New Documentary Offers Intimate Look at K-Pop Careers
A new Apple TV+ documentary series, K-pop Idols, offers an intimate look at the K-pop industry and what it takes to be a K-pop star.
The six-part series follows the careers of K-pop stars like Korean American singer Jessi, the boy band Cravity, and the multinational girl group Blackswan.
K-pop is known for its catchy tunes and precisely choreographed dance moves. But it is also known for its "dark side": strict management controls, grueling practice schedules and extremely high standards in every aspect of their lives.
The documentary shows that the industry still has problems.
In the documentary, former Blackswan member Youngheun said members had a curfew and were not allowed to drink or date. "We even had to report when we were getting our nails done and going to the convenience store in front of our house," she said.
Rigid control also extends to diet.
Cravity member Wonjin said that he was given two weeks to lose weight to join the label. "I would eat like one egg a day ... I lost about 7kg," he said.
The documentary also touches on K-pop's new challenge: embracing diversity.
Following BTS' international success, K-pop labels have been recruiting foreign talents, which sometimes brings unfamiliar challenges.
In the documentary, Yoon Deung Ryong, the founder of Blackswan's label DR Music, struggles to settle a conflict between two group members: Leia, who is from Brazil, and Fatou from Senegal.
Traditional K-pop groups, he said, are easier to control: "If the company says, 'don't fight,' they won't fight." He said he can't control a multinational group the same way, however, because there are so many differences in language and culture.
Blackswan started out as an all-Korean group, but now has no Korean members. This raises a question about the essence of K-pop.
"In a K-pop group, if there are no Korean members, I feel like it's just a K-pop cover group, isn't it?" Blackswan's former Korean member Youngheun said.
However, Cravity's Hyeongjun disagrees, saying that as Blackswan's members "are active in Korea and use Korean, they are K-pop."
Blackswan band members have their photo taken.
