Concepts, which are very important in K-pop, are styles or themes that artists take on for their music projects. They may be presented through the music video, styling or music genre and the whole 'package' is used to visually appeal to an audience.
With that said, at times some concepts are overused. So when a group or artist uses that cliche without adding a unique spin it becomes boring. Fortunately, there are still some fresh concepts out there, and plenty of k-pop groups who add their personal spin on an old concept. Below are some boy group whose concepts I thought were interesting!
1. Hip-Hop Crew
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| IKON in Bling Bling |
Hip Hop culture is characterized by rhythmic music, a strong attitude, and a distinctive style of dress. It also includes dance moves such as breaking and locking, that were popularized by dance crews. Through, "Bling Bling" and "Limitless", these boy groups took on some typical elements of the culture: hoodies & fresh sneakers, gold chains, powerful dance moves and, of course, rap. Both Ikon and NCT portrayed this urban influence so well that they reminded me very much of American Hip-hop dance crews.
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| NCT 127 in Limitless |
2. Men In Black
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| Big Bang in Love Song |
"Men in Black" may be used loosely to refer to mysterious men in black suits. With this concept, Big Bang and Winner are dressed suavely in a classic style like the main characters of a movie. They are filmed through a monochrome filter with high camera angles for extra appeal. Where is the mystery you may ask? These music videos are "mysterious" because there is really no plot. In "Love Song", Big Bang walk around in the middle of nowhere with no rhyme or reason, surrounded by destroyed objects. Winner has a classier take on the concept: they pose around dancers in a city square with no clear reason for doing so.
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| Winner in Really Really |
3. Airplane Love Story
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| Got7 in Fly |
Whether their love makes them fly, or whether their love is flying away, Got7 and Ikon aced the airplane concept. As expected, both music videos are set at an airport. Got7 are seen dancing in the airplane runway and (more comically) flying off of buildings. They sing about a happy, uplifting relationship which gives them the feeling of floating in the air. Through the same theme, "Airplane" by Ikon expresses the sadness of someone moving far away, not happiness. "We won’t ever see each other again after the airplane leaves..." The boys roam around the airport hoping they can stop the airplane and hold on to the girl that they like.
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| Ikon in Airplane |
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