Listen Up: ‘K-pop Idols’ documentary explores Korean music industry’s newest challenge

2. How many parts does the documentary series have?
A. three
B. four
C. five
D. six

3. What is K-pop known for according to the podcast?
A. Its blend of vocals and choreography.
B. Its elaborate music videos.
C. Its memorable and catchy melodies.
D. Its mix of different music genres.

4. Which K-pop group do Fatou and Nvee belong to?
A. Youngheun
B. Blackswan
C. Cravity
D. DR Music

5. Which word can replace “gruelling” in the podcast?
A. troublesome
B. severe
C. rigorous
D. weighty

6. According to the podcast, what did Gabi eat during her trainee period?
A. only fruits and vegetables
B. one egg a day
C. sweet potato and corn every other day
D. none of the above

7. In the podcast, what “pressure” do boy bands and girl groups face?
A. to outperform their rivals
B. to lose weight
C. to please their fans
D. to attend promotional activities

8. What has motivated K-pop labels to recruit foreigners?
A. the declining popularity of K-pop overseas
B. the increasing cost of training local artists
C. the growing appeal of cross-genre music
D. the success of BTS in the international market

9. How many Korean members are there in Blackswan right now?
A. none
B. one
C. three
D. five

10. Why does Hyeongjun believe Blackswan is considered K-pop?
A. The members are born in Korea.
B. They sing in Korean.
C. They are trained by a Korean label.
D. They are well-known outside Korea.

11. Listen to the podcast again and complete the list of things K-pop idols and trainees have to do. (5 marks)

• (i) train up to ______ hours a day

• (ii) attend vocals, manners, language, ______ and choreography classes

• (iii) stick to a ______ by not going out after certain hours

• (iv) go on a strict ______ if they do not a meet a specified weight

• (v) ______ where they are going and what they do

1. B
2. D
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. D
7. B
8. D
9. A
10. B
11. (i) 10; (ii) dance; (iii) curfew; (iv) diet; (v) report

Adapted from Associated Press

Voice 1: A documentary series called K-pop Idols premiered this month on Apple TV+. It offers a look at how the Korean music industry is embracing diversity while grappling with challenges in a field that demands perfection. The six-part series features Korean-American star Jessi and up-and-coming K-pop bands like Cravity and Blackswan, and it documents the highs and lows of their careers.

Voice 2: K-pop is known for its blend of vocals with precise choreography. According to Blackswan members Fatou and Nvee, they practise up to 10 hours daily before the “comeback” season which is when artists release and promote new music.

Voice 1: The gruelling practice starts early. Once under contract, K-pop trainees enter a system that includes classes in vocals, manners, language, dance and choreography. Former Blackswan member Youngheun said the group had a curfew, and they were not allowed to drink or date. They even had to report when they were getting their nails done and going to the convenience store in front of their house.

Voice 2: This rigid control extends to diet. In the documentary, Blackswan member Gabi was seen eating a meal of egg, chicken breast and what resembled sweet potato sticks during her trainee period. She said that she was dieting because the label’s head told her to lose weight. Bradley Cramp, an executive producer for the documentary, noted that such restrictions exist in other competitive industries as well.

Voice 1: The pressure applies to boy bands, too. Cravity member Wonjin shared that he was given two weeks to lose weight to join the label. He eventually lost about 7kg after eating one egg a day. However, eating one egg a day does not provide enough nutrition and can be harmful to the body.

Voice 2: The documentary also touched on K-pop’s newest challenge: embracing diversity. Following the international success of BTS, K-pop labels have been actively recruiting foreigners, which sometimes brings unfamiliar difficulties.

Voice 1: The documentary interviews Yoon Deung-ryong, the founder of Blackswan’s label DR Music. He said it was challenging to settle conflicts among members, which later escalated to online clashes between fans. He said that groups with Korean members would follow the company’s orders, but he could not control a multinational group in the same way because of differences in language and culture. Currently, there are no Korean members in Blackswan after previous changes in the group.

Voice 2: With the industry’s global expansion, people have been discussing what makes the genre truly K-pop. According to Youngheun, if a K-pop group does not have any Korean members, it’s just a group that covers K-pop songs. She was one of the final Korean members to leave Blackswan.

Voice 1: However, Cravity’s Hyeongjun disagrees. He said that if people from other countries come to Korea and sing in a different language, it might not be K-pop. But since the Blackswan members are active in Korea and use Korean, they are a K-pop group.