How Did Kpop Become A Billion Dollar Industry 

I had this video planned and recorded before. I just want to let you know that me and my family are going trough a lot at the moment. With the loss of multiple family members. I plan to keep working hard and making more videos but please bare with me. Thank you all for everything.

Kpop in America WonderGirls - knock on the door Psy- opened the door BTS- smashed the door and wall

And people still try to say that "kPOp iS dUmB, aNd uNpOpUlAr" *Yeah, SURE*

"Literally the sky is the limit" Some of BTS' songs will be played on the moon lolol

Well shootout to the underrated groups who bring a few thousand dollars

I remember when I first jumped into the rabbit hole of kpop, I fell in love with it because of how inclusive it is for fans. Fanchants, fan sites, light sticks etc.

Idk why but this video just made me feel proud I’m a part of kpop. I don’t care if my friends don’t like it or other people don’t like it as well I love it. Not only has some groups opened my eyes to certain things but I find myself being interested in the culture like you said. It’s an amazing thing and I truly hope it keeps growing :))

1st generation - SEO Taiji and the boys 2nd generation - Big-bang , 2ne1,SNSD 3rd generation - BTS,EXO,Twice

“PSY opened a window, BTS kicked down the front door” tbh I got into kpop after PSY and my first group was 2ne1 and SNSD, but internationally BTS kicking down the door is Honestly... accurate.

*"while psy opened a window, bts kicked down the front door"*

"PSY opened a window, BTS kicked down the front door" It couldn't have been said any better.

InternetsNathan: "BTS is responsible for Korea 5billion economy" That sentence made me feel so broke

It makes me so proud when seo Taji passed his torch to BTS, during their collab stage performance practice he said to BTS “now this is your era” and that’s honestly such a beautiful moment cause they have so much in common with their career path

*UMM HAVE YOU SEEN THE CHOREOGRAPHY, LIKE HOW DO THEY DO THAT WITH THEIR BODIES* too much talent...

Nathan, I got into k-pop cause I got bored with music (especially American music). K-pop has its own brand and flow. I first got introduced while working at a Chinese restaurant, then came back to it years later and used my radio platform to expose the music. I love the music cause it has more than one side. K-pop is successful because of its layers and possibilities...endless possibilities.

Me: bts didn't break the door they broke the house Bts: " I came in like a wrecking ball"

5:15 your dialogue was out of this world "When PSY opened the window BTS kicked the door"ooh.....💜💜💜

*While Psy open the window, BTS kick-out the front door* my heart is beating so fast hearing mic drop along with it.

I was waiting for you. I just was watching a video of you

When he started listing the second generation kpop groups, I screamed. Love this generation so frickin much. BIGBANG and Girls Generation especially. But truly thanks to PSY, BLACKPINK and BTS was kpop spread around the world. BTS will be considered veterans once they hit ten years. BIGBANG also helped spread kpop to the US and other Asian countries. Enough of my ranting tho lol. Enjoyed the video!

Love the video! Just wanted to mention that in 2018, Got7 was the first K-pop group to perform at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Major achievement too

BTS smashed the door in America They paved the way And so proud of other K-pop groups too they are perfect and they all made K-pop big

Psy:"open the door" Bts:knock down the door" Then i am running for my live to get in the door with them🤣

*bts kicked down the front door* oh yes they did.

9:35 I adore fanchants. I don't know why but I do. It's like being part of the performance.

It defentily also became popular for how much u get to see about the idols, like already the 1st generation already kpop started on tv, so the way we get to see all these shows with our idols and vlives, diffrent episodes, like its not just a single interview or two we get through a year, we get to follow them and see who they are, so like kpop is defentily also big because of how much entertaiment there is behind the music and how we get to see the idols thru more than one perspective and its honestly amazing its one of the reasons kpop will stay with me forever is because of how many inside jokes there is in each fandom and how relaxing it is to see the idols just being humans as much as us

I'm crying tears of joy... I'm just glad I found K-pop, things would be very different if I never found it...

Omg.. Haha.. I love it when you say BTS kicked down the front door.. Haha

One correction I would make is that the elaborate album packages and light sticks are also prevalent in Japan.

" While Psy opened a window, Bts kicked down the front door" YO IM USING THIS QUOTE FOREVER

Mamamoo is the most underrated K-POP group that I have heard. Their music is so versatile and sound great in every genre they touch. Honestly their whole catalog is impeccable.

