Do you remember the first time you delved into K-Pop only to quickly discover the pandora box of confusion you had just encountered? Everything from the language to the music to the clothes were a new experience, but it mostly had to do with the fact of it being foreign and you not being a […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bigbang.jpg9401920Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelumhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlexis Hodoyan-Gastelum2014-12-17 19:24:122014-12-18 11:58:188 Words You Began Using as a K-Pop Fan
‘Tis the season to be jolly, which means we are coming towards the end of the year, which also means it is the season of end of year lists. We are starting off the look back at this year with a consideration of the new. We’re highlight the K-pop rookie groups that have stood out without […]
Do you remember the first time you delved into K-Pop only to quickly discover the pandora box of confusion you had just encountered? Everything from the language to the music to the clothes were a new experience, but it mostly had to do with the fact of it being foreign and you not being a […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bigbang.jpg9401920Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelumhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlexis Hodoyan-Gastelum2014-12-17 19:24:122014-12-18 11:58:188 Words You Began Using as a K-Pop Fan
‘Tis the season to be jolly, which means we are coming towards the end of the year, which also means it is the season of end of year lists. We are starting off the look back at this year with a consideration of the new. We’re highlight the K-pop rookie groups that have stood out without […]
Do you remember the first time you delved into K-Pop only to quickly discover the pandora box of confusion you had just encountered? Everything from the language to the music to the clothes were a new experience, but it mostly had to do with the fact of it being foreign and you not being a native speaker. That’s why you were super happy to find a community online of English speaking fans who shared your interests. But this also had it’s setbacks.
As it turned out, even within the English speaking fans, there was a collections of slang, words, and phrases you didn’t know or didn’t use prior to entering the fandom. However, once you began using them, you can’t really part with them. That’s why we came up with a list of words you began using once you became a K-Pop fan.
1. “Bias”
Before K-Pop, your favorite band member was simply your favorite member. But at some point when you were looking up pictures of your beau on Tumblr, you stumbled upon the word “bias.” Etymologically, this term refers to an outlook or temperament with a one-sided inclination. To a person outside the fandom, it would make little sense. But with a super big open mind, “bias” makes some sense when referring to your favorite member in a group. Or at least now it does.
via fanpop
2. “Comeback”
This word is common in music, alright. But when someone announces its “comeback,” you imagine the Madonna albums after years of hiatus, or Britney Spears’ Circus following her meltdown. Comebacks are long awaited returns to music by artists who have been gone for a while. However, in K-Pop, this merely means another release by a given act. Sure, BIGBANG’s comeback will, indeed, be a comeback. On the other hand, GOT7’s debut and following two comebacks this year hardly constitute as such.
Girl and boy bands throughout history haven’t always been fully comprised of equally talented members, but K-Pop has been keeping it real with telling people that a member in their group’s sole purpose is to be good-looking (nevermind they’re not as gifted in dancing or singing). But can we all just agree that using “visual” as an adjective to describe a person is weird? “Visual,” of course, has to do with the eyes, so maybe something that already exists like “looker” would make more sense than something you bring to show and tell in school.
by danyislas
4. “Virus” Or “Vitamin”
EXO’s Chanyeol is widely known as the “happy virus,” with him introducing himself as such in T.V. shows. Fans, particularly on Tumblr, for their part, rapidly embraced the tag. “Vitamin” is also a term used to describe a person who energizes you (another weird description). Both now make lots of sense. However, outside of the fandom, someone would be confused if you were to use these types of descriptions. I’m sure these sound far better and make more sense in Korean, and yet, we’ve adopted the awkward and cheesy English translations into our everyday speech. English is not that metaphorical…
via Tumblr
5. “Showcase”
Have you ever noticed how every other article on American K-Pop sites (even this one!) use the word “showcase” a lot. Outside of K-Pop, more common synonyms like “performs,” “features,” or “displays” are the norm. However, someone somewhere began using “showcase” as the verb to use when describing what K-Pop idols are showing or doing that it’s become second nature. This might be the case of a direct translation from a Korean word that got popular really quick, but we could be wrong…
via kpopselca
6. “Refreshing”
Pre K-Pop, a cold shower on a hot day was refreshing. But now, a group’s new sound or image that is different from what they did before or to anyone else is “refreshing.” Again, it’s one of those things you never thought about before K-Pop, but once you became a fan, you started using the word as an adjective and even employ it for Western artists now. While the word is overused in K-Pop, it makes for a very metaphorical adjective to use for other things as well.
