When Old Generation K-pop Idols Popular Again

JAKARTA - There is a situation where an old song released is getting popular again. The second generation of the K-pop industry, which is said to be the center of the K-pop music industry, has been the topic of discussion for quite a while now.

Regardless of their style and concept, many K-pop songs have gone viral so that the singer has become known to the public again. Indeed, good music will always find its fans regardless of which generation.

The term generation seems to be a barrier between the careers of one group and another. However, each generation has its own characteristics and increasing technological growth. It's no wonder why K-pop groups are so much better known to the public than they were in previous years.

Singer Rain's career went downhill after releasing the album Rain Effect in 2014. After carrying out his mandatory military service, his name got dimmer even though he released the song Gang and starred in the film Race to Freedom: Uhm Bok Dong. Several Korean dramas that he played also did not achieve satisfactory ratings, such as Sketch and Welcome 2 Life. Rating is one measure of the success of a Korean drama and Rain did not get it even though he was dubbed the King of K-pop.

But Rain's popularity began to be highlighted after the Gang song and music video went viral again in May 2020. The word Gang or has a similar meaning with enthusiasm or courage made a group of high school kids in South Korea popularize the word 1 Gang a Day. The hashtag #GangChallenge that resonates on the internet has also begun to be followed by social media users.

When it was released, Gang received sharp criticism from listeners so that this song did not stay on the music charts for long. Netizens considered Rain's musical style and appearance to be excessive.

His ridiculous lyrics, unique choreography, and high production costs made Rain again grabbed listeners' attention. Gang lyrics contains Rain's confidence regarding his 15 year career. Fans who keep chasing him, call advertisements and drama projects, Rain's popularity doesn't make him arrogant.

Gang's music video, which was initially watched more than 800 thousand times, has rapidly increased to 20 million. Several South Korean rappers; Sik-K, PH-1, Jay Park, and Haon also remixed the song Gang and immediately took first place after its release. Rain also felt surprised by the viralness of the song Gang even though three years have passed.

The climax, Rain joined the Hangout with Yoo. He also collaborated with Yoo Jae Suk and Lee Hyori to form a co-ed group, SSAK3. The songs Beach Again and Play That Summer sat at the top of the music charts for five consecutive weeks.

Now, Rain also has his own show on YouTube titled Season B Season. The event featured Rain following requests from fans through YouTube comments. One of them, a duet with his mentor Park Jin-young for the song Switch to Me.

Currently, South Korean television channels are beginning to expand their content digitally. MMTG or Civilization Express is a YouTube program from SBS hosted by Lee Eun Jae or familiarly called JaeJae. He always refers to himself as half celebrity, half ordinary person.

Because, despite being a famous YouTube star, Lee Eun Jae is still working as a producer at SBS. Through the MMTG program, Lee Eun Jae conducted interviews with various South Korean public figures.

In October last year, the second generation K-pop group U-KISS came to the MMTG event to talk about their music. JaeJae also talked about one of the incidents of U-KISS appearance in the past.

At that time, the music was already playing even though the U-KISS members had not yet prepared their respective positions for the song 0330. One of the members, Soohyun, knelt down and sang a song in high notes as a distraction from the incident. The video went viral on the internet.

To fulfill fans' longing, U-KISS and TEEN TOP sang their songs specially for MMTG events.

The T-ARA women's group has not gone unnoticed either. When they appeared on MMTG and sang several of their hits, fans were enthusiastic about the gathering of T-ARA members. The video has been viewed more than three million times since its release last year.

Not a few people call the second generation of K-pop a golden era for the heyday of the hallyu wave. Back then, the competition between groups was not as massive as the industry it is today. Various concepts are also daring to be implemented and do not always follow world trends.

The presence of several groups and singers from the old generation who are known to today's K-pop fans proves that music does not screw listeners and can transcend time.