So, you’ve watched the closing Olympics ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea. And the nation’s pick EXO is performing but now you’re wondering, “Who are these nine, I think nine? Extremely attractive men with their killer moves and bumpin music?” Okay, maybe not in those exact words but you’re curious.
Now, I’m not going to say that I’m an expert by any means in k-pop. But, I do have enough knowledge to help someone tip their toe into the pool. Let’s begin! (Also, I’m sorry this is gonna be a long post so strap in children.)
K-pop stands for Korean Pop music originating from South Korea. Within K-pop you have your K-pop Idols, or just Idols. Idols are members of a group or solo artists. I think they’re called idols because they’re meant to idolize the perfect artist- but don’t quote me. There are boy groups, girl groups, co-ed groups and soloists. Groups can consist as little as two members or as many as 18 members. To actual debut as a K-pop idol you have to become a trainee first. You can be a trainee for 3 months or 7 years before you even debut. But, before you become a trainee you have to audition for an entertainment company. You have your big three entertainment companies. SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment. You also have smaller companies like BigHit Entertainment and Starship Entertainment. The size doesn’t really matter but the “Big Three” have produced a lot of the top selling K-pop artists. Every K-pop group has a “leader” someone who takes care of the group and handles the group almost like a mom.
Now, going off of my beginners K-pop let me break down the artists that are on my K-pop For Beginners play lists. To make things easier, in my list I will be listing the leader first and then by age. I’ll be listing them by their stage names. A majority of K-pop idols adopt stage names which makes it easier for fans to remember who they are:


A short K-pop fandom dictionary for those who’ve seen what a “basis” is but has no clue what it means:
BIAS: Your favourite idol or member of group. Example: my basis in BTS is j-hope
BIAS WRECKER: A member of the group that makes you rethink your basis. Example: my basis wreck in BTS is Jungkook
STAN: a combination of the words “stalker” and “fan.” Essentially someone who is overly in love with a celebrity. Example: I stan BTS
SHIP: short for relationship, essentially what fans like to do is “ship” two members together. Example: A popular BTS ship is S-ope (Suga and j-hope)
AEGYO: Acting “cute” or “charming.” Example: j-hope has a lot of aegyo!
SASAENG: An extreme version of “stan.” They actually stalk the idol or group. I don’t even have an example for this because they’re the worst type of fans. DON’T BE A SASAENG BE A STAN!!!!!
DAEBAK: Saying how great or awesome something is
SELCA: a selfie
ALL-KILL: when a k-pop song tops all of the major music charts at the same time
FAN SERVICE: something an idol or celebrity does to please the fans
SKINSHIP: Basically, members of the same-sex touching each other. Example: hugging or holding hands
Again this is by no means a complete list! Just a little something to help guide you into the right direction. Let me know in the comments below who your basis is or who you stan! And if you have any questions for me please let me know!
Until next time my dudes.
Denada.
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Great post! BTS was my “gateway group” into KPop in 2016.
This was such a great post, I loved the list.