NewJeans embroiled in controversy over "J-Pop group" classification "BTS's English song = K-Pop song" vs. "K-J distinction meaningless

 July 7th, 2024

Group NewJeans has been embroiled in a controversy over the "J-Pop group" out of nowhere. Amid a series of controversies over the issues, expressing regret are going louder.

According to the 10Asia report on the 5th, Japanese debut album "Supernatural" released on April 21st was classified as "J-Pop" by major music websites such as Apple Music and Vibe. It has been confirmed that the corresponding classification has been made the request of ADOR, the agency of NewJeans.

The news report of NewJeans, which is considered a representative group of K-Pop, has been classified as J-Pop, leading to controversy among many fans.

Fans expressing regret pointed out that even if the album was released for the purpose of debuting in Japan, if was an original album, the preparation of Korean in each song was high. At the same time, they also recalled that BTS' "Dynamite," which consists of all English lyrics, was classified as K-Pop.

Although it is nominally a debut album in Japan, it is pointed out that being classified as a J-Pop group is a behavior that weakens its identity as a K-Pop group considering that the sound source is serviced around the world. Even if K-Pop's status has risen, there is a high possibility that strangers will misunderstand it as Japanese music if they encounter from the perspective of cultural sovereignty and K-Pop brand enhancement.

On the other hand, there is also an opinion that J-Pop classification is not a big problem while the boundaries of the country are broken down in the music market and genre division is meaningless. For NewJeans, the purpose of the album's release is to target the Japanese market, and it is argued that if used a localization strategy market with J-pop to succeed in this, usually, when exporting, localization is chosen as the most efficient strategy. It is classified into J-Pop according to the goal and target, but it is not a problem in itself.

ADOR, the agency of NewJeans, also refuted the claim in the same vein. ADOR stated, "We released the album in Japan for the sake of Japanese music shows, and chose global distribution to make it easier for more fans to access it. In an environment where distribution is diversified and content is rapidly spreading dhe to the development of media, it is meaningless to distinguish between the genres of J-pop and K-Pop."

However, the music industry is also expressing regret about this. An official said, "Considering all aspects including members, music, and style, shouldn't they be classified as K-Pop?" and "With the exception of Hanni, four members of NewJeans are Korean and Korean descent, and in terms of music and style, there are many points that remind me of the domestic music industry in the 90s. I thought that 90s K-Pop was inherited and developed in line with current trends through NewJeans' music, style, and music videos, so it's a shame that they're labeled as J-pop."

Original article: 10Asia