[JaM]

Hey soompi!

So I have a presentation on Korean boy bands coming up and one of the topics that I have to cover is 'why are Korean boy bands appealing?' What makes Korean boy bands stand out from say.. Japanese boy bands, Chinese boy bands, or any other boy bands? or in other words, what makes them unique?

I've been trying to figure out what's different about them the past couple of days and I did come up with some things, but I would like to hear the rest of soompi thinks towards Korean boy bands. Think critically about it and please state where your views are coming from. Like for myself, I'm an Asian American who doesn't know Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, or any other Asian languages, but yet I prefer Korean boy bands over Japanese boy bands. Not that I don't like Japanese boy bands cause I do, but if given a choice to see Super Junior or NEWS, I would probably choose SuJu. Why?? I'm still trying to figure it out... maybe it's a little bias asking this question on a Kpop forum, but I would like to hear your opinions. Remember, what is it that makes Korean boy bands different from other boy bands?

Thank you!

[Mardi09]

views coming from an Asian American also, but speaks another Asian language other than Korean, Japanese or Chinese.


their passion, their talents, the aura that you can sense when you are listening to them
how there are sooooo many korean boybands that are underrated....
every single year...i hear at least 5 new names...i'm pretty sure there are more than 5 groups that debuts
every year...and most of them are underrated, unpopular, never get their time/chance to 'shine'
i can name at the top of my head a lot of korean boybands that people have taken a quick glance at but ignored
because they are 'just another boy band'....but behind their 'just another boy band' "look"...
there is more...or at least i hope so..

some would say that korean boy bands are way 'hotter'....
since a lot of people do judge by their appearance...
but i wouldn't say by how they look is what makes them 'hotter'
i think it's really interesting on their sense of style...i don't just mean what is "in style" but their own style
or at least how different they dress from other boy bands...
example:
D.Caprio - definitely not popular and not so well known....but their debut? pictures...differentiates them from the 'usual' boy bands
....I know of some others...I think....just can't think of any at the moment...

when i look at japanese boy bands..no offense..their hairstyles are not so appealing...that's what i 'notice' first...of course..korean boy bands have their bad hair days too...
but...overall, they don't WOW! me...i don't get that 'feeling' that I don't know if I should feel...you get?
now...i don't know much about japanese, chinese, etc. boy bands...so i shouldn't say so much...
but that's just what i think...

**Out of topic but...K-Otic is a Thai boy band...and I think they're good though...they have 2 full Thais, 2 Half japanese, Half Thai and 1 Korean...so I think that's awesome...it's not just to get 'publicized' but...I like them...they're the first actual Thai boyband I was exposed to...(not counting Golf-Mike) that's what caught my eyes**

but...are Korean boy bands really all that different? I don't know...
It's just how you look at it....

if i think of something better to say...i'll post again..

[nurkeyandie]

i dunno if my answer's gonna help, coz i only listen to kpop...i think korean boy bands are so appealing coz they're so clean. or at least they're always portrayed as being clean. i mean, they're hot, they're sexy when they perform, but they're always portrayed as being innocent, polite, hardworking (don't get me wrong, i'm sure many of them are really like that in real life)...i guess it's the culture too, but it's refreshing to listen to contemporary/pop music that doesn't promote sex and/or violence or being "gangsta...." but going back to my answer, i guess it's also how mainstream korean media works, coz korean boy bands appear on variety shows and you get to see them as their "normal" selves (as compared to their "performer" selves) which i guess endears them to their fans coz they're not just the idols on pedestals that the fans admire, they're also "normal" human beings...it's different here in the u.s. where there's really no popular variety shows where you can see your favorite singers goof around, etc...i don't know if you get what i'm saying but i hope this helps...

[dancingbymyself]

I'm going to say dancing. Most other asian countries boy bands can't dance. I mean compare DBSK and SS501 to like ARASHI or NEWS. I <3 ARASHI, but they can't dance for crap.

