Hi everyone! Welcome to K-Pop Opinionated :)
Today we're going to discuss whether or not Non-Asians should be allowed in K-Pop, so without further ado, let's get started.
First of all, I got my idea for this post from the 'new' K-Pop Girl Group, BlackSwan. Formerly Rania. I think what really draws attention to this group is the fact that they are diverse. For example, in BlackSwan there is a black member. (There is also a Brazilian member but she's Brazilian-Japanese, so she is Part Asian.) Also, in Rania, I'm pretty sure everyone knows Alex Reid, the African American member of Rania. The funny thing is that they both come from the same company.
I think it's nice that the company of BlackSwan is trying to push diversity, but a lot of people have a problem with this, and there are a few reasons why.
For example, let's look back at Rania.
Despite Alex Reid being a member of the group Rania, she was treated like a featured artist. She could barely speak Korean, and she didn't have a translator, she didn't dance on stage for most of the performances and only came out when it was her rap. Basically, she was treated like just an 'extra member'. Some people complain that Alex was just the 'token black member' for popularity. And to be honest, if that was the company's strategy, I guess they were somewhat successful. Because of adding a black member to a K-Pop group, Rania gained a lot of popularity, and honestly, if Rania didn't have a black member, I doubt they'd be as popular as they were.
Now that there is a black member in BlackSwan, people are happy, but they're hoping that this member (Fatou) will not be treated like Alex was.
Upon listening to Tonight, BlackSwan's debut song, I saw that Fatou did get lines here and there and then she did get that 'featured artist' style rap near the end of the song. However I'm sure, and I'm hoping that the company of BlackSwan knows now that Fatou is a proper member of her group and she should be treated like one.
Another reason why people might not want Non-Asians in K-Pop is that they believe the K in K-Pop means that artists should be Korean or at least Asian. Some of them also believe that if Non-Asians are allowed to be K-Pop artists that they will overshadow or take the place of Asian K-Pop Artists.
This doesn't make a lot of sense to me because of how strict the standards are for K-Pop.
It is extremely difficult for even a non-Korean to become a K-Pop artist, let alone a Non-Asian. Koreans work really hard to even become trainees and there is extreme competition. Besides, at the moment, it is probably way more likely for a K-Pop company to pick an Asian over a Non-Asian, so to all the people who feel that Asians are going to be overshadowed, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Right now K-Pop is made up of basically 99% Asians and 1% Non-Asian, so it will probably take quite a while for Asians to be overshadowed.
Another reason why people don't like non-Asians in K-Pop is that they think that they are 'Koreaboos'. For this one, I'm going to use the idol Lana as an example.
As a lot of people know, Lana is a Russian K-Pop Idol, and she gets a lot of hate because she's apparently a 'Koreaboo'. This doesn't really make sense to me, because if I look up the definition of Koreaboo, this is what is says.
A Koreaboo is Someone who denounces their own race and calls themselves Korean, genuinely believes that they’re Korean or wishes they were Korean
As you can see, a Koreaboo is someone who wants to be Korean, not someone who happens to be a Non-Asian K-Pop Idol.
A lot of people like to say that Lana tries to make herself look Korean, but I honestly don't think that's true. Lana is very proud of where she's from and she doesn't hesitate to say that she is Russian.
Besides, you can call Lana a Koreaboo, but don't think that we don't see you tweeting about how you wanna audition for a K-Pop Company 🤨.
So, I've given you the opinions of others, but what do I think? Well, unlike some people on Stan Twitter, I'm not going to insert myself into this problem, because I am not Korean. Nowhere near. And this is a matter for Koreans.
Besides, from what I've seen, Koreans don't really care. And there are much more things to worry about than a Non-Asian in a K-Pop group.
All I ask is that you do not hate on any Non-Asians that happen to be K-Pop artists, as they do not deserve it. All they're trying to do is fulfil their dream, and they should be able to do so without people angrily Tweeting about it.
But what do you guys think about Non-Asians being in K-Pop? Tell me down below in the comments ⬇️.
And with that being said, I hope you enjoyed,
Stay Safe,
Ciao xx