YG's financial statements for Quarter 1 and last year's Q4 do not show high profits though, they are actually struggling and their stocks are plummeting. Wonder girls came to the US right after the 2009 financial crisis. They did what they could, but ultimately luck was not on their side. You also say, 1st generation was inspired by american pop, but not the second and cite bigbang, 2ne1 and wonder girls. They were very inspired, especially by hip hop. And wonder girls pop.

Deepdown I feel, no other Boy Group will be as Big as BTS in World. If other boy groups will come then its hard to get Title of BIGGEST BOYBAND IN WORLD LIKE BTS". Because its hard, really hard. I dont see any group in current generation as popular as BTS . Like in my country nobody knows other KPOP group than BTS and Blackpink. Nobody has 100+ Itunes no.1 record like BTS and member's solo songs have. That sort of impact is very difficult to achieve very difficult. Because peolle really love BTS they are close emoyionally to them they know what members are, they laugh onJin's dad joke without knowing what it is? IT HARD TO BE BTS.

When he said “psy opened the window and bts kicked the door” I was like exactly!!!!!:);)

I love the video and will probably show it to a lot of friends and family but Can u do a what happened to the SOPA Scandal

kpop really has come this far

So I'm sure others have corrected you but the Billboard Awards at BTS got started in 2017 and then got its subsequent year 2018 and 19. Also I'm surprised you didn't mention EXO as a second generation because they're one of the most popular groups as well second to BTS but pretty popular as well. However this was a pretty interesting take on Kpop so thank you

So well made Nathan!! Kudos to you and the topic! BTS i-ARMY here.. BORAHAE!!

When Gangnam Style started playing I began to bop. That's literally my childhood.

Hey I love your channel but wtf was that live stream last week

Hope you guys know Seotaiji is still the only one who plays lots of instruments, makes every music by himself, and leads music in South Korea. All the other musicians in Korea know that he is the only one doing different music in S. Korea. I mean Kpop has been 28 years..but still, he is doing different music...

This could of been 1 second by saying two words “BANGTAN SONYEONDAN!”

I'm so happy that I got into kpop in the 'golden era'. so many great songs back then! (though I love Seo Taiji and H.O.T too)

Who else’s first time watching a kpop mv was made by a senior group? Me: BigBang’s ”Bang bang bang”

When he said "BTS kicked down the front door"....I got goosebumps. I'm SO FUCKING proud of them 💜

The fact that not even a 1 second clip of Super Junior was included in this video really saddens me. They did so much for kpop. But I guess only ELF remembers that now. Nice video tho.

5:17 the way video was going on in silent mode and then mic drop entered with that perfect line... "While Psy opened the window, BTS kicked down the front door"

Not to offend anyone , or shadow the true reason for this video . But kpop has lots of Black/African -American theme/inspiration/influence (cannot find the right word ) . And a lot of western inspiration . Edit : No lie , after Kpop I came to make myself learn of the culture because , it just felt right .

WHY DID THIS VIDEO MAKE ME SO HAPPY

One time I told my dad that I was going to buy some albums and he was so confused, he was like “why can’t you just buy it off iTunes” and I wanted to explain to him why, but I knew he wouldn’t get it and he would get bored. Kpop is truly something else and I love it ❤️

this video was so well made and i think you touched upon a lot of importamt aspects in kpop's success! I'll be sure to show this to people who aren't into kpop if they want to know why it's so popular

You know I always kind of thought it was becoming popular because there was less interesting pop stars in the West like Todd in the shadows most recent video he said "If the pop establishment was producing any decent male pop stars we would not have to keep importing them from Korea a huge chunk of the American public is crossing the language barrier to find teen idols they like" Now I would not want to say we are importing them but it does make some sense over the fact that there is less interesting pop stars coming out and people are going to other countries to find a popstar they like

I just started listening to KPop this year when I heard BTS on the radio and hooked ever since. I was drawn to it by the catchy lyrics and upbeat music and then I saw the videos WoW!! The attention to detail the bright colors and sophistication was something I had never seen. It is visually very appealing. I love BTS and haven't really veered much to other groups but to me it's the pop music and visuals in videos oh and BTS are really good people. I like that about them. I'm really not into fake people and neither are they. I like they are funny. Laughter helps. I wish more of the world were like them. I'm listening to some of the Idols that are just starting out and just like BTS visuals and catchy upbeat is drawing me in. But give me drama I'm gone. My mom was saying they remind her of The Beatles or The Monkeys . She is 64 and loves BTS 😎💜✌️🤙

Really nicely edited!!! Thank you sm!

