Anyone listened to much Korean music?

Hey everyone,

So I just got back from a trip to Seoul, South Korea and man what an awesome place. The food was amazing (bibimbap all day everyday) and the people were so nice. One thing that really surprised me was how into music everyone seemed to be. Everywhere I went, people had airpods in or were dancing to stuff on their phones.

It got me curious about what kinds of artists and genres are popular over there. So on my flight back I did some exploring on Spotify and YouTube to see what I could find. Dude, there is some seriously good stuff coming out of Korea! I came across this one singer IU who has the softest voice, kinda reminds me of Adele. Her song "Blueming" is gorgeous.

There's also lots of K-pop of course, which I didn't expect to be into but some of the producers really know how to craft a hook. BTS, Blackpink and Twice seemed to be the biggest names. And the music videos - wow, they really go all out production-wise.

I also stumbled on this rapper Changmo who has a really cool laidback flow. His track "Jasmine" is chill but still got energy. It made me want to grab some headphones and zone out to it on the subway like everyone else was doing.

Have any of you dug into Korean music at all? Any other artists or genres I should check out? Always looking to expand my playlists beyond just the typical stuff here in the States. Let me know if you have any other recommendations!

not much into this, maybe you want to post some examples?

No worries man, here's a couple of quick examples to check out:

Ice Cream by BlackPink - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6CKmnWgNsE
Dynamite by BTS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdZLi9oWNZg
The Feels by TWICE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j6_KM-uzfY

Let me know if any of those catch your ear! This tourism guide on Korea was also pretty interesting - https://gowithguide.com/blog/south-korea-tourism-statistics-2023-all-you-need-to-know-5254

Gives some context behind how KPoP and their music are such a huge part of the culture there.

Here in France, the likes of BTS and Blackpink have been all the rage among my house's teenagers for a few years. In summer, many groups of teens meet next door at La Défense to rehearse choreography. Some even learn Korean. I don't get it musically, but it is quite the phenomenon.

Any ambient stuff? or serious electronic vibes?

Hey @Marc, that's really interesting to hear about BTS and Blackpink's popularity spreading over to France as well! The music industry is so global these days. I'm not surprised the teens are picking up the dances too - the choreography in K-pop videos is always super slick. And learning the language along with it, that's pretty cool. It's awesome how music can help connect youth culture across borders like that.

Neurone wrote:Any ambient stuff? or serious electronic vibes?

Yeah actually there is some great electronic and ambient coming out of Korea too. This producer Bol4 puts out really beautiful, mellow stuff - I'd check out their album "Red Diary". Also Junglepussy, they have a nice lo-fi hip hop vibe going on. And if you look for Korean artists on Spotify/YouTube there's usually an "Indie" section with more experimental electronic.