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Wait, there was an actual K-Pop group named K-pop?

After the latest broadcast of 'Sugarman' withASTROandRed Velvet, some of my peers have asked me a question.On the January 28 episode, ASTRO covered the song "Shadow" by a group named 'K-pop.'Yes, you read it right, 'K-pop.' So after the show aired, my friends asked if those five men were really idols and whether their group name was actually 'K-pop.' Can you imagine a group being named 'Hip Hop' or 'Rock N' Roll'?


Idols, indeed, they were, and K-pop really was their actual group name.



Of course, their career all started before they knew that Korean pop would become a global sensation, way before the term K-Pop was even widely recognized as a collective genre.Some even say that their group name (which was created over a decade ago) foresaw the future of K-Pop!


But, who were they as an idol group? Unlike the different sort of weight that their name later brought, K-pop as a group was a pretty ordinary team that tried to bring good music and dance just like any other idol group.


The group K-pop was first created by the famous entertainer/actor/singer/composerJoo Young Hoon. Some of the newer fans of K-Pop or K-Drama may not recognize him, but he was an active producer for many Korean songs in the early 2000's. He had made hits such as "Lovely" byKim Jong Kook, "Disco King" by Koyote.


K-pop debuted under his production and full-length album 'Shadow,' in the late fall of 2001. Along with K-pop, artists who debuted in the same year includePsy,Jewelry,Yang Dong Geun, andSugar.Little did they know that in about ten years, Psy would become popular worldwide for his hit "Gangnam Style," and that the word K-Pop would start to become a common noun.