Rise of the 5th Generation: Shaping a New Era in K-pop
Rise of the 5th Generation: Shaping a New Era in K-pop
K-pop is divided into "generations," and idols belonging to each generation share a sense of solidarity and form a common ground.
Although the criteria are not clear-cut, there is a certain point that everyone who listens to music feels, leading to the division and the birth of music for each generation.
Now, the 5th generation has already emerged. While there is much debate surrounding the term "5th generation," it is clear that it has already begun and there is no turning back.
As everyone knows, H.O.T., Sechs Kies, Fin.K.L, S.E.S., and others belong to the 1st generation; TVXQ, Super Junior, SS501, Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls, BIGBANG, 2NE1, and others are part of the 2nd generation; EXO, BTS, Red Velvet, BLACKPINK, TWICE, SEVENTEEN, and others are the 3rd generation.
In between, there was also a 0.5 generation, and the stages are quite closely spaced. NewJeans, IVE, and LE SSERAFIM signaled the start of the 4th generation.
From the beginning, these three groups entered the U.S. Billboard charts. Notably, NewJeans' 2023 song "Get Up" reached No. 1 on the U.S. "Billboard 200," achieving the longest record and career high for a K-pop girl group.
Following the 4th generation, which mainly focused on girl groups, the 5th generation has emerged.
The 5th generation began with thegroup ZEROBASEONE, which debuted through Mnet's survival program "BoysPlanet."
After the boy groups that did not receive much attention in the4th generation, ZEROBASEONE achieved great success, and subsequently, groupslike RIIZE, TWS, and BOYNEXTDOOR began to shine, leading to the emergence ofterms like "5th generation boy groups" or "5th generationrepresentatives.
" Some say this is part of marketing, while others view itas an extension of the 4th generation.
Additionally, various online communitiesand K-pop fans still question the "5th generation."
In any case, all of these situations have resulted in positive outcomes for the 4th generation.
With NewJeans, IVE, and LE SSERAFIM achieving unprecedented success, there is now a sense of pressure that groups associated with them must also achieve similar results.
In particular, an anonymous music entertainment production staff member, A, said,
"To be honest, if the team I'm in charge of doesn't have the same level of success as NewJeans, IVE, and LE SSERAFIM, but we talk about being part of the 4th generation, it would be strange.
This doesn't just apply to me, but to others as well. Somehow, the 4th generation is being defined by these three groups, giving the impression that 'this level of success is necessary to be considered 4th generation.'"
Another music industry official, B, stated, "When we talk about the 2nd and 3rd generations, there are clear differences in terms of years. So, when NewJeans, IVE, and LE SSERAFIM were born, I think it's correct to say that they opened the 4th generation.
After that, the term 'generation' started to be used frequently, and to differentiate from existing groups, the '5th generation' was needed.
From the perspective of debuting groups, being part of the 4th generation doesn't feel fresh, and with the term 'generation' being attached and the pace of the era accelerating, the 5th generation started to be used."
Although the beginning may havebeen bumpy, about a year later, the 5th generation has now developed cleardifferences. Groups that have gradually established their own identities havestarted to show their unique colors.
Examples include ZEROBASEONE's youth,RIIZE's 'emotional pop,' and TWS's 'boyhood pop.' In general, boy groups usedto start with the heaviness of a worldview and always wore uniforms.
However,they have lowered the barrier with the public and created their own genres byadopting youth narratives and easy listening genres that are easy to approachand empathize with.
Regarding these unique genres, Asaid,
"Even if the atmospheres are similar, there are subtle differencesbecause the directions pursued by each genre are different.
There are quite afew cases where groups try to follow the trend of easy listening songs thesedays and end up failing. The 5th generation groups have created their ownunique genres and are walking that path. I believe this will bring even greaterresults in the next 2-3 years."
In fact, each group is receivingpositive reviews, and in addition to the three groups, iLET, BABY MONSTER, andKISS OF LIFE are also gaining high praise.
They are not only creating their owngenres but also seem to be overcoming difficulties amidst high public interestfrom the start.
However, music industry officialC pointed out, "In the past, idol generations were divided based ondifferences in music genres or eras for convenience, but recent idol generationclassifications tend to be more focused on determining who the forerunners are.
Since it is unclear what musical differences they show, the generationaldivision seems more ambiguous." It will be interesting to see what paththe 5th generation groups will take to create a distinctive identity for the'5th generation.'
