Pretty much overnight, it seems that a movie I had never even heard of became the most-watched movie ever on Netflix.\nPeople everywhere are now singing the songs from K-Pop Demon Hunters.\nIt originally seemed more popular outside Korea\n(the first dozen or so people I heard about it from were not Korean, nor were they living here).\nBut now it's all over the promotional marketing locally too.
\nI absolutely love living here,\nand am immersed in many aspects of the culture,\nbut have never been a big K-pop fan.\nIn fact, I don't actually like most pop music anywhere in the world ;)
\nIf you, like me, have different musical tastes from the mainstream,\nthen this post is for you!\nIt's a collection of some of my favorite Korean music\nthat you've probably never heard of.
\nThere is no particular order to this post, so don't take this as some sort of ranking.\nIt's just a list of music and artists I like which can broaden your horizons.
\nOkay, let's kick off with some light... hip-hop?\nI don't really even know how to categorize this pair of songs,\nseparated by almost a decade but having a lot of similarities in both style and name.\nBefore the current American-influenced styles of rap and hip-hop started to dominate,\nthere was this more fun and weird side.
\nFirst up is boy band H.O.T. with Candy.\nThis was 1996, so it's probably the oldest on my list.\nIt's just light and fun.\nAnd very 90s... lighter side of hip hop.
\nOver the next decade, hip-hop and rap grew even more popular.\nThis next song, Lollipop, has one of the more bizarre music videos,\nand is a collaboration with more people than you'll be able to keep track of.\nHere's the MV.
\nThis song was released in the year 2000.\nThis style of dance+rock fusion was actually quite popular in Korea at the time,\nbut you don't hear very many producers putting out stuff like this today.\nThis song is well-known and loved by many in their late 30s or older,\nand is one of the most popular 노래방 (singing room = Karaoke) songs from that era,\neven today.\nThe song is full of passion and energy,\nand is very technically challenging.\nHere's a recent live performance.
\nThe gist of the song is a post-breakup story.\nIt's more of a power ballad, which is NOT my usual style of music.\nBut this song is just SO good, it has to be on my list.\nWhen it was released in 2017, it did extremely well,\nand got loads of radio play, despite not fitting the typical pop mold of the time.\nHere's a live performance\nthat also has some English subtitles.
\nOkay, this song probably does qualify as K-pop...\nThere is some good stuff in there ;)
\nThis is also the newest release on the list.\nIt grabbed my attention immediately\nbecause the musical structure, choice of scales, and rhythms\naren't typical in current K-pop.
\nHere's the music video.\nIt's definitely an idol group,\nbut the MV is artistically solid and generally quite creative\n(it alludes to both streamer culture and Korean-style photo booths)!
\nI have a hard time recommending a specific track,\nbecause this guy is a pretty wide ranging artist,\nand much of what he does is live.\nHe does everything from deep house on one of my favorite labels\nto ambient sets like this with a Eurorack modular.
\nThis song is getting REALLY out of the mold now...\nWe're in metal territory.
\nThe original was released back in 1997 by the group N.E.X.T,\nbut a newer in 2016 on a Korean TV show "The King of Mask Singer" made the song much more popular.\n(The concept of the show is that some famous singer puts on a mask, sings a song,\nand then celebrity judges have to guess who's behind the mask at the end).
\nOn one of these episodes, 하현우 does an absolutely stellar cover,\nwhich I liked even better than the original.\nHis vocal style is really on point for the song,\nand the high notes are absolutely killer!
\nYou can watch a video of the performance on YouTube.\nIt's truly something with a full orchestra, drums, guitar... the whole bit.
\nLast but definitely not least,\nthis song is fun, upbeat, and a bit punk-y in style.\nIt was released back in 2003 and bears a lot of resemblance to J-Rock at the time.
\nThe song is about a duck who dreams he can fly.\nHis mom scolds him and says ducks can't fly,\nbut that doesn't stop him from dreaming.
\nIt's such a beautiful song!\nAnd I love the metaphor about chasing your dreams.\nSomething that I really hope can continue to inspire the younger generation.
\nAnd the vocal style of the lead singer is pretty unique.\nShe's happy and has piercing high notes, but also has that rock edge at several points.\nAnd in live performances\nshe does this cute little hand motion throughout,\nmimicking wing flapping motion, which I thought was a cool and endearing!
\nI had this song stuck in my head for weeks after I discovered it.
\n", "summary": "", "date_published": "2025-11-09T00:00:00-00:00", "image": "", "authors": [ { "name": "Ian Wagner", "url": "https://fosstodon.org/@ianthetechie", "avatar": "media/avi.jpeg" } ], "tags": [ "music", "culture", "korea" ], "language": "en" } ] }