My name is Debbie, I am 61 and I am addicted to K-pop.
Before the eyeballs start to roll and I am dismissed as some old lady reliving her teens, let me explain.
K-pop is a phenomenon just like the Beatles, the Grateful Dead and, yes, Taylor Swift. Except that it’s not. For one, the language is different, the musical technicality is complex, the melodies ridiculously addictive and, K-pop is a social media triumph.
First, let me lay out my cards to build this story. I grew up on ’70s rock, pop and disco. While in art college I discovered punk, goth, and ’80s new wave. In the ’90s I lived in Scotland, the land of English boy bands, shoegaze, indie, rave music and euro-pop.
British indie was my mainstay until my bad decision to move to Seattle in 2021. Here I discovered K-pop — specifically BTS. Thank you Coldplay, otherwise I’d still be in the darkness.
K-pop culture gets a lot of criticism, and that’s understandable. The fans are crazy, obsessive and “sasaengs” — outright stalkers. The industry has a downright bad rap — 14 hours a day of intense training for some who start as young as 13. (The age limit has been raised recently, but we are still talking teens.) Agencies have extremely high expectations and require seven year contracts, and in some cases, plastic surgery for the artists as well.
Here’s the thing though: K-pop training matches the intensity of what sports athletes or ballet dancers endure to achieve excellence. K-pop is an elite creative occupation, and only certain people have the dedication to pull it off.
Our culture is not Korean culture. South Korea, the home of K-pop, has the same problems of high costs of living and few job opportunities as other countries. The office culture requires workers from sun-up to sun-down, and the youngsters who sign up for K-pop don’t want those jobs. They have the passion and truly want to be K-pop idols, even knowing the consequences.
These blooming talents have much to gain from the entertainment companies, which are K-pop universities. Artists receive training for vocals, choreography, acting, modelling and language, and the facets of writing, producing and recording music.
I digress. Let’s talk about the music.
K-pop is a mix of rock, hip-hop and pop — all in one song. The influence from Western music began in the ’50s when American GIs who served there introduced South Koreans to rock.
After decades of dictatorship and military rule, which banned outside influences, Western music began to filter into South Korea in the 1980s. Artists like Michael Jackson and Run DMC heavily inspired South Korean musicians, including the K-pop forefathers who now run the entertainment conglomerates in Seoul.
What does this have to do with Debbie, the 61-year-old K-pop addict? Everything.
The culture, the history, the sound and most of all the eternal sunshine of positive happiness this music brings into my life. I am in it for the entire phenomenon. The artist and creative in me is overjoyed with the colorful visuals, the merch, the fashion and the choreography. It is fascinating to watch this tiny country succeed globally with its exports in music and entertainment.
My passion is overwhelming to the point of taking a brave leap to start my K-pop radio show at our local community radio. (It was either that or lose a friend because of my constant bombardment of video shares and facts.)
There is more though. K-pop isn’t just great music for all ages, it’s a thriving supportive community. I discovered this at my first K-pop concert in 2023, when Suga (of BTS) arrived for two sold-out shows at Oakland Arena. People traveled from all over the world for this show.
Members of the San Francisco Bay Area BTS ARMY (SFBABA) helped me get a ticket, welcomed me with open arms and now we meet up on a regular basis to celebrate BTS — the band of brothers — who boast more than 8 billion fans around the world.
BTS ARMY is nationwide. Local groups in San Francisco and Sacramento provide fans with a profusion of professional organized community activities, charity fundraisers, freebie give-away events, coffee connections and meet-ups to walk, run or dance boot-camp style. They support, encourage and love each other. Even members who have just met last weekend.
It’s not just BTS either. There are 300+ bands, and hundreds of solo artists performing K-pop and South Korean music. I absorb as much as I can find.
This is the value of K-pop: It transcends an awful lot of bad news we face each day around the world. It’s almost spiritual, even borderline cult-ish in a positive way. Since its inception in the ’90s, the global movement of K-pop is growing as kids, grannies, men and women join in the fun. Everyone is welcome. Race, color or financial worth — these limiters don’t matter. Society needs that right now.
So yes, my name is Debbie, I am 61 and I am addicted to K-pop. (And K-rock, K-indie, K-dramas and K-food.) And I know some of you are, too!
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KPOP is more than just music, it’s community – The Oak Leaf
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