Korean pop, more commonly known as K-pop, has expanded its market globally and attracted fans overseas. Japanese pop, or J-Pop, has not taken the same route but focuses on expanding domestically.
Keep reading to learn about the difference between these two pop types.
K-Pop vs. J-Pop Concepts
One of the most famed K-pop groups of all time, BTS, gained rapid exposure in 2017. This was when they released the first album of their trilogy, “Love Yourself: Her,” with the popular title track “DNA.” The trilogy gained traction from non-K-Pop fans. Its variety of concepts, catchy raps, and English phrases make it easy for non-Korean speakers to sing along to.
In contrast, J-pop tends to have fully Japanese songs without any English phrases. Their concepts tend to be more animated and eccentric than those of K-pop groups, differing from the Korean standard of an “idol.”
Idol Promotions
Some J-Idols gain the attraction of anime fans, as they’re notorious for singing the ending or opening of a show. Similarly, K-pop groups sing anime openings and create full Japanese albums to appeal to a new market and new fans. But breaking into the biggest music market in the world can’t be easy, even for Korean groups. Concepts different from those in the United States market make it difficult for songs to be recognized.
Many K-pop groups release English singles or versions of songs to chart on Billboard and gain exposure. Meanwhile, J-pop groups that release a song from an anime’s OST gain exposure through it. A recent popular J-Pop song called “Idol” by YOASOBI was used for the anime Oshi no Ko. The song trended amongst J-Idols and K-Idols alike, creating the demand for an English version. Idol has since gained over 250 million streams on Spotify.
Even without proper promotion, if a demographic likes a song, it’s guaranteed to break through and succeed throughout multiple markets.
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