Recently, K-pop – Korean pop – has dominated the Western music charts. It's only natural that people start comparing K-pop to Western pop. Although both genres fall under the pop category, they are completely different. I will discuss the similarities and differences between the culture, selection process, and music production of K-pop and Western pop. When reading this, one should keep cultural differences in mind. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay People listen to American pop music because they like the music and not necessarily because of the artists. In Western pop culture, you don't have to be good looking to be popular. If your music touches many people's hearts, arouse people's enthusiasm and become a good bop; no matter how you look. People listen to K-pop because they like idols. The K-pop industry focuses more on the visual aspect of music: the idols. Idols are groomed as soon as they enter the company, usually between the ages of 14 and 20. Looks mean everything, most of these idols don't write or compose their music and are only told to perform perfectly and look pretty, cute and beautiful in front of the camera. These idols must always appear perfect in the public eye. Because that's what they are: idols. And that's why scandals that destroy their image have difficulty restoring their reputation. They dance and sing non-stop for hours to appear perfect on stage, even if they are injured or malnourished. In the world of K-pop, three powerful entertainment companies dominate: SM, YG, and JYP. They control most of the K-pop industry. Groups outside the big three rarely attract public attention. Unlike K-pop, in Western pop there is no standard training system. Groups like One Direction, The Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys were all formed through open audition. These groups made their official debut within one to two years. In Western pop, once a group is formed, there is rarely any question as to whether or not the group will debut. K-pop artists or “idols” are created through the intern system by labels. The training period is much longer and more uncertain. Aspiring artists join a company without knowing which group they will be a part of; that's if they're part of a group. There have been many cases where idols stopped training right before debuting. There were also times when trainees would train for seven years and still not make their debut. TWICE member Jihyo trained for 10 years before debuting. Despite years of training, many K-pop idols cannot write their own music; As their internship days were spent improving their dance, theater and language skills, they often don't learn - or have the chance - to compose/produce their own music until later in their career. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Essay However, many K-pop groups such as BTS indicate that this is slowly changing. The musically talented members of BTS write many of their own songs and are heavily involved in the creation of each song. Most K-pop idols rely on producers hired by the company to write their songs for them. This may seem strange to :, 52, 101929.