The third edition of the music festival, K-Pop India, will be bigger with almost 200 bands participating in it. Kim-Kum Pyoung, director, Korean Cultural Center, speaks to Samiksha Raj about the growing popularity of their music across the globe
Two years ago, most of us saw ourselves grooving to the addictive beats of Korean singer’s Gangnam Style and that very year, K-Pop which has more than Gangnam Style to it, debuted in India. K-Pop, the Korean music festival, started with 37 bands and 400 spectators (in 2012). last year, the numbers went up — 65 bands participated and over 1,000 people attended the fest. The auditions for this year’s edition will begin soon. Two hundred bands are expected to participate.
K-Pop is a globally popular pop music genre that primarily originated in the 1990s in South Korea. It is characterised by audiovisual elements and is described as a modern form of South Korean pop music covering dance-pop, pop ballad, electronic, rock, hip-hop and R&B. It is a mix and match of American and Asian pop flavours presented with a twist by the Koreans to the global audience. And this Korean-ised American pop went on to become a huge hit the world over.
“During the Korean war in 1950, we received great help from 346 paramedical forces who were sent from India. Since then, I’ve always felt that Koreans should contribute to India as a tribute to that act of benevolence. Koreans are culturally influenced by India and I feel a lot of similarity between the two nations. Holding events like the K-Pop in India is a step towards nurturing friendship and strengthening our cultural relationship,” says Kim-Kum Pyoung, director, Korean Cultural Center.
The preparations for K-Pop India 2014 are in full swing. Earlier, the preliminary round used to be held only in Delhi but it has now been allotted to three other cities (Mumbai, Dimapur and Chennai). The participation procedure has started with interested contestants uploading their music and dance videos on the official website of K-Pop India which will be followed by the on-ground auditions in the aforementioned cities. The national finals will be held at Siri Fort Auditorium on August 2. The winner of K-Pop India, in both the song and dance categories, will receive cash prizes and a chance to represent the country in Changwon, Korea, where the final K-Pop event, K-Pop world festival, will be held involving contestants from other participating nations. Informs Pyoung, “We are also promoting the event on social media where you have winners from previous editions sharing their experiences. Many people laughed at me for conceptualising an event like K-Pop as they dubbed it as a non-starter in India. I, however, had a firm conviction that this idea would surely click and here we are, at the cusp of organising a mega-show, with a never-before enthusiasm among participants and excitement palpable in the ever-growing list of fans.”