As a Blink (BLACKPINK fan), there is nothing I want more than for “APT” by Rosé and Bruno Mars to continue being a viral hit. I mean, of course Mars is prepped to take radio by storm – but I don’t think the West was expecting the Golden Voice of Korea to be the one FEATURING Mars on HER track. As such, I have had two separate conversations where people are shocked to find out that Rosé is a Korean artist, that “APT” references Korean culture, and even that Mars has a lyric in Korean (“건배, 건배, girl, what’s up?”)

And THEN! Rosies BLACKPINK bandmate Jennie announces a smash lineup of artists for her solo album including Dua Lipa. This spawned a post on X (formally Twitter) that garnered thousands of interactions:

The replies were a mixed bag. The bulk of the response was either “well, ‘Mantra’ was in English, much of this album will be in English, so it’s not K-pop” while the other half was saying “K-pop is amazing, you should expand your horizons and give a listen.” Then of course, the group that shared the more dismissive attitude of OP, and everywhere in between.

So… what makes a song K-pop? Let us bust out Merriam-Webster as if we are starting a cliché wedding speech: “Popular music originating in South Korea and encompassing a variety of styles.” This definition seems like a non-definition. Music is music is music, but if there is any connection to South Korea, that automatically makes it K-Pop?

This is where the lines start to blur. For example, my favorite K-pop group, TWICE, boasts the first idol to debut from Taiwan, Tzuyu. This didn’t negate the group status as K-Pop idols, let alone the Nation’s Girl Group, thanks to being under a South Korean company and including several South Korean members in addition.

The distinction blurs further as we continue using BLACKPINK members as our case study. Lisa released “Rockstar” in June 2024, a full English rap track performed by a Thai woman with a video prominently featuring Thailand. “Rockstar” was shortly followed up by “New Woman,” featuring the effervescent Rosalia singing in her native language of Spanish while Lisa again sings in English. Just what are these tracks considered?

So, you throw Bruno Mars or Dua Lipa in with our girls, and the debate ensues. “How could you water down Bruno Mars by mixing him in with K-Pop?” vs. “If you want to start listening to K-Pop, try starting with English releases like ‘Strategy!”

For this, I introduce you to my English in K-Pop orientation chart:

For those that are team “these songs are K-Pop,” negative connotation, (or “these songs aren’t K-pop,” positive connotation) I can’t help but wonder if internalized xenophobia is playing a part. I talked a bit about this in my piece on BTS. What is so wrong with being considered K-Pop? Idols are more often than not successful, charitable, and lovers of the arts. They happen to speak another language (or four) and are thus ostracized from taking on the pop world? I don’t recall debate over “Despacito” being a reggaeton hit and thus not “real” pop music. Is Asia really where we want to draw the line?

I wish I could say one spot on the quadrant is the right spot. Sadly, I can’t. But steering clear of the “negative connotation” zone and being mindful of why you may go there is a step in the right direction. If you just flat out don’t like the English music that an idol like Jungkook is making – that’s fine! There are plenty of Western artists I don’t listen to. But when you limit your ability to expand your horizons by discounting South Korean artists, you risk missing out on art that means something to you.

So if you haven’t listened to K-Pop before, now may be the time to try – your favorite Western artists sure are.