PSY’s Gangnam Style has jumped to the 64th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, now the best-selling record among Korean pop singers.

In 2009, the Korean girl band “Wonder Girls” reached the 76th spot of this chart with their song “Nobody,” and was at the time the highest grossing record any Korean singer had had in the U.S. market.

With his appearance on U.S. television and radio programs, on top of several promotion events with his new agent Scooter Braun, it is expected that his popularity will keep gaining momentum. Braun is also responsible for making Justin Bieber a super star. The number of YouTube views of PSY’s music video is still increasing, having reached 160 million views and holding great promise for his future success in the U.S.

PSY’s Gangnam Style is doing a great on the iTunes Music Chart as well. According to the single chart of iTunes, ‘Top Songs,’ Gangnam Style is staying at 6th place as of September 13.

PSY was invited to the MTV awards to celebrate 100 million YouTube views of his music video, making many American shows interested in inviting him to their show. He was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 11, teaching his “Horse dance” to Ellen and the other guest Britney Spears. It is reported that the show got its highest viewer ratings since 2003. PSY will be on the show again in the near future as a guest and will talk about himself with Ellen. It is reported that NBC’s Today Show is also planning to invite him as a guest.

The number of parody videos of the Gangnam Style music video is increasing. Currently, videos of the Obama version of Gangnam Style and the Romney version are gaining popularity online. In the Obama version, clips of Obama’s speeches are used to make up the song, and it looks like Obama is singing the Gangnam Style song. Meanwhile, NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno aired a parody video by using computer graphic that made Romney dance to Gangnam Style.

ABC news reported on Night Line that Gangnam Style’s humor, sarcasm and addictive beat are the key of PSY’s success.

The 36-year-old hip-hop singer who graduated Berklee college of music in Boston, debuted in 2001 in Korea, winning huge popularity with his single ‘Bird’. More information of Psy is available here.

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The Wonder Girls are a Korean girl group under JYP Entertainment. Each of the five original members were selected through auditions. Debuting in early 2007, they became popular in the fall of that year with the song “Tell Me.” They have scored three consecutive #1 hit singles: “Tell Me,” “So Hot,” and “Nobody.” In 2008, they won two “Artist of the Year” awards. The group embarked into the American market in 2009, with the English version of their hit single “Nobody.” They are co-managed in the US by JYP Entertainment and Jonas Group.

As a group, the Wonder Girls were initially introduced through a program called MTV Wonder Girls. The first four episodes outlined the characteristics and profiles of each member and showcased their schedules for the day. After those episodes, a fifth member was added and the Wonder Girls had their first showcase in the MTV Studio. They performed “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls as well as some of their own songs, including “Irony” and “It’s not Love.”

The girls officially debuted in early 2007 on a Korean show “Show! Music Core” singing their song “Irony” a single from their debut mini-album, The Wonder Begins (February 2007). The mini-album sold over 11,000 copies and established a fan club. Unfortunately, 2007 was not the best year for these girls. All the members were beset by various injuries and health problems. One member, Sohee, was sidelined for a month after tearing a knee ligament in a fall from a running motorcycle during the filming of her movie. In late July, the parents of member Hyuna had withdrawn her from the group permanently due to health problems. She was later replaced in the fall of that year.

Although there were many unfortunate incidents, the girls released their first mini-album and their debut single “Tell Me” reached #1 on various Korean television and internet music charts. On May 22, 2008, the lead single of their CD single was released; “So Hot” topped online music charts. After a brief hiatus, the group returned in early fall of 2008 with a music video and song for their next single, “Nobody.” The song went to #1 on several Korean television music charts and remaining there for four consecutive weeks, as well as winning “Song of the Month” award for two months: September and October 2008. At the end-of-the-year awards show, Wonder Girls took home three awards, including the highly-desired “Song of the Year” award as well as “Best Video” for “Nobody” and “Best Female Group.”

The Wonder Girls got an amazing break in June 2009 when it was announced that they would be joining the Jonas Brothers for the North American leg of the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009! The group would be one of the opening acts. JYP Entertainment announced that “Nobody” would be the first English single, followed by “Tell Me,” and that an English album would be forthcoming. However, in order to fully concentrate on their American debut, members Sohee and Sunmi had to drop out of high school. The group was originally contracted for thirteen shows, but eventually went for forty-five shows!