[tokio]

Look at the consumers, in our society today's generation of top consumers are kids and young teens. They are consumers who are willing to put in money for their fave groups or fave trends, etc. Yea i can say Korean Boybands are appealing because of looks and skills but to be honest it isn't the whole truth as to why boybands are so popular. But what makes them a success is the young consumers and joining fanclubs to be honest without the fans there wouldn't be a artist afterall fans pay for their livelihood. Of course they are firstly appealed by looks and all that but having young eager consumers who are willing to spend on guys who they find cute... helps alot. As well korea is still in this huge pop music craze where boybands are in but as consumers grow old as well trends in music grow that will change. But in the Korean music... as well Asia's music industry heavily fanbased compared to North America where fanbases arent as strong anymore to me thats what makes them unique and appealing to see how dedicated their fans are.

[I<3SunSunYeMi]

just my opinion
because i think a lot of them are really talented
korean singers are always the best in Asia in my opinion
look at DBSK,i'm not a fan of them,look how popular are they in Asia.....
not only they are good looking,all of them can sing and dance
it also applies to many korean boy bands

[miss scarlett]

One thing I understand is that Korea is a small country. The highest-selling album last year was by SG Wannabe, and it was not even 200,000 copies.
Because of Korea's low album sales, Korea needs to reach out. They need the money from other countries. So labels will find a way to market their boy bands out of Korea and throughout Asia, and in order to do that, they must make the boy band appeal to the audience. Not every country has the same taste in boy bands. Korean boy bands need to have more of that appealing factor by showing more of their different skills in singing, dancing, and acting (although I admit, not much of them act well, lol)

And most of their consumers are teenagers that are willing to spend money on them. It's not hard to market a boy band to suit those consumers' tastes.

Some good marketing techniques in a boy band are that members of one are usually good-looking. Even if he is talentless, as long as he has the looks, he wins many hearts. Although not all are good-looking, usually the not-as-good-looking ones releases an aura that presents themselves handsomely. Honestly - I don't think Xiah Junsu has the looks necessarily, but the image he presents is cool (and often cute) and that is more than enough for a girl to go fangirly. Shindong does not have the typical idol image because he's fat, but he's still loved by many and very popular because of his humorous personality and his talent. Another way is that Korean boy bands love to show their personalities. They love to joke around with each other, and oh! Skinship. Labels will also try to produce good music, music that aims for a larger audience. For example, we have SM's SMP genre - a genre that is a mix of rock, rap, and R&B, with a slight hip hop background. Fans of those genres listen to the songs and still enjoy them although it's not exactly like their favorite genre.

Now I'm not a huge fan of any of the JE boys or Japanese boy bands in general, but I do know that the reason why Chinese/Taiwanese boy bands aren't as popular is because of the lack of talent. (Although there are some exceptions like Eastyle, but they lack... the looks, I presume?) Chinese boy bands usually just sell looks (that's why the majority of Chinese boy bands are good-looking) but not much on the actual talent. Not only does Korean boy bands look good, they are also at least decent in everything else. Most Korean boy bands can sing really well, can dance really well, and act really well. They're trained in all areas, aiming for different audiences. That shows their popularity.

I don't know if I really answered your question, but yeah lol

[subdwfreaky]

well, i couldn't give an accurate answer...just what i think of it.
btw, i'm a full Asian, but not Chinese/Japanese/Korean....and i have absolutely no knowledge of any of those languages...oh yeah, and i come from a country where boyband is so not the trend except for instrument-playing bands n some indie hip-hop-ish bands(which is why i'm not the least impressed or went ga-ga over ft island or big bang.....but that's outta topic lol)

my reasons would be:

