[theqoo] 70% OF K-POP IDOLS’ LYRICS ARE IN ENGLISH… KOREAN LYRICS BECOMING INCREASINGLY RARE FOR THE FOREIGN MARKET [TENMUSIC]

In the 2010s, when K-pop began to gain global recognition, K-pop played a significant role as a promoter of the Korean language. Fans’ love for K-pop extended to a love for the Korean language. K-pop, sung in Korean, sparked interest in Korean culture and the Korean Wave (Hallyu), giving birth to the “K-value chain.” Cultural content played a role in changing the landscape of industries. K-pop was recognized as a champion of the Korean language.

In the 2020s, K-pop began to “expand.” It shifted from being a music genre loved by enthusiasts to one that appealed to global audiences. Foreign producers were recruited, and melodies and lyrics were tailored to meet the tastes of general overseas audiences. From this point, the Korean language gradually took a backseat. Concerns about “losing the identity of K-pop” and arguments that “K-pop is a musical expression, not just about lyrics” began to clash.

What happened in 2024? Our newspaper, using OpenAI’s ‘ChatGPT,’ analyzed 2024 K-pop hit songs and confirmed that Korean lyrics had been pushed aside in favor of the goal of “overseas market success.” It became even harder to find Korean lyrics. It is now considered a “critical point” that requires rethinking the balance between “K-pop identity” and the proportion of Korean lyrics.

◆ Female idols lyrics: 70% English

An analysis of songs that ranked in the top 10 of the Melon monthly chart in 2024 by our music reporting team revealed that the average percentage of English lyrics in girl group songs was 70.6%. Among the 15 tracks, the song with the highest percentage of English lyrics was NewJeans’ “How Sweet,” with 84.48% of the lyrics in English.

The artist with the most songs in the top 10 of the Melon monthly chart this year was aespa, and their tracks also predominantly featured English lyrics. The average percentage of English lyrics in aespa’s “Drama,” “Supernova,” and “Armageddon” was 68.95%.

Other songs with high percentages of English lyrics included “Sticky” by Kiss of Life (77.16%), “Magnetic” by ILLIT (80.47%), “EASY” by LE SSERAFIM (72.73%), and “SHEESH” by Baby Monster (75.73%). Overall, the English lyric ratio was high across the board.

Most of the girl group music that received a positive response in overseas markets had a high proportion of English lyrics. NewJeans’ “How Sweet” was included in both the “2024 Best K-Pop 25” selected by staff and in the “2024 Best K-Pop 25” list published by the British NME. It was also selected in the “2024 Best Songs 100” by Rolling Stone in the U.S. This reflects the reason why entertainment companies are intentionally increasing the proportion of English lyrics to target overseas markets. Songs like NewJeans’ “Supernatural” and LE SSERAFIM’s “Perfect Night,” which were specifically aimed at overseas markets from the start, have a Korean lyric proportion of about 20%, a strategy aligned with this approach.

The songs that actively used Korean lyrics and stood out on the charts were limited to just two: (G)I-DLE’s “Fate” and IVE’s “HEYA.” (T/N: The original titles are in Korean) “HEYA” is a rare case where 80.84% of the lyrics are in Korean. In general, it became increasingly difficult to find girl group songs with more than 50% of the lyrics in Korean.

◆ Korean still resonates with boy groups

Boy groups, by contrast, have a relatively higher proportion of Korean lyrics. This is largely due to the fact that girl group songs are more exposed and consumed by a broader, unspecified public, while boy group music is mainly performance-based, rooted in fandoms. In terms of “lyrical accessibility,” boy groups have more flexibility compared to girl groups.

Last year, male idols that ranked in the top 10 on Melon’s monthly chart included EXO, Zico, DAY6, RIIZE, and TWS. TWS ranked high with “Plot Twist,” (T/N: The original title is in Korean) and RIIZE with “Love 119.” “Plot Twist” had 79.86% of its lyrics in Korean and 20.14% in English. This song reached 5th place in Billboard’s Best K-Pop chart, and Billboard emphasized that the song stayed on the “Global 200” chart for two months. “Love 119” had a higher proportion of English lyrics, but it didn’t perform well internationally. It had only 35.15% Korean lyrics, with 64.85% in English.

DAY6 can be considered a champion of preserving Korean lyrics. They made the charts with five songs: “You Were Pretty,” “Time of Our Life,” “Melting,” “Happy,” and “Welcome to the Show.” True to their focus on relatable lyrics, the proportion of Korean lyrics was overwhelmingly high. Notably, “You Were Pretty” and “Melting” used 96.72% and 94.19% Korean lyrics, respectively.

BTS’s Jungkook attempted 100% English lyrics. Jungkook’s “Golden” ranked 80th on the Billboard year-end chart. Since BTS is already a globally recognized star, it can be interpreted as a strategy to boost their public recognition even further by increasing the proportion of English lyrics in their songs. The same can be said for “Dynamite”, which is entirely in English.

There were also songs that gained attention domestically by using English lyrics, although they did not receive significant international attention. These include G-Dragon’s “Power” and Zico’s “Spot!”, with English lyric proportions of 78.1% and 70.6%, respectively. These songs did not make it to the Billboard year-end chart.

◆ Korean = not exactly K-pop

The fact that the proportion of Korean lyrics in the hit songs of major girl groups is less than 30% was confirmed through this analysis for the first time. The issue lies in the relationship between Korean lyrics and the identity of K-pop. There have been consistent concerns about the decreasing proportion of Korean lyrics in K-pop. However, the argument from the music industry is that K-pop is not simply defined by whether it uses Korean lyrics, but by the cultural background, production environment, and style of presentation that define the genre of K-pop.

Musically, K-pop is known for its genre fusion, addictive melodies, and elaborate compositions. Flashy choreography, sophisticated visuals, and a powerful fandom culture are also considered key features of K-pop. The unique idol training system in K-pop is another reason why it stands out as its own genre.

The problem is that these elements are gradually becoming less distinct. Major entertainment companies are not only actively recruiting overseas producers but also expanding the K-pop system through establishing overseas subsidiaries and acquiring foreign labels. However, in the process of creating K-pop that caters to the demand in foreign markets, the distinct “K-pop feel” is gradually fading. As the proportion of Korean producers who deeply understand Korean culture decreases, the Korean color in K-pop is also diminishing. Korean, with its unique phonetic structure, inevitably influences the creation of K-pop lyrics and melodies that sound “K-pop-like.” The song “DNA”, which led BTS’s global popularity, has less than 20% of its lyrics in English. The musical characteristics created through Korean played a significant role in its success.

The K-pop production system is also struggling to maintain its uniqueness. There is considerable criticism of the K-pop idol training system. The Korean production environment and sensitivity continue to evolve. However, the linguistic characteristic of Korean remains a constant element in creating K-pop. At this rate, there is a possibility that the genre could split into categories like ‘American K-pop’ and ‘Korean K-pop.’ As the industrial scale of K-pop grows, latecomers from other countries might try to benchmark K-pop that has lost its Korean identity. This is the history of any industry when the market grows, and competition increases. The unique K-pop identity created by the Korean language itself acts as an entry barrier. It may be time for the music industry to reconsider whether K-pop and the proportion of Korean lyrics are truly unrelated.