The Rise of K-Pop
How K-pop became a global sensation and reshaped music and South Korea's economy.

The last decade has seen the rise of many genres besides the traditional big boys, and there has hardly been any rise as meteoric as that of K-pop. Within ten years, the entire Korean entertainment industry has gone from fringe to major, and K-pop is a big part of that. From the Pacific Ocean to the corners of the world, K-pop is one of the revelations of the decade alongside Afropop.

In this article, I’ll talk about how K-pop went from national to international. Join me to explore the history and explosion of K-pop. We’ll also look at some insane numbers and see the top three K-pop bands.

In the beginning…

K-pop roots probably go as far back as any of us have been alive, but K-pop as we know it started in 1992. Seo Taiji and Boys took traditional Korean music and smelted American styles into it to give us what we call K-pop today. It became a national sensation and a flurry of new K-pop groups began. The recipe was ready. Find a blend of genres, a group of physically attractive but talented stars, and creative choreographies. The perfect mix of these gave us the first K-pop supergroup, H.O.T.

The 2000s saw the rise of a second generation of K-pop groups. G.O.D debuted in 1999 but they became one of the first second-generation groups. They took over the South Korean music industry using the same recipe cooked up by the first generation. After all this, however, K-pop was still a national treasure. Nobody outside the small island appreciated it yet.

That all changed with the third generation.

The Explosion

Social media's arrival opened the world, and people began to notice what was happening in South Korea. One by one, K-pop groups began to turn heads and make a mark on fans outside their borders. In 2012, Korean rapper Psy released Gangnam Style, a hit that reached a billion views. The world never heard of Psy again, but he had done his part in bringing K-pop to the global scene.

Five years after Psy’s hit, in 2017, another K-pop group turned enough heads to earn an AMA performance, their first-ever US performance. The group was called BTS. That performance was the explosion that blew through all the barriers. They released an album six months after that performance called Love Yourself: Tear, and it shot up to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. BTS wasn’t just another K-pop group, they became the K-pop group.

Since then, K-pop has gone from a national sensation to a global phenomenon. Music audiences have always been used to worshipping young, good-looking artists. For so long, however, the artists have been American. One Direction, Justin Bieber, and Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) among others have all had a go at it. The same thing was happening for Gen Z, but with BTS, an Asian group based in Asia.

Records have fallen, stereotypes have melted away. K-pop has been accepted, arms wide open, by the whole world.

What do the numbers say?

K-pop has taken a firm grip on the global market and the numbers prove it. According to a report by Spotify, people listened to K-pop almost eight billion times every month. That’s an insane number of plays for a whole year but K-pop is hitting that monthly. K-pop groups have also toppled several world records. In 2020, BTS set the record for most YouTube views in one day with over a hundred million within 24 hours. That number has since grown to nearly two billion views now.

K-pop numbers don’t just stop at streams and views. There has been a significant economic effect since the rise of the genre. South Korea has always been a major exporter in the technology sector, but a new market has come up. K-pop has become a major export for the Asian country.

Korea reports that there over two hundred million fans worldwide. That throng of fans helped generate over nine hundred million USD in 2022, and the numbers don’t seem to be coming down. There’s still plenty of ground for K-pop to cover so I have no doubt these numbers are child’s play compared to what’s coming.

The Top Three

BTS

There is no question which K-pop group holds the most sway. BTS announced themselves to the world in 2017 and haven’t looked back since. They weren’t an overnight sensation. The group started in 2010 and kept grinding until the limelight shone on them. They had already released two studio albums before breaking into the American market, but their third album was the real push into stardom. BTS hold a wild amount of records worldwide and in Asia.

They haven’t released an album since 2020 in part due to their mandatory service in the Korean army, but their fanbase has remained undeterred. BTS are still the most streamed K-pop group of all time. Their fans even have a name, BTS Army. The whole world is anticipating their return in 2025.

BTS has sold out several incredible venues including Wembley Stadium. Their success is not unrecognized by the music industry. They’ve won multiple awards and have been nominated for the Grammys five times.

Blackpink

As far as girl groups go, Blackpink is the standard. Started in 2016, they have grown to become drivers of the Korean Wave. They haven’t made music together for a while with each of them focusing more on solo music, but they remain on top as far as girl groups are concerned and second only to BTS.

TWICE

Closely following behind the two leaders of the pack, TWICE is another powerful girl group. They rose to fame in 2016 in the Korean industry with a single called Cheer Up that topped the Korean charts. They expanded to Japan and enjoyed so much success they became the first Korean group to go on tour in Japan. TWICE only recently broke into the American market and have been taking full advantage of the absences of BTS and Blackpink.

Final Thoughts

K-pop has come to stay. If you’re Gen Z, you’re probably a huge fan of several K-pop groups already. Alongside Afropop, there is no faster growing genre. It’s a great way for South Korea to grow both in influence and economically. It all started in 1992, BTS set fire to the dynamite, and today there are many groups carrying the gospel of K-pop.

The best thing about K-pop, however, is the potential growth. As large as it has grown, there’s still so much more in store. I’m here for it.