K-Pop: Korea's Musical Explosion

Stuart A. Kallen has written more than 350 nonfiction books for children and young adults. His books have covered a wide arc of human history, culture, and science. Kallen is also an accomplished singer-songwriter and guitarist in San Diego, California.

"While most Americans have only been aware of Korean pop, or K-pop, music since the infectious 2012 hit song 'Gangnam Style' by Psy, it is a genre that has been widely popular since the 1990s. Its sudden notoriety marks a global trend called Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, which encompasses not only music but also other pillars of pop culture, such as movies and television, cuisine, and Korean cartoon art known as manhwa. This colorful, informative book is a study in cultural diffusion that began with American GIs during the Korean War and then continued through the repression of Park Chung-hee's regime and into today's rise of South Korea as an economic powerhouse. The growing global awareness of K-pop is a testament to the influence of social media, and an interesting study in how cultural trends are spread over time. Though technically a book about a specific genre of music, this straightforward text also serves as a history of modern Korean culture and the phenomena of globalization." ―Booklist

"Popular music has always been a part of the cultural landscape, from the Beatles, the Jackson Five, and, more currently, One Direction. K-Pop, or Korean Pop, has been a staple in South Korea since the 1960s, but with the arrival of Psy and his 'Gangnam Style' video in 2012, it has seen worldwide success and been introduced more prominently into the Western world. This highly accessible text focuses on K-Pop from the 1960s to the modern day, highlighting some of the biggest artists and most influential record labels. Much like K-Pop's fast-paced, bubblegum style, the book is filled with an explosion of colorful photographs that gives readers a glamorized view of the life of a K-Pop artist. Each chapter ends with a mini discography featuring the most popular songs of the artists introduced in the chapter. The addition of a selected bibliography featuring several websites and blogs makes this book a great tool for students wanting to do a report on a fresh and exciting topic. An appealing addition for readers who wish to know more about artists like Psy, Girls' Generation, 2NE1, and Rain." ―School Library Journal