Time for another Kpop History Lesson!
Below are 5 songs that I believe had a huge impact on early Kpop history :)
Hug - TVXQ
This was the debut single for TVXQ and truly marks the rebirth of Kpop. After the hit groups of the 90s, it seemed like idol groups were reaching the end of their era. That is, of course, until TVXQ broke into the scene and restarted Kpop boy groups. Following them came legends like Big Bang, Super Junior, and more.
Gee - SNSD
Like Hug, this was the mark of the rebirth of girl groups. While SNSD had success from their debut, this song and dance literally took over Korea and even Japan. This was when Kpop began to be recognized on a major scale by the international world and made SNSD the queens they are today.
I Don't Care - 2NE1
There were other girl groups trying to use this concept before, but it was 2NE1 that made the strong independent woman concept mainstream. With CL and Minzy's strong rapping, the meaningful lyrics, and a powerful MV, 2NE1 brought powerful women onto the playing field of what was mostly just super cute songs.
Abracadabra - Brown Eyed Girls
Brown Eyed Girls are always pushing boundaries when it comes to Korea's conservative view on sexuality. This video got banned pretty much immediately thanks to its hinting at lesbian relationships as well as an overtly sexual drama version of the MV. The ban didn't stop the song and dance from going viral!
Sorry Sorry - Super Junior
This was a major change in Super Junior's style. SuJu was never meant to be a serious group - the members were only chosen because they had other talents, mostly that they would be funny on variety shows.
This transformation not only created one of the biggest viral dances of their time, but also marked Super Junior as a group to take seriously and blasted them up to the top of the ranks like TVXQ or Big Bang.
