Kpop, the increasingly popular form of commercial dance-pop music originating in Korea, is slowly moving from its homeland in Korea to the mainstream music market in the United States. Korean record labels and producers have found a formula for tailoring their music to new markets, as explained in this blog post by HelloKPop.com, and they hope that the same formula will work for the mostly untapped US market. Strategies include translating lyrics from Korean to the target market language, to going as far as changing musical styles and featuring popular artists in the target market as seen in this video featuring JYJ and Kanye West.
As a testament to the increasing popularity of Kpop in America, The Wonder Girls went on tour in the US with The Jonas Brothers in 2009, and also charted in the Billboard Hot 100. Swiss Beats, another popular American producer who has worked with artists ranging from Jay Z to Whitney Houston, announced his plan to bring Kpop to the American masses in a February 2012 press conference. While pop groups (specifically boybands and girlbands) decreased in popularity in America in the early 2000’s, the renewed chart topping presence of groups such as The Jonas Brothers (USA) and The Wanted (UK) provide hope for a successful future for Kpop.