-they are way more versatile than a lot of other boybands out there (including American ones)...musically. most other boybands out there, they'd stick to their 'style'/image/music......like pop would go all pop/RnB would stay truee to RnB etc. (that's what i see, not necessarily all boybands are like that) but quite a number of Korean boybands can do everything very well, from rock-RnB-ballad-dance-pop.....listen to SS501's first album(ST0.1 or something) n you'll get what i mean. that album really impressed me.
-the image of course, to me, these producers in Kpop know how to find a balance between looking cute-matured-stylish-etc.-etc. and apply it to the artistes. Korean boybands can change and adapt into different styles n still looking great, compared to.....okay, better not =x
-personality. in Korean boyband(even girlgroups)-fandom, i can see that personality counts very much, at least to me. they are close n always connecting to their fans, which makes their personality appeals even more. from what i can see , besides 'who's hotter', fans generally tend to depend a lot on personality of the boys. that is why boybands who aren't exposed so much get less love even if they are great singers/musicians. in that case i'd say....what a shame. (btw, i'm not one of those who'd become a fan of 'who's hotter' kinda thingy' haha)
-i dunno how to put it, but Korean boybands seem to have more to offer when it comes to singer qualities, such as vocals, dance, and other musical skills. they are always showing intensity in dance. and i'd say their singing skills are better than other sorts of boybands out there that just give me the picture of 'boring' when i heard them sing, well not all, but mostly.
-sure, looks play a lot in getting fans, but i don't disregard them for that, cuz most of them could really sing, i'm not into bands with so-called looks anyway. can't survive with only that. haha.

^these are what make them appeal to me......although i personally know a lot of people who only like 'em cuz they're hot kinda reason. haha.

[Riri]

For me i think what makes them more appealing is just the fact that Korean boybands are flexible, as in they can satisfy many genres and therefore appeal to a wider range of people. I'll use DBSK as an example because it'll be easier. They can be cute and sweet one time like in 'Balloons', amazing and powerful (especially in dancing) in O, tender in acapellas and emotional in ballads.

Also if you think about it most of the time members specialise in different areas (like in SuJu) theres at least one member that will appeal to someone whether its because their voice, dance or personality makes them stand out.

On a more personal scale, i tend to like Korean boybands because i find they're better dancers, or just focus on dance more.. and im a sucker for dancers

[mintcracker]

alot of groups are loved bc of their individual personalities, the fact we can see them on shows and see alil of their real personality

they give the aura of confidence without being cocky, innocent without being and don't act all like 'sex sex I need sex' -like heaps of american groups

members are often adorable and entertaining, often funny (like heechul <3)

also, the fact that they're usually pretty good at singing and dancing. Some may not be the best singers, but they counterbalance that with their dancing or some other talent.

I don't know if looks play a part (I know it's important to lots of ppl) but imo, korean boybands aren't that much better in looks compared to other places.
There are still many average looking boyband members, such as xiah and micky whom are much loved.

Chinese boybands (the majority) of them focus too much on looks and become vases cos they're talentless.

[__CHINA.DOLL]

For me, its because their so well-rounded
not ONLY do they look good, but they also can sing good and can dance very well ( DBSK )
people may say their over-rated but LOOK AT THEM
you guys have to admit that they are really talented

I use to listen to Chinese music, but if you compare their boybands to korean boybands.. <_______<
they cant dance and sing for their life!

[hurshey j]

i agree w/98% of what ppl said.
as for me, i'm a krn-american who's in their mid-20s mostly listen to kpop but also listen to jpop & a smidgen of cpop. & i still love krn boybands!

i admit, when suju 1st came out, i was like, "omg, what a disaster. a (originally) 12-member group? what's lsm thinking?!" but then my views totally changed when i started seeing them in variety shows. which's why i gave their music a try. & the way lsm markets them is genius too.

as for jpop & cpop bands- i gave them many tries but they just don't appeal to me. like many have said, most cpop bands aren't as talented & most jpop bands are too poppy for me. & their choreography doesn't wow me either.
veeery good example is dbsg/tvxq/tohoshinki. for kpop, they usually have intricate &/or catchy, cute moves but for jpop, their moves are very basic & aerobic-like. very corny

looks wise- for me, personally, even though there are members that aren't as cute/hot/good-looking & what not, their face still has a spark that makes them cute & hot. of course, their talent & personality makes them hotter, but then they've this irresistible, charming faces that [most] jpnese & chinese, imo, don't have.
it's like here in the states. let's face it- the majority of the celebs in hollywood aren't that great looking. it's something about them that makes them hot. the aura, their presence, sex appeal, that spark some ppl just have.

i know 99.9% will agree w/me on this (bc it's true, lol~) but overall, i truly believe kpop boybands are more appealing bc they have both western & eastern influences. westernized music, w/same level of talent & skills (although american music is crap these days, but that's another story... ) but w/a krn/asn flair..... & on top of that, they're well-rounded.