I've been subscribed for a little while and I couldn't be happier that I did. I'm learning about the community and industry of Korean Pop music & culture. This was certainly informative and tbh made me smile.

I loved the video, but there are so many more things that happened that's worth covering on this topic, that would definitely not fit into just one video, so a video series would be amazing~ Also would you ever consider getting help from researchers with your info? There are people who write blogs dedicated to old and new k-pop who'd probably love helping you out!

5:10 It made me sad that GOT7 is not seen as part of the second wave

This feels like a professional documentary. Nathan keep up the good work!!!! ❤❤❤

Seo taji gave birth to Kpop’s essence. BTS slammed the door for western world, TVXQ and Twice did great in japan, EXO in China, bigbang created standards like light sticks and 2ne1 gave birth to girl crush concept, Psy became a one time hit and other groups like wonder girls and shinee did well in stabilising Kpop at korea and surrounding countries and that’s how they conquered everyone

Got goosebumps at the lightstick footage.. Excellent video!

Omg I love this video!! I love how You’ve put so much hard work and dedication into the facts and history!! You’ve even talked about where it originated from and how it all started which I LOVE!! Ever since I’ve stepped upon this video I’m gonna show it to every NON-Kpoper who says, “Oh, kpop is gay” “you don’t even know what their saying” I’ll show them this video and I’ll hope that they’ll understand that there is more to kpop than just language barriers or the whole genre having to be associated with a certain sexuality which has nothing to do with anything. It bothers me every time I hear that.. eh heh... but that’s besides the point, you did amazingly and I really appreciate it! I’ve started liking kpop since like idk, but I didn’t really get get into it until like mid 2017 early 2018 and I am still into it as I’ll always be. I’ll always support the music and the culture and all of their choices. It just baffles me how successful and far it’s all come.. (And while I’m gonna sound like any other kpoper but bts and exo actually got me into it...I used to only listen to them however as I slowly but shortly figured out about other groups I’ve come to love more and more!) I actually really started liking kpop when I saw this youtuber by the name of Kubz Scouts react to it which made me interested in Bts also Exo~(Maybe consider checking it out) Sorry if I wrote to much and this probably won’t even be noticed but yeahhh!! 😂❤️✊🏽 STAN KPOP AND NOT FOR THE WRONG REASONS!!!

Thanks for this video ❤️❤️

wow.. your narration.. *amazing* BIG 10/10

also I have to say yessss thanks 4 including my fav reactors, classical musicians react! lol

I thoroughly enjoyed this video thank you so much

If you ask any asian american, at least most of us had grown up with kpop, me included. I would've never imagined that kpop would blow up this big. I remember being a really active ARMY. Although i wouldn't consider myself an ARMY, i am still a casual fan of BTS. But i remember the rush of adrenaline that BTS used to give me. Voting, doing fanchants, waiting for new tweets. I think what really makes kpop is how inclusive the community is. Sure it can be hell if you do the wrong thing, but generally it can be a very inclusive safe space for so many people. This includes the fans and the idols themselves. Both can make you feel welcome no matter who you are. And it can really be a place for healing your self, whether you choose to continue listening to kpop short term, long term, or even a whole lifetime. Anyone is welcome to stay or leave. Not only that, but are there so many options for groups, for music, for chereography. If you want something kpop most likely has it. There's so much variety within this one genre and that makes it so special.

I almost cried when you mentioned to why us kpop fans are a community and we are so close. I agree we make kpop what it is and help the agencies and groups grow. Also the groups being so interactive with their fans. While in the west like you said we can just listen to the music online, for kpop I feel like not only is the mvs, songs and the albums is about the experience. That’s what’s missing in western pop. Every time I get an album or dvd from my ultimate you can see th amount of detail they put into everything they sell and it’s exciting to open kpop merch especially when you don’t know who you are going to get for a photo card, post card or poster.

