K-Pop summer: How the UK is (finally) embracing Korean pop

Six years ago, Amber Clare was a devoted One Direction fan.

Scrolling through Twitter for information about the bands solo projects, she saw a reply that said "Listen to Icy by Itzy".

Intrigued, she clicked on the link. It changed her life.

"Id never listened to K-Pop before that point but I immediately became a fan," she says.

"And now Itzy is the reason I have my job."

Today, Clare is the marketing and social media manager for K-Stars, the UKs first and biggest shop devoted to Korean pop music.

Based in Manchester, it started as a small business in Manchesters Afflecks Palace in 2019.

"Youd order things by PayPal, and then the CEO would pack them up by himself and ship everything out," Clare recalls.

Now its a two-storey emporium, based on Deansgate, with a staff of more than 20 dedicated K-Pop enthusiasts.

Its a sign of how the genre has exploded in the UK, even though radio and television has largely shunned all but the biggest acts, like BTS, aespa and Blackpink.

"Its still kind of a niche - but its not a small niche," says Clare. "In my head Im the only Itzy fan, but when I went to see them in concert, it was sold out.

"I was like, Wow, where have all you people been hiding?"

In fact, the UK is now among the top 10 countries that follow K-Pop on Spotify, with the boyband Ateez placing two records in the top five of the UK album charts last year.

This summer, Blackpink will play two nights at Wembley Stadium, with Stray Kids pulling off the same feat in Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Twickenham Stadium will say "anyong haseyo" to one of K-pops longest-running festivals.

Established in 2008, the SM Town Live festival is a showcase for artists signed to the SM Entertainment Label, one of the industrys key players.

To celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary, theyre transplanting the event from Seoul to Middlesex.

"Its essentially a multi-day festival all in one, because youve got so many artists all at the same venue, jam packed into the space of three or four hours," says Reese Carter, of boyband Dear Alice, wholl be among the performers in Twickenham.

"Its non-stop. Youve got to prep yourself, because youll definitely want to dance."

"Its very down to earth but it goes straight to your heart," adds Ten from K-Pop group WayV.

SM holds a unique place in Koreas musical history. Founded in 1995 by Lee Soo-man, it is widely credited with establishing the K-Pop template.

It was the first company to introduce the trainee system, where young talent goes through intensive training that lasts months, or even years, before making their "debut".

And it dominated whats known as the "first generation" of K-Pop idols, with bands like H.O.T. and S.E.S.

The Twickenham show will pay tribute to that three-decade journey, with a line-up that includes everyone from Red Velvet, EXO and Girls Generation to current chart-toppers like aespa, Riize and all of the sub-units of boyband NCT - which boasts more than 20 members.

"Thats very rare," says Ten, one of the groups most recognisable (and chatty) stars.

"The last time we had an NCT concert as a whole was two years ago. Its so difficult to schedule every group to be in the same spot at the same time."

But thats not all. The concert will also feature whats been billed as "a group of promising trainees", known for now as SMTR25 – showcasing the future of the label.

"Performing alongside the senior artists weve admired since our trainee days, as well as our talented junior artists, makes this an incredibly meaningful experience for us," said aespa in an email to the BBC.

The hope is that shows like this will open a few doors - because, for all the strides K-Pop has made in the last couple of years, bands have consistently prioritised America over Europe.

Its a logical step. The US is the worlds biggest music market, so it offers more opportunities for touring and merchandise sales, while an MTV Award performance or a concert for NPRs Tiny Desk series travels further internationally than an appearance at the Brit Awards.

"The situation here isnt as good as what the American industry gets," acknowledges Amber Clare.

"Every single K-Pop group, if they announce a world tour, America will always be on the map - but European countries are always left wondering if theyre going to be included or not."

Things are changing, though.

In a crowded market, labels are increasingly turning their attention to the UK – where the anglophone media has international reach, and theres a baked-in affection for boy and girl groups like Take That, Spice Girls, Girls Aloud and Little Mix.

To make inroads, bands have teamed up with some of Britains biggest artists.

Aespas 2023 single Better Things was co-written by Raye, while Le Sserafim collaborated with PinkPantheress on club anthem Crazy and with Jungle on their latest song, Come Over.

Last year, SM went one further – creating a British boyband and putting them through the K-Pop machinery.

That group was Dear Alice, whose gruelling traineeship was documented in BBC series Made In Korea.

Having survived the process, the five-piece finally premiered their debut single, Ariana, at a massive SM Town concert in Seoul in January.

"These shows are timed down to the second," says singer Blaise Noon. "When we got our time to go on stage, it was literally like, 8:30 and 48 seconds. It just shows how so well thought out is."

Bringing the production to London is evidence that SM has its sights trained on the UK, he confirms.

"In the UK, we produce some really amazing boy groups, so I think we have that connection in the culture. So I think they definitely want to hit it. I can see it getting bigger and bigger every day."

Ten, who releases a new solo album, Stunner, next week, says hes already experienced the devotion of UK fans.

When his group WayV last visited England in 2023, "we were surprised that people could sing along to our songs, because we sing in Chinese", he says.

"This opportunity with SM Town, I feel like its going to open a bigger market for K-Pop in the UK.

"I hope so, because Id like to come and perform my solo stuff to my UK fans too."

The opportunity is there.

Nine of the 10 best-selling albums in the world last year were by South Korean artists, illustrating the musics broad appeal - but none of those records charted in the UK’s Top 50.

Lack of radio exposure is one factor - but listeners can also be put off by clunky English lyrics or the sudden-but-deliberate stylistic shifts that characterise K-Pop.

If youre willing to dig into the genre, though, you can find some of the most audacious and indelible hooks music has to offer.

One by-product of K-pop’s (relative) obscurity is the bond it creates among fans. Theres a sense of belonging that comes from discovering and nurturing your "bias", outside the glare of the mainstream.

It’s a relationship bands foster by a fire hose stream of social media content, where dance challenges, video diaries and photoshoots are posted daily.

Dear Alice experienced the impact of that effort at a UK meet-and-greet last weekend.

"It felt like we were hanging out with a bunch of our mates," says Dexter Greenwood.

"They were just cool people," adds James Sharp. "Were starting to recognise faces and remember people on this journey - and I think theres going to be more and more."

By the time they play Twickenham in June, the group promise to have more new music to showcase.

In the meantime, though, they want to introduce their labelmates to some of the UKs finer customs.

"Weve got to order a bunch of Greggs for the SM family," says Noon.

"A whole banquet of sausage rolls."