Since Gangnam Style is becoming so popular... you think more kpop artists/groups could gain some success in America? I hope so... we need some kpop classiness here - we've needed it for a long time.  :P Imagine hearing Girls Generation on mainstream radio  :D

Gangnam Style by Psy is already at #16 in Canada.  I think it'll be a flash in the pan, a one hit wonder

Just like Pink Lady (Kiss in the Dark, 1979) and Kyu Sakamoto (Sukiyaki, 1963) were one hit wonders in North America

I personally love Gangnam Style, but I think it'll most likely just be a one hit wonder.  It's too gimmicky and too much of a novelty to allow Psy to have long-term success (LMFAO is gimmicky as hell too, but they're an exception to the rule of success).  As for K-Pop itself, well K-Pop has been working it's away into internet consciousness for the past few years and a lot of young people I know are aware of its existence, even if they're not necessarily fans.

I do think that K-Pop has a type of sound that would really appeal to Americans, with its heavy emphasis on catchy hooks, over the top visuals, and dance-centric choreography and beats.  However, I don't think it will actually make much of a crossover.  I think its more likely to wind up like how anime was last decade.  Every young person knew what it was and could probably even name off a couple anime, but the vast majority weren't actually fans of it and couldn't care less about it.  On another note, perhaps not coincidentally, K-Pop started growing in popularity right around the same time anime started to decline in popularity.  I know there's some definite overlap in their fanbases (I'm an example) so there's gotta be a connection there I think.

As a K-Pop fan since 2009, I'm personally happy with how K-Pop is right now and really don't want it to be that popular anyway.  I need to maintain my K-Pop hipster cred.

1. I agree with sonikku; k-pop is and probably will remain something popular mostly among the same people who like anime aka Asians. Homogenous East Asian cultures are kind of alienating to non-Asians, and while K-pop offsets this alienation to a degree (by adopting hiphop influenced Americanized personas), Westerners just aren't gonna feel very drawn to it.

2. However, I do think K-pop songs other than Gangnam Style will become hits or at least popular club songs in the near future.

3. Korean boybands will NEVER be big in North America. Girlgroups maybe, but Big Bang SuperJunior simply arent gonna take off.

Personally, I don't think so.  I dunno. There's something about Asian culture that doesn't really appeal to people here in North America, aside from certain things and in small doses. It's just so different I guess, K-Pop is very American influenced but it's still Asian at the core.

Does anyone know about Girls' Generation?

Does anyone know about Girls' Generation?


I've known about them for almost four years (yay I get to play hipster!).  I personally quite like most of their discography with one notable exception.  Their Japanese songs in particular have been very good.

They performed on David Letterman earlier this year.  Too bad they performed their song "The Boys" which I personally think is a downright bad song that I can't believe was even chosen as a single, much less the name of their Korean album last year.