Dude you're also forgetting the idol training system, style, light sticks and albums packaging was inspired by jpop. Japan still buys more physical albums than any other country. SM took most of its influences for creating their company from Johnny's and associates from japan(the biggest idol company in jpop). That's the main reasons why almost all kpop artist first try to break into the Japanese market, it's easier since Japan is used to the idol groups and have a huge market for it

For me its definitly RU-vid and.. asian influence? I follow many asian content creators and naturally they speak out about kpop. Gangnam style was the first kpop video I saw but there was just never the thought of "is there more of this" or "what acutally is this" beside the obvious "i like this". RU-vid eventuelly recommended Mic Drop to me and that was the start of the spiral. After that it was like stepping into another world, feeling like you missed out on so much I felt not just oblivious but almost ignorant. The hardest thing for most people outside of korea seems to be that first impression. Not that it is a bad one, but the likelyhood of coming across this genre. One simply does not go "huh i wonder what korea is up to". But once that first impression is there, it simply is like stepping into another world with so many possiblities, suprises and awesome things. There is so much so explore and find out it is so engaging. So tl:dr for me I guess is, RU-vid/Influencers were the reason I first HEARD of kpop and kpop itself made me stick around.

Informative! Well done video... congrats!!!

you did a great job on the video!! 💞

I love your vids! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

5:40 BTS were nominated in 2017, not 2019.

Am always impressed with your knowledge regarding the industry.

I will casually watch this in front of my “is kpop big these days” parents

I was part of the first to walk through the gate of third-gen K-pop, back in around 2009. I was a high school freshman, and back then, BoA was beginning to break out with her debut English album, and my gateway song was Girls' Generation's "Gee" (a song that still holds a special place in my heart, fucking sue me.) I had listened to some of BoA's Japanese songs back in the early/mid 2000s, from Inuyasha ending songs - as well as Rain and Big Bang from back when they were experiencing a small wave of popularity on Myspace (remember Myspace y'all?) From Girls' Generation, I had gotten a sort of high on the genre itself, and I dug deeper and found Kara, T-ara, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, Sistar, and Secret. It also helped that I had some friends in school that loved the genre the same way I did. It's good to look back at some sort of history in where you knew you had a part. It felt like a sort of "renaissance" was coming up when I had first heard about a young group of dudes named BTS, rising up in the charts. Thanks for uploading!

Wow! You were able to sum it up to what is KPop now. This is very informative and thanks for making this vid. I’m a fan of you work 👊🏽

Thank You for the video! I'm using it for my Non-fiction project,as I took down the History of K-pop. Love it Nathan! (I''ll have to make a Ted Talk out of this Lol)

AHHHH OMG THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL 💜 THANK YOU FOR TELLING PPL WHAT THE TRUE MEANING OF KPOP IS‼️💜🥰

This was awesome!!!

5:49 “2019”? Weren't they nominated for the first time in 2017?

Hey Nathan,you're really good at making documentary video! It's really great,i love watching your vids.I love it!plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Make a video of kpop ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES,how they were created and stuff.

the best recent kpop history summary!

Thank you this video. I’m proud to be a Kpop fan.

Great reporting job Nathan!

Great job covering this!

I've seen such a huge positive change in mindest of people when it comes to kpop around me within the last few years. Not only kpop but khip hop and k-R&B aka korean music in general....there r so many who know about it. As for bts, people who dont know kpop even knows bts. I've personally noted that after bts, there has been a great change in the present gen. (4th gen) Of korean groups/artist with more independent/small label artist getting more recognition and opportunities cause now the market for korean music is not just limited to korea/japan and more focus on actual artistry. Its great. But one thing i really hope is that the "kpop promoters" /s.korean govt. stop promoting kpop as a genre of music cause its not, its an industry. Its really only killing an artist's individuality by terming every artist's music as "kpop" and their visibility as individual artists.

PSY showed the way , BTS made the way

8:18 I was waiting for you to add Twice and Skz on this video 😂😂

thank you this is well done video on it

This was really great.

The greatest ritual ever made the Zulu’s have competition : Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseokk, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungwook, BTS

This happened with my family. Anime-> Japanese version of nobody by wonder girls -> wonder girls -> Kpop-> korean shows -> visited Korea-> lived in Korea now for a year

Nice job with the research on the video...and stay strong. Losses are never easy.

THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT SUMMARY OF K-POP. GREAT JOB. THANK YOU

A good informative video.. being a 2yr old fan.. had less to no knowledge of all this.. beautiful 1💜

I dont think people realize how HUGE of a deal it is to sell 8 million korean records

thank you for going with the marketing and tourism, a lot of people forget how much business there is in kpop music industry, and how much hard work is put into it

Great video!

This video gave me chills💜