| Longest-surviving K-pop group Shinhwa |
By Huh Yoon-jin
"The Atlantic," an American literary and cultural commentary magazine, has introduced K-pop band Shinhwa as a representative example for its longest-lasting popularity in Korea.
Titled "What the Backstreet Boys Could Learn From K-Pop Two Decades Old," the article compared and analyzed the two-decades-old bands, Backstreet Boys and Shinhwa in its online edition on Tuesday.
Backstreet Boys is a five-member American boy band that is also known as the best-selling boy band in history, which sold over 130 million records worldwide since their debut in 1993.
Shinhwa is a six-member Korean boy band which made its debut in 1998 and is still enjoying popularity both at home and abroad.
The magazine pointed out one of the biggest reasons for the decline of the Backstreet Boy's popularity was a failure to adapt to a new music market. It claimed, "to attract new fans, the boy group of yesteryear (Backstreet Boys) may need to readjust its strategy" and suggested Shinhwa, the Korean equivalent of the Backstreet Boys, as a model to imitate.
The article introduced a couple of secrets on Shinhwa's long-lasting popularity. It wrote "an integral part to the group's longevity is smart self-awareness" and gave an example of the group coming out on a TV program, SNL Korea, in which they poked fun at themselves.
In one episode, the group sarcastically described how ridiculous it is for people of their age to be performing synchronized routines to pop songs aimed at teens. Here, they recalled the importance of self-awareness as a senior group in the Korean hierarchical music industry.
The article also suggested that the Backstreet Boys should overcome the awkwardness of being grown men in a boy band and embrace the jokes thrown their way, which Shinhwa has done successfully.
After Shinhwa's successful comeback with their 11th studio album, the group is holding "2013 Shinhwa Grand Finale: The Classic in Seoul" concert at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, Songpa-gu in Aug. 3-4.