All-Japanese K-pop girl group NiziU / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

What is K-pop? It is a million-dollar question for industry insiders today, who are grappling to define the genre as it becomes more diverse and inclusive of other ethnicities than ever before.

Given that the letter "K-" refers to "Korean," people used to think that a song fell into the category of K-pop if it was mostly sung in Korean by the singers, who were trained and incubated by music labels based in Seoul. Although K-pop has seen various nationalities of singers since its birth in the late 1990s, the majority of foreign members were Asians from China and Japan — like the former Super Junior member Han Geng — and their numbers were limited.

But this is a thing of the past now. K-pop management companies these days are eyeing the international market by recruiting more foreign talent, believing they can appeal to the people of their own countries by closely interacting with them.

One of the most noteworthy cases is the girl group BLACKSWAN, which is made up of Senegalese-Belgian Fatou, Brazilian-German Gabi, American NVee and Indian Sriya. It had Korean members when it debuted in 2020, but they all ended up leaving.

NiziU, an all-Japanese girl group produced by K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment, and HORI7ON, consisting of seven Filipinos, are just a few other examples of K-pop acts with no Korean members.

Some groups do have Koreans but are composed of predominantly non-Koreans. For instance, KATSEYE, a new girl group formed in collaboration between HYBE — home to top-tier acts like BTS and NewJeans — and American label Geffen Records, includes only one Korean member named Yoonchae. The remaining members hail from the U.S., the Philippines and Switzerland.

The six-piece act, which consists of the winners of the audition program "The Debut: Dream Academy," will be based in the U.S., setting their sights on the international market before starting their careers in Korea.

"I have long wanted to foster talent from different countries using the K-pop methodology and produce a global group adopting the K-pop style," HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk said during a press event in Los Angeles in August.

"The members of the new girl group will not forget to respect K-pop and Korea will become a crucial platform for their musical activities."

On Jan. 26, JYP Entertainment is poised to debut its American girl group VCHA. Created with New York City-based Republic Records through the competition show "A2K," VCHA is made up of Americans Lexi, Kendall, Savanna and KG, Korean American Kaylee and Canadian Camila.

JYP Entertainment's American girl group VCHA / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment

SM Entertainment, representing megastars like NCT and aespa, also plans to launch a British boy band in cooperation with British entertainment company Moon&Back (M&B). The former will weave the K-pop elements into the new group's music and choreography, while the latter casts its members.

The advent of more globalized groups shows K-pop's determination to gain further traction in the global pop industry, says Kim Jin-woo, head researcher at Circle Chart that collects data to rank music releases.

"K-pop still has a weak market presence on the pop scene," he told The Korea Times. K-pop labels account for less than 2 percent of global music record and streaming sales, according to the HYBE chairman.

Kim added, "K-pop labels are seeking to maximize their profits with a fresh approach. In the future, female K-pop acts may look more 'Western' like the Spice Girls from England, while the male groups attempt to walk in the footsteps of One Direction (to advance their global clout)."

Jungkook of K-pop juggernaut BTS / Courtesy of HYBE

Lee Gyu-tag, a professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea, pointed out that K-pop is pursuing universality in music to broaden its horizons.

"It was evident in the case of BTS' Jungkook, who dropped solo tracks like 'Seven' (2023) that were comparable to those of (Western) pop stars," the professor stressed.

"BTS used to sing a lot in Korean and wrote lyrics mirroring Korean society, beckoning international fans with a unique Korean feel. But Jungkook took a different path this time, bringing universality to the fore instead of particularity."

These latest developments hint that K-pop is evolving into a global music genre marked by its emphasis on choreography, music videos and blending of assorted sounds.

"Like hip-hop from the U.S. that has become part of our own culture in the name of Korean hip-hop, K-pop may also permeate into other cultures and take names such as 'American K-pop' or 'European K-pop,'" Lee predicted.

K-pop without 'K-'

However, as K-pop embraces diversity, the question as to whether it should ditch its "Korean elements" has arisen among industry insiders. HYBE's Bang, a staunch advocate of this new direction, believes it will enable K-pop to reach a wider audience.

"K-pop needs to get rid of the 'K-' to go mainstream," Bang told John Janick, chairman of Geffen Records, in a YouTube video released in August. He added that K-pop, which relies heavily on loyal fans in terms of sales, is facing challenges in its expansion.

Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of K-pop powerhouse HYBE, speaks at Bloomberg Screentime in Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. 12 (local time). Courtesy of Bloomberg Screentime

But Lee is skeptical whether such a tactic will create a breakthrough for K-pop, considering that numerous fans have a penchant for its "Koreanness."

"If a K-pop singer debuts with a tune that sounds like the music of American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, will he be able to stand out and survive? If he deviates from K-pop and focuses only on pop, what kinds of competitive edges can he have? These are the questions to be answered," he said. "When it comes to Jungkook, he could make a splash because he had already branded himself as a K-pop singer, but this is not the case for other rookie singers."

Bang's strategy makes sense from a business perspective, but what's more important for K-pop is to discover "new Koreanness," Lee emphasized.

"To draw more fans, K-pop should not repeat what it already did ... So, the mission for K-pop companies is to explore other distinctive Korean elements that can enthrall people."

All-Indonesian K-pop girl group StarBe / Courtesy of SOON ENT

Echoing this sentiment, Kim said people should take note of K-pop's falling sales in Southeast Asia and China. According to the Korea Customs Service, export sales of K-pop albums reached a new high of $132.93 million in the first half of 2023, but sales in the aforementioned regions have been declining in recent years.

"Maybe this is because K-pop songs targeting the Western pop market do not suit the tastes of the fans there," Kim said. "Or maybe they are now more interested in K-pop acts like StarBe, an all-Indonesian girl group, which they find more relatable."

Kim expected the competition among K-pop groups and the more globalized acts is likely to get into full swing in the days ahead.

"As they coexist, they will go head-to-head with one another to clinch the top spots on global music charts such as Billboard," Kim explained. "We may soon witness the age of limitless competition."