K-pop, short for Korean pop, is a music genre with its roots lying in South Korea. Defined as “undefined” by some fans, K-pop involves musical elements from several genres like, electro, rock, R&B, hip-hop, fused together. The music genre first emerged in 1992 which some of the earlier pop bands flourishing in Korea like, Seo Taiji and Boys. The band’s experimental composition laid the foundation for K-pop.
Surprisingly, the northeast has witnessed a boom in the popularity of K-pop and the Korean culture over the last decade. Back in 2000, a blanket ban on Hindi cinema pushed the people of Manipur towards the south-east Asian culture. The long ignored sect of the society, the northeast Indians, found solace in the more relatable cinema.
Here’s a list of five K-pop bands that rock the valleys in the northeast:
Psy
This artists needs no introduction, wherever you are, whoever you are. Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ became the first video on YouTube to cross the 1 billion view benchmark back in 2012, shortly after its release. The song topped the singles’ charts and helped put K-pop on the international map.
Big Bang
A five-member boy band, Big Bang that has been active for nearly a decade. In the northeast, the band remains to be the talk of the town and is well-known even amongst non-pop fans. Their album Alive garnered immense international fame.
2NE1
A South Korean girl band, 2NE1 was formed by YG Entertainment back in 2009. The band consists of three members currently, CL, Bom, and Dara after Minzy left the band in 2016.
Girl’s Generation
Also known as SNSD, this band was formed by S.M. Entertainment. The band now remains to be an 8 membered only girl band and creates music exclusively in the electropop and bubblegum pop genres. The band debuted in 2007.
EXO
Another boy band, Exo originated from South Korea and was formed by the S.M. Entertainment in 2011. Following its emergence, in 2012, the group divided into two, Exo-M and Exo-K, performing in Mandarin and Korean respectively.