[Lee Da Bin]

I think that korean boybands sing better than most japanese boybands *shrugs* As for me, I've never heard a japanese boyband sing in Korean and I think Korean language sounds so.. smooth~ XD A lot of Korean boybands have good vibration in their voice in contrary of some japanese groups where they sound like.. weirdly high and nasal. And of course, I know it's for most of the fans out there, the looks. But honestly, I think that boybands like DBSK are very talented ^^ they have the looks, the personality, the friendship, the talent.. and their music sounds good. I really don't know how to explain that. ^^;

[pinkxstrawberry]

i personally think that korean boy bands dance better and have a wider vocal range and seem better at harmonisin o_O

[niki18]

Musical talents/passion (sing, dance, etc.)

Responsibility/Hard working/Decipline (they're similiar things, but not the same)

Personality/Image/Manner (I feel like these days some guys try to be cool by doing bad-ass stuffs ot they just like that. The clean image and hard-working are hard to find, especially for popular people around the world, except korean boybands.)

Appealing looks (not just handsome like a model)/ Style

The contents in the lyrics (as mentioned in the other replies).

The mix of different music style in one song.

The selection of individual member: Each has his own role in the bands. They are not just the compilation of several good singers that do the exact same thing, which would destroy the meaning of being the group. If the member is easily replaced, it'd have no meaning.

The passion of the fans in their mother country. The artists can't go so far if their own people neglect them.

[annne82]

I agree with what you guys said above but also think that one factor that may attract again ( for me it was part of the attraction) is the language.. I mean for chinese, you've got to have heard it somewhere, same for Japanese but Korean, first time I heard it I was like

Then got used to it..

One other thing I like about Korean band is their being humble.. that doesn't mean that Japanese or Chinese band are not but I dunno for me Korean bands really shows this 'humbleness' and also the fact their respect..

This counts for almost all asian groups, respect for the others/olders compared to western group ( not that all western group don't show respect) ..

[maydx93]

OK, TO ANSWER THIS, I CAN GO ON FOR ANOTHER INFINITE PAGES OR SO...BUT TO KEEP IT SHORT.....

I TRULY DON'T KNOW.

EVERYTIME I SEE ONE, I TEND TO FALL IN LOVE, BUT THE ONLY TRUE ONE THAT CAPTURED MY HEART IS DONG BANG SHIN KI.

THERE IS JUST SOMETHING THERE...I CAN'T EXPLAIN CLEARLY....YOU JUST DO...

[summerdamsel]

personality, talent, looks that seems out of this world yet not

[Serenity89]

What an interesting topic to do a project on.

Most of what I wanted to say as already been said - however - here's my opinion. Korean boy bands are certainly a triple threat in the music entertainment industry. I mean there's nothing that they can't do! Just by looking at their performances you can tell they always put in more than 100% no matter how tired they might be. You hear a lot of stories from fans who attend the concert that the guys looks like a dead panda or they're getting skinner but they always said that "the performances were amazing." Korean boy bands never disappoint their fans. When I first heard about Super Junior I was shocked from the number of members they had. Some boy bands can't even last with five members but yet they have 13! To have that many members means a lot of teamwork and commitment - not to mention that every group has a leader to keep things organized. Besides the group as a whole, each member has their own unique, individual personality - combine those creative personalities and you have a very successful group! They are always willing to take risks and always do what they say.

Good Luck and hope you're able to get all the answers you need! =)

[squeaky]

I think Korea is becoming the next Japan, IMO. It's really booming and becoming popular.


But anyways...I just think simply because they're fresh and they have a different concept than other countries. Hmm...the Korean language is really smooth and nice, and although that sounds weird, when I listen to Chinese music, it's really harsh and I still haven't gotten used to it.

And the Korean boys are really cute :]