They’ve sold tens of millions of albums worldwide, yet you likely don't know one of their songs. They have the largest fanclubs in the world, yet you’ve probably never even heard their names. They are the stars of Korean Pop - a.k.a. K-Pop - and this weekend they descended on Sydney for
K-Pop Music Fest 2011
.
On Saturday night, close to 30 000 Sydney-siders flocked to
ANZ Stadium
for the festival, which featured twelve of the biggest names in the Korean music scene, brought together as part of a celebration of fifty years of Australian/South Korean diplomatic relations.
The bill included the likes of
Girls’ Generation
,
KARA
(pictured),
TVXQ
,
SHINee
,
2AM
,
CN Blue
and six more, each of them K-Pop royalty. They are the doyens of the so-called “
Hallyu Wave
”, a movement that is hastily spreading South Korean popular culture - its fashion, its TV dramas, and, in this case, its music - throughout the world. This globalisation has increased exponentially in recent years due to the mass-popularisation of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The concert itself was a three hour audio-visual extravaganza, replete with pyrotechnics, hydraulic mega-screens and expertly-drilled dance crews. No lip syncing, no out-of-control crowds, just 180 minutes of high quality, high production, high energy pop, hip hop and R&B; music.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the evening was
Girls’ Generation
. The nine-piece girl group - who can now name
Lady Gaga
,
Dr. Dre
and the
Black Eyed Peas
as their label-mates after signing with
Interscope Records
in the United States - showed why they’ve garnered a rabid worldwide following with a masterful three song set, including
their current single “The Boys”
. The track, produced by vaunted
Michael Jackson-collaborator Teddy Riley
, has caused a stir not only overseas but also locally, even gracing the top 10 of the Australian iTunes charts.
Though very much a celebration of South Korean culture, there were a few doffs of the hat towards the Australian and Western pop scenes, with
Kylie Minogue
and
Beyonce
both covered, and with
CN Blue
lead singer
Yong Hwa
announcing, endearingly, that there are many great Australian bands, such as “AC/DC, Air Supply, etc”
So, whilst they mightn’t yet be household names, be assured that it won’t be long before K-Pop’s stars are being mentioned in the same breath as Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, et al.
Don't miss James Tobin reporting on the festival for
Weekend Sunrise
from 7:00am Saturday!
--
Photo courtesy of
Light Scribbling
.