The Power Of Joy

K-pop has undoubtedly been one of the biggest cultural exports out of asia and the same might just go for one of the scene’s most popular young female stars of the moment: the chameleonic style icon and multi-hyphenate entertainer joy.

- Gerald Tan

To say that few music genres have emerged as a cultural force the same way South Korean pop music has would be stating the obvious. For the past decade and more, K-pop – what with its catchy tunes, hyper-slick choreography and glossy, often colour-saturated music videos – has been the perfect case study of how a country’s music industry has been carefully and successfully calibrated to achieve global domination.

The record-breaking releases and tours. The ability of its stars to move products and sway social opinion. And let’s not get started on the power of its fans (and stans). That it hails from a largely non-Englishspeaking Asian country to top charts and sell out arenas in the West further attests to its impact.

With that evolution has come its latest generation of idols who are challenging the personality-less, cookiecutter K-pop stereotype all while maintaining the commercial-friendly wholesomeness that’s allowed them to charm millions (or – in the case of some – billions). Joy – born Park Soo-young and one-fifth of the supergirl group Red Velvet started by SM Entertainment, South Korea’s largest entertainment agency – is among the forefront of this legion.