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▲This photo, provided by YG Entertainment, show Lee Chan-hyuk. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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▲This photo, provided by Yonhap News Agency, shows (G)I-DLE. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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| ▲This photo, provided by Source Music, shows LE SSERAFIM. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, November 7 (Yonhap) -- The songs of Generation Z singers, who focus on themselves rather than relationships with others, are getting great response in the K-pop market.
Lee Chan-hyuk, who is considered a representative Generation Z singer-songwriter, drew a journey of him finding his true self after suffering a metaphorical death in his first solo album, according to the music industry, on November 7.
In his new song "Castle in My Dream," he shows his desire to build his own musically fictional world as he metaphorically compares his music world to an enormous castle.
Lee Chan-hyuk also expresses this desire through his performances other than his music. Lee Chan-hyuk performed his song with his back to the audience on Mnet's music show "M Count Down," and cut his hair short on stage at SBS's "Inkigayo."
These performances seemed weird to some people, but there are also opinions saying that his special character helps him differentiate from other singers.
(G)I-DLE's new song, "I Love," also has the message to find the true self and stop being self-conscious of others' opinions.
The title track, "Nxde," composed and written by Jeon So-yeon, born in 1998, used the alphabet "x" instead of "u," meaning "you," and expressed Gen Z people who are free from being self conscious.
In girl group LE SSERAFIM's side track "No Celestial," a side track in their second mini album, it shows the new generation's hope, who are trying to protect their own color from the noise in this world with lyrics such as "In a noisy world, my voice volume up, There's nothing to take out, drippin' in one ear."
This tendency to emphasize their own egos in songs is more pronounced when compared to the songs of idols who topped the domestic music charts 10 years ago.
Girl group Sistar's "Alone," which was one of the most popular songs in 2012, "Loving U," and girl group 2NE1's "I Love You," are all songs regarding the flatteries and loneliness that come from relationships with others related to love.
Kim Do-heon, a pop music critic, analyzed the change in K-pop trends, saying, "Idol groups that produce records themselves are expressing their own music in a detailed and straightforward manner, expressing their own color."
Jung Min-jae, a pop music critic, said, "The younger generation does not really care about relationships and marriage and prefers self actualization, dreams, and a stable mind set," and added, "In this way, artists of Gen Z have also been concentrating on their diverse and honest stores more than love."
K-pop fans who were tired of K-pop songs that were limited to one topic are enjoying this new trend of songs that convey the artist's color.
"I love" which was released on October 17, has been staying at the top of the Korean music chart, showing great popularity, and has sold 678,000 copies of the album in just a week.
LE SSERAFIM 's 2nd mini album ranked 14th on the US Billboard's main album chart, "Billboard 200," entering the charts in the shortest time since their debut in the history of K-pop girl groups.
Jang Mi-sun (24), an office worker, said, "Most of the existing idol singers' songs were about love, but these days, there are many songs that show their identity, so they are not cliche and I feel like I listen to them more frequently."
Seo Tae-ran (23), who has claimed to be a girl group fan for a long time, said, "I unconsciously do power walking when I listen to songs released recently," and added, "I feel like I'll have to live a more active life just by listening to the songs."
The trend in the K-pop world that focuses on "me" rather than "other people" is expected to continue for the time being.
Critic Kim Do-heon Kim predicted, "As long as there are idols who create their own, this trend will continue for sure," and added, "One of the criticisms made about K-pop is that the artists' stories are not conveyed in their songs , but the new production trend will be able to change this opinion."
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)
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