Almost one year after the Jonas Brothers Tour, the Wonder Girls headlined their own tour across the US and Canada: Wonder World Tour, which included fellow label-mates 2PM. The tour was to be a combination of the English and Korean versions of their title hits, covers of popular English songs, and their new songs from their upcoming album. Currently the girls can be seen in both Korea and New York recording their songs for their American album as well as attending different events in New York, including many fashion events.

Image Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/bokamokacoka/

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Lately, American music can be described in one word: baroque. The simple eight notes Pachelbel’s melody can be found in many popular songs, such as Avril Lavigne’s “Skater Boy” or Aerosmith’s “Crying.”

Radios today play popular songs that include two main themes: a dancing rhythm and some guy trying to seduce a girl. Artists including Usher, Lil Wayne, Taio Cruz, and Flo-Rida have engaging songs with upbeat rhythms, perfect for dancing. However, when listening to the lyrics, the same songs are just like the rest, talking about sexual exploitations of women. There is no creativity or uniqueness. Enter Korean Wave.

Korean Wave, aka Hallyu, refers to the spread of Korean culture across the globe from Europe to Latin America, entertaining society through movies, music, and food. Though North American Hallyu is fairly recent, Koreans are no strangers in Hollywood. In fact, many Hollywood producers have been requesting Korean and Korean-Americans to star in their movies. In May 2009, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, starring Korean actor Daniel Henney, appeared in theaters. Later in the summer, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was released in August, starring Byeong-Heon Lee. Finally in November, actor and singer Rain was the lead role in Ninja Assassin.

Aside from film entertainment, Hallyu has also impacted music. The three top entertainment agencies in Korea, SM, JYP, and YG have produced many popular artists. Artists such as Wonder Girls, Big Bang, Super Junior, and 2PM have made swept various music charts in the US. In fact, in 2009, Wonder Girls were the first Korean singers to place on US Billboard’s Hot 100 charts with their song “Nobody.” Hallyu has not gone unnoticed by US music producers. Korean artists are collaborating with many well-known producers including Kayne West, Teddy Riley, DJ Diplo, Rodney Jerkins, and Will.i.am.

Why exactly is K-pop so popular? For one thing, the music is addicting and fresh. Each artist has their own unique style of music, from girly to eye-catching, shirt ripping. The lyrics have more meaning than “getting the girl.” There are many genres from ballads to hip hop to rock. Korean artists sing with feelings, pouring into their music, about love, heartbreak, friendship, and happiness. However, there is more to just music that makes k-pop entertaining. There are variety shows that the artists appear as guests as well as dramas and movies. The entertainment companies select individuals who have raw talent and individuality that can be shaped to not only become singers but also radio show hosts, actors, dancers, and models.

With the Korean Wave hitting the US, one would think there would be more artists trying to make a break in the American music market and yet only a handful have attempted. The earliest artist to debut in US was Se7en, in March 2008 with his single “Girls” featuring Lil Kim. Shortly after, Queen of K-pop BoA debuted in October 2008 with her hit single “Eat You Up.” The summer of 2009 was a major moment in K-pop when Wonder Girls were chosen to be one of the opening acts for the Jonas Brothers World Tour. In 2011, the trio JYJ is headlining their second world tour hitting major cities including Los Angeles, New York City, and San Jose.

Besides touring the US, there have been several artists that have made a different splash: US iTunes Chart. Between 2010 and 2011 there have been four major artists to make a mark on iTunes Chart. In March 2010, music group Epik High became the first Korean to debut #1 in the Hip-hop album chart with their album Epilogue beating out performers such as Ludacris, Kayne West, Jay-Z, Beastie Boys, and Black Eyed Peas. Four months later, solo artist Taeyang placed #3, becoming the first Korean artist to place under R&B/Soul album category. Continuing to September, 2NE1’s new album To Anyone debuted #2, beating previous artist. The shocking news is that this group did not have any overseas promotions! Lastly, in February of 2011, Big Bang made a record in the top 10 based solely on their pre-orders. Not only that but they are the only non-English language album to ever chart in the top 100.

I guess what I am trying to say is the K-pop genre is vibrant and continue to make their way to the US market. With fans all over the world, the US is no exception. As Hallyu continues to spread across the globe, expect to see more Korean artists making indents in the US market. The music is fun, great workout songs, and is more relatable. For those who are interested in this genre, a few artists to look into are TVXQ, Super Junior, Big Bang, SNSD, and Epik High.

Image Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/bokamokacoka/

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