To say that someone fits the features and characteristics you look for in a crush, we usually use “my type.” However, in K-Pop, people tend to say that a person is their “style.” “Tall, dark, and handsome guys are my type” became “tall, dark, and handsome guys are my style.” Even miss A has a song titled Ma Style. However, this word is something we normally associate with material things like clothing, or use to describe other actions (writing, painting, designing, you name it!) Either way, “style” sounds way more chic and sassier that “type.”
by mmminhyuk
8. “Burdened”
To feel burdened by something or someone is a thing, we know. However, the expression seems to be part of Koreans’ everyday speech. Artists are always talking about feeling burdened or not wanting to burden someone else. Maybe it’s because we normally don’t think we’re imposing on someone else, but this expression and its derivatives are definitely uncommon outside of K-Pop.
via Tumblr
What words, phrases, or slang did you began using once you got into the K-Pop fandom? Share your picks in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bigbang.jpg9401920Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelumhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngAlexis Hodoyan-Gastelum2014-12-17 19:24:122014-12-18 11:58:188 Words You Began Using as a K-Pop Fan
‘Tis the season to be jolly, which means we are coming towards the end of the year, which also means it is the season of end of year lists. We are starting off the look back at this year with a consideration of the new. We’re highlight the K-pop rookie groups that have stood out without the backing of one of the big three companies in 2014.
It is becoming more and more difficult for a group to stand out from the crowd since the number of debuts is rising all the time. Without the backing of one of the big three, it is even more difficult to get any sort of publicity. What marks my picks is their lack of gimmick in that it is unusual for a group to debut without one now but these groups have their mark with quality alone. There are some absolute gems to be found and there is lots of potential for the future here.
High4 are best known right now for their collaborations with IU and Lim Kim. Even if it was IU who seemed to gain most from these team ups and given how hard it is to outshine Lim Kim’s unique voice, it still gave High4 an interesting way of entering the K-Pop market and brought them a fan base. They have also shown great range through these two songs and their first solo song Headache. Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossomswith IU is a sweet song perfect for its spring release. A Little Closewith Lim Kim is a smooth R&B track where their vocals are pushed, andHeadacheis a high energy funky song that was a big departure from their collaborations. While there is no obvious standout track here, there is a lot of potential to go forward and create interesting songs in a diverse range of genres.
4. Purfles
There always seems to be rookie groups popping up with the strangest names. Purfles were right up there in terms of weirdness, and their lack of teasers meant no one was expecting anything from them. The release of 1,2,3 in October completely smashed expectations as it was one of the most polished productions of all the debuts. Starting off as sexy means this trio of girls are clearly looking at sexiness as their main focus and as something they can add to rather than switching to it to sell records. So far, they are certainly making a mark with this concept. 1,2,3 is an exciting song with sharply executed choreography and ‘na na nas’ that do not leave your head. Expect Purfles to comeback soon to capitalize on their surprise release.
Standing out from the crowd is what all rookie groups want to do. Usually using strange gimmicks like a group of girls with bob haircuts (Bob Girls) or a boy group with seventeen members (Seventeen, note the original names too). A truly great group, however, stands out with their sound, and this is what MAMAMOO has done. They focused on a small group of all talented girls and paired with a jazzy pop sound, slightly reminiscent of Brown Eyed Girls’ sound on Sixth Sense. Both their singles, Mr. Ambiguous and Piano Man, were strong and showed incredible vocals. MAMAMOO can fill the gap left by the Wonder Girls.
2. LABOUM
Of their two songs released this year, the most recent is a knock out, but Pit a Pat follows at a close second making this a great first year for LABOUM. Their look and sound resembles a mix of the simple cuteness of A Pink and the edgier Ladies’ Code. Pit A Pat is so much fun and interesting enough to catch your interest, which is worthwhile since they released the even better What About You? soon after. Hopefully they’ll follow A Pink into great success without giving up on their original style.
1. Lovelyz
This may be cheating since Woolim Entertainment is now part of SM, they still compete for fans with that one other rookie group not listed, Red Velvet. While more than a few people looked forward to a possible girl version of Infinite, Lovelyz turned out to be nearly the complete opposite of that. In fact, they have the a J-Pop inspired sound on their album Girls’ Invasion and on their lead single Candy Jelly Love which is a delightful slice of bubblegum pop that is sweet and satisfying like its title. Getaway is a strange little song reminiscent of early f(x). They even have an interesting ballad, which is rare for a rookie group. Needless to say, Lovelyz are going to go far with the backing of great company and a fresh style on their side.
Do you think we missed out on any great rookies from this year? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
