K-pop is everywhere. Aside from K-bbq restaurants and Korean convenience stores, you’ll hear either Twice or Blackpink as background music—even radio stations have at least one Korean song on their shows. Not only that, Korean idols have been influential figures here as well. From Twice to Blackpink’s Lisa, they’ve been on billboards around EDSA as ambassadors of some local brands.
It’s interesting to see how much Fiipinos have embraced this kind of music—but that wasn’t always the case. I remember when “Nobody” by Wonder Girls started playing on the “MYX Daily Top Ten.” I fell in love with the playful and catchy song that was accompanied by choreography. From that moment, I started searching for more Korean songs and stumbled upon Girls Generation.
Back when collecting CDs (and playing them on a Walkman) was still a thing, I remember buying my first ever album: “Genie” by Girls Generation. After that I started getting into other second generation groups like 2NE1, Bigbang and 4Minute. They were pretty much the only artists on my iPod at that time.
However, my love for K-pop took a hiatus after I experienced bullying in elementary school. I was labeled as that little weirdo who liked music she didn’t even understand the lyrics of. It was a really scarring experience that made me put away all of my K-pop merchandise—even my friends stopped listening to K-pop (or just hid it well).
Going into college, I noticed how more people were accepting of this kind of music. Here’s why I think so:
They encourage you to keep going
Everyone goes through rough patches and it’s not easy to get up and continue on. There are times when we get discouraged by these struggles to the point that we often give up on our goals. “Breakthrough” by Twice tells us that we shouldn’t give up and that we should keep fighting, and that the world can’t stop us from expressing ourselves because it’ll be needing people like us.
They promote self-love
We often give love to the people around us. Sometimes, it’s the reason why we even have a tendency to neglect ourselves. Some people even wish they were someone else because they want to be accepted. “DALLA DALLA” by ITZY is such a great feel good song for those who need a reminder to practice self-love. The song wants its listeners to know they shouldn’t have to conform to what other people find beautiful. It’s all in loving what makes you different.
Idols have become fashion icons
Apart from the great styling in their music videos, idols have set the bar for fashion. They continue to make noise outside their music through their style. From Blackpink’s Jennie to Sunmi, they’re looked up to for their fashion choices—aside from their talent, of course.
Photo courtesy of ITZY’s Instagram account
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