Known as music for grannies and scorned by fans of K-pop, trot is making a hip comeback – but can this wildly sentimental music ever break out of its home country?
from the first series of Pop Idol. But Lim’s popularity is undeniable: he has more than 1.3m subscribers on his YouTube channel, his face currently occupies a 10-storey video billboard in the thriving university district of Hongdae, and he’s as ubiquitous as BTS in the souvenir stalls of the market district Insa-dong.
Lee explains that the “idol” industry of mainstream K-pop stars is “very restrictive. You need to have a nice appearance, be good at dancing, and you have to attend to the audience and to marketing – it’s like being a supermodel or a goddess.” On the other hand, the more niche trot ormarket “is a place where people who just want to be a good singer or a good musician can focus on the artistry”. It’s a point emphasised by Korean stars such as Lizzy, formerly of K-pop girl group After School.
, as her debut solo single in 2015, telling MBN Star that year: “Idol music is short-lived … I thought trot music would stay longer in the music market.”It’s not only reality-TV stars and mainstream artists who are in on the revival.
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