It's been 12 years since South Korean rapper Psy brought his infectious hit Gangnam Style to the world, bursting open the doors to the K-pop explosion. In Australia, the groundswell of support for the pop groups full of young, beautiful, highly fashionable and heavily produced bands from Asia has only escalated. This year has proven to be the biggest year yet for the Asia Pop genre with Live Nation Entertainment reporting a 600 per cent increase in the number of live shows in Australia.
In its world-first fan insights study, 'Future Sound', Live Nation Entertainment says this reflects a meteoric rise of K-pop and Asia Pop across Australia and New Zealand, but one that has been building for years. The trend began with South Korean pop music developed to incorporate J-pop, C-pop, Mandopop, Thai-pop and City-pop - all contributing to the Asia pop sensation. "What we're seeing is not a new phenomenon; it has been an undercurrent in our musical landscape for years, only now receiving the widespread recognition it deserves," Wenona Lok, Asia Pop Promoter and Talent Buyer at Live Nation Australasia, said.
"Asia Pop has transcended its niche status and exploded into mainstream fandom, fostering deep connections between fans and artists through social content, dance and fashion to name a few." There has been a 275 per cent surge in the number of artists since 2015, and TikTok Australia reported 61 million K-Pop views by fans in the last 12 months alone. One hundred per cent of K-pop f.