will admit to yourself that you hum it in the shower or while cooking breakfast.
However, what is pop music? In fact, unfortunately, the concept of popular music includes almost all genres, except classical, jazz and folk music, - that is, everything that was invented by man behind recent years sixty. So both the gorgeous blonde with curly curls who adores Rihanna and the hairy bearded man hung with inverted crosses who prefers all kinds of rock burps like Marduk are actually both pop people. But personally, like many modern musicologists, I think that this idea of pop music is quite outdated. I am used to dividing music into two areas: that which musicians write for themselves, and that which is created solely to make money. It’s precisely the second category that is pop music. Good example: Iron Maiden. On the one hand, they enjoy considerable commercial success and sell millions of records every year, but on the other hand, they never took anyone's preferences into account and recorded only the music that they themselves liked. But, for example, Def Leppard always tried to follow modern trends and recorded only what was popular at the moment. This is how I see the essence of the issue. With all this, today, when you say the word “pop,” you usually mean the music that is played day and evening on MTV, Muz-TV and similar commercial channels. These are the same songs that have filled the airwaves of almost any radio, preventing other performers from moving forward and absorbing the minds of listeners.
And since I’m in a very intricate mood today, I propose that we together give praise to some representatives of the trend we described above, who for some reason I like along with my favorite rock bands. Meet: Top-5 Pop artists!
5)Lady Gaga
Yes, that's it. I agree, she has many disgusting flaws. For example, her so-called shocking behavior (this is when she puts on a dress made of meat or dresses like a crazy alien from the planet Plutaric) is actually nothing more than standard posing. We've been through this more than once: the painted faces of Kiss and the stupid masks of Slipknot are just two examples of such self-promotion, which may sometimes work, but does not at all add weight to their music. It’s the same here: Gaga can dress how she wants and dress up as whoever she wants, but this will not affect her songs in any way. And even more so the way she sings live: this is a real disaster. At one time, I made my way to a concert of this performer in Moscow and take my word for it when I say that I have not heard such disgrace for a long time. Not only did the backing track (a noble name for a soundtrack) constantly play during the concert, but while Gaga did deign to sing live, she did it worse than the March cat. Guard. What did she forget in my rating? Well, let's start with the fact that, unlike many pop performers, she comes up with almost all the music and arrangements for her songs herself (in collaboration with someone, of course, but that’s not the point). Moreover, these songs are so catchy that I personally could not help but fall for their blatant melodicity. Yes, in some places they sound too pretentious, especially when she begins to distinguish herself from the crowd and invents non-existent genres like artpop and says that with her music she makes the world a better place. However, this doesn’t make her songs any worse, and I continue to listen to them from time to time.
4) Robbie Williams
Another representative of the genre who likes to hang strange labels on himself like adult contemporary. What does it mean? The same pop music, but only for adults? However, let's not start on a negative note. Robbie Williams is one of those performers who combines everything that is contained in such a concept as pop music: style, melody and simple but high-quality arrangements. Moreover, he, unlike the same Gaga, manages to put a little more of that sacred into his music, which is usually lacking in standardized pop music. Both in him and in his songs there is some elusive touch of longing for something more, for something that no one can ever achieve. However, it is quite possible that I am thinking too much about what is actually simpler than steamed turnips. At the same time, it cannot be denied that he stands out very favorably against the general faceless background of modern show business: in addition to good-quality music, Robbie tries to behave in such a way that no one can ever accuse him of cheap PR. He doesn’t get involved in scandals, doesn’t disparage other musicians, doesn’t get involved in defending the rights of minorities and animals (which, by the way, Gaga is very guilty of) and doesn’t dress like he just graduated from school for aspiring strippers yesterday. The flag is in his hands! And the way he performed Supreme deserves the highest praise!
3) Katy Perry
Well, here, of course, someone can interrupt me and ask: how can such a singer be ranked higher than the same Robbie Williams. Yes, I admit that Katy Perry is an almost perfect embodiment of all possible pop clichés: crazy outfits, incomprehensible concern for environment, shockingly meaningless clips and lyrics such that you might as well hang yourself. However, despite all this, there is no denying that her songs are incredibly catchy, and at times even absolutely beautiful. But the most important thing that made me place her in third place in my ranking is her sense of humor. Katie perfectly understands what and why she performs, and she approaches it with such ease and sense of humor that she immediately won my heart. Her video clips are filled with jokes about herself, the lyrics of her songs are of course stupid, but at the same time they do not lack a good sense of humor - she is like Spinal Tap from pop music: she is perfectly aware of all the clichés and laws that her genre imposes on her and instead, to fight them, she turns them to her advantage. And... wins. After her songs, my mood always lifts, and a stupid, but at the same time quite sweet smile appears on my face. I hope that in the future she will not slide into excessive pretentiousness and seriousness, which ruins many pop performers.
2) Pet Shop Boys 
Here, of course, one can argue that they perform electronic music and not pop music, but the participants themselves have repeatedly stated in their interviews that they record and play pop music and not anything else. And if the performers themselves think so, then why should we argue with them? This English duo manages to write such melodic and beautiful music that at one time almost everyone listened to it, although they were afraid to admit it. Moreover, there is something in their music that attracts me to them again and again: I have always associated their compositions with a flight into space, they are so transcendental and weightless. Monotonous, seemingly unearthly vocals, interesting keyboard arrangements and so on a large number of subtleties and echoes that often distinguish good music from bad - all this makes the Pet Shop Boys simply a unique group. There were and still are many legends around them (in particular regarding their personal lives), but they personally never succumbed to all the dirt and filth of the mass media market. Personally, I have always believed that music does not tolerate posing and showing off, and judging by their behavior, the members of this group agree with me one hundred percent. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that the Pet Shop Boys rank second in the number of cover versions of their songs among rock bands, which also really says a lot. Who takes first place? But who...
P.S.: I haven’t mentioned a couple of other performers who also tempt me from time to time, but personally I was a little lazy to devote too much time to pop music. So be content with this, ladies and gentlemen.