From K-pop to Russian music, musical discovery provides more opportunities than I could’ve ever imagined.
By Candice Zhang
I remember being in grade six, playing a computer game called “Audition.” It was a dance game, where you had to use your computer’s arrow keys to perform dance moves. Although I enjoyed seeing the different dances, I enjoyed something more from the game: The ability to listen to different types of music, with some of the songs being from indie artists.
I was talking to an online friend in the game, and I asked them if they had a favourite artist.
“I like K-pop,” they replied.
This was at a time when the Hallyu Wave was perhaps just beginning to gain momentum. I never realized it, but artists and bands such as Girls’ Generation (SNSD), Wonder Girls, 2NE1, and Big Bang were becoming household names. I had heard their songs, but I'd never dove into the music.
Then, one day, I sat in a classroom and asked my friend who happened to sit beside me, “Do you know the song that goes like, ‘I love my boy?’” and I started singing some lyrics from a song entitled “Diva.”
They looked at me with a blank stare. “Yes,” they replied.
“It was such a weird song; I don’t get why you would sing about you loving your boyfriend,” I said, voicing my opinion.
“No, it’s a nice song,” they said, “It’s by a K-pop band named After School.”
There was that word again – K-pop, the word that I heard from so many places. But this time, I wanted to know what it meant. So, I asked my classmate, “What is K-pop?”
They looked at me with the most confused expression ever. “Well, it’s just Korean music. It’s pop in Korean, and there are so many bands debuting right now,” they explained.
After further discussion, I decided to research more Korean bands and songs. I ended up admiring the genre to a certain extent, and I felt the need to teach myself the Korean language. I wanted to learn more about the culture, and music allowed me to explore the potential of discovering new languages.
But little did I know that another genre would interest me more.
After a rough year of elementary school, my parents decided to transfer me to a different school. I was now in grade seven, starting fresh as a new student. I was at a new school, in a new place, in a classroom I barely recognized, sitting with classmates I barely knew.
I befriended another girl who was also new to the school. She then befriended two other girls from another class.
During a haunted house event, one of the other girls and I got to know each other. Then she told me, “My favourite type of music is K-pop.”
There was the word again. I now knew some facts about K-pop, so I decided to ask her more questions about it. She told me about some of her favourite bands were F(x), SHINee, and MBLAQ.
From that day on, we sat together, listened to a few songs and even sang them out loud at school. But afterwards, times became rougher than I expected.
My pre-teen and teenage years were definitely tough, but I found my own solace through music. Music helped me discover a new world, and critically think about the various aspects of different countries. I thought about the cultural representation behind the songs, and the slang. Why were words phrased a certain way? What were some cultural hints within the songs? Was it through the rhythm, or through the allusions? Thinking about all of this helped me endure a rough period of time when I was exploring my own identity and questioning who I was.
I wondered if K-pop was the type of music I truly enjoyed. While listening to the songs, I felt that there was something missing from the genre. This is not to say that the genre is terrible, but it just wasn’t to my taste. I do appreciate the time and effort spent on the lyrics, rhythm, and choreography, but I wanted to explore more.
While I was questioning this, my friendship with my former friend who had introduced me to K-pop abruptly ended. I then constantly wondered if I could find a friend who I could truly resonate with.
Then I remembered something: a library trip I took with my mom in grade five, when I borrowed a book about Russia. I found myself fascinated with Russian culture. And while researching the culture, I thought to myself: If there is Korean music, shouldn’t there be Russian music as well?
After an initial Google search forRussian artists, I felt that I resonated deeply with the music and the lyrics. I first started off by listening to a few punk rock songs, then I moved on to Russian pop and hip-hop.
These songs soon filled up my playlists, and I introduced them to my friends and relatives in different countries. I became super invested in Russian popular culture to the point where I decided to teach myself to read Russian. I went online, Googled, and began my language-learning journey. I wanted to understand what the artists were saying, and the main themes of the songs. But in order to do so, I needed to understand Russian.
Although I could read it at this time, the language still was very daunting. I didn’t know where to start, but I knew that if I wanted to truly understand the songs, I needed to begin immediately. So there I was, on some random website, learning a few Russian words and phrases. I would come home every day from school and spend some time learning the language. And although my classmates taunted me for learning a new language, I felt extremely motivated to understand the lyrics. My motivation and love for music helped me endure these hard times, as they provided me with a sense of belonging.
My hobby and interest in Russian music then turned into a habit: I constantly scheduled an hour a day to learn Russian. The effort paid off, and by the end of the school year, I was comfortable with speaking Russian at a conversational level. As a result, I felt more confident with myself, and no longer felt that I needed to conform to other people’s music tastes.
While discovering new music, I noticed that I became more open to learning about new cultures and languages. Music seems to open a whole entire new universe, as every language has its own unique messages and symbolism showcased throughout its music.
Nowadays, whenever I attempt to learn a new language, I try to connect myself with music in that specific language. For example, in high school, when I took grade 12 French, I would constantly listen to French songs in order to improve my comprehension.
Now, I not only listen to Russian music, but songs in Ukrainian, German, Kazakh and Mandarin as well. These songs allowed me to connect with different cultures, learn new words, and explore more of the world without having to travel.
When I was going through a rough time, music was the medium that cured my negative thoughts and soothed my sad emotions. It allowed me to develop into a stronger individual who strives to look for opportunities, even with challenges.
And although no K-pop songs are on my playlist as of right now, I owe it to the genre for allowing me to explore more about the music of the world. Music is the concept that provided me with unique opportunities, taught me the importance of taking initiative, and helped me discover more about my own personality and characteristics.
The languages that I gained, the knowledge that I now know, and my love for adventure and culture are all due to music, and for that, I can’t thank that art form enough.