K-POP Now!: The Korean Music Revolution

Mark James Russell

Apr 2014 · Tuttle Publishing

About this ebook

"This is the book on K-pop everybody has been waiting for.…A must-read!" --Charlotte Naudin, PR Manager, Torpedo Productions

K-Pop Now! examines Korea's high-energy pop music and is written for its growing legions of fans. Pop culture expert Mark Russell features the most famous groups and singers and takes an insider's look at how they have made it to the top.

In 2012, Psy's song and music video "Gangnam Style" took the world by storm. But K-Pop, the music of Psy's homeland of Korea, has been winning fans with its infectious melodies and high-energy fun since long before that. Featuring talented singers and eye-catching visuals, K-Pop is the music of the moment.

Although K-Pop is a relatively new phenomenon in the West, it is rapidly gaining traction and reaching much larger audiences --thanks in large part to social media like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram -- the Girls Generation single "Gee" has almost three hundred million views!

K-Pop Now! includes:

• Profiles of current K-Pop artists and their hits.

• A look at Seoul's trendiest hangout spots.

• Interviews with top artists like Kevin from Ze:A and Brian Joo from Fly to the Sky.

• A look at the K-Pop idols of tomorrow.

You'll meet the biggest record producers, the hosts of the insanely popular "Eat Your Kimchi" website, and K-Pop groups like Big Bang, TVXQ, 2NE1, Girls Generation, HOT, SES, FinKL Busker Busker, and The Koxx. The book also includes a guide for fans who plan to visit Seoul to explore K-Pop up close.

Join the K-Pop revolution today!

Ratings and reviews

While I haven't looked at the interview section or the notes on Korea at the end of the book, I have read the (too short) first two chapters and looked at some of the groups and was disappointed. The free sample doesn't show you that these group pages just give a brief description of how the group got started, the real names and birthdays of its members, and a discography of their albums and mini albums. For this price, I was expecting actual bios on each member.

Hated it for misinformation about TVXQ. Past members as well as the dates were a mess. Pretending that the band always started as a duo is spreading wrong information through your book. The book has lost its credibility.

This book helped me with information for an important assignment at school and i remain grateful to have been able to use it as a source.