Lisa's «Rockstar» is Thai-pop

Lisa's «Rockstar» blends Thai-pop vibes with global K-pop influence.

2024-07-03 06:31 ACT

3-Minute Read

Lisa, of BLACKPINK fame, recently released Rockstar, a J-hip-hop track produced and written by people from multiple nations. This raises the question: Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop? (from The Korea Times by Dong Sun-hwa). Logically and ethically, the answer is simple: It is Thai-pop (T-pop).

Understanding the X-pop Labels

In my article, What is the difference between P-pop and OPM?, I defined P-pop as:

P-pop, or Pinoy Popular music, is all music composed or performed by a Filipino.

What is the difference between P-pop and OPM?, YourOnly.One

This definition can be applied to other X-pop labels, such as J-pop, K-pop, M-pop, and T-pop. Therefore,

K-pop, or Korean Popular music, is all music composed or performed by a Korean.

and

Thai-pop / T-pop, or Thai Popular music, is all music composed or performed by a Thai.

By this standard, Lisa’s Rockstar is undeniably T-pop (Thai-pop).

Addressing the comments

What a legend you are. A truly perfect K-pop idol.

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, A YouTube user

No one can argue that Lisa is a K-pop idol.

Lee Gyu-tag, a professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea, also believes that “Rockstar” is quite far from being T-pop.
“Lisa is from Thailand, but she is predominantly recognized as a K-pop singer on the global stage,” Lee told The Korea Times, stressing that K-pop is not just about the nationalities of the singers.

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, Lee Gyutag

Lee Gyutag, a professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea, believes Rockstar is not T-pop because Lisa is predominantly recognized as a K-pop singer on the global stage. However, I disagree. Lisa’s work should not be disqualified as T-pop simply because she is recognized as a K-pop singer.

K-pop tunes also involve creators from different countries, but we still regard them as K-pop because it has other noteworthy characteristics such as business models, emphasis on music videos and the singers’ close interactions with their followers. In Lisa’s case, she neither announced she would give up her identity as a K-pop star nor changed the way of promoting her new offering.

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, Lee Gyutag

Again, I respectfully disagree with the esteemed professor. K-pop itself, or more accurately, the idol industry of K-pop, originated from the idol industry of J-pop. If we follow this logic, we could argue that the K-pop industry is simply an extension of J-pop.

In addition, Lisa has not announced she would give up her K-pop identity, but that doesn’t mean her new song isn’t T-pop. Expecting artists to announce their transition between industries is unreasonable. Moreover, promotional methods do not define the genre. Using Lee Sooman’s method does not define an artist as automatically K-pop [only].

“Rockstar” does not seem to contain the elements of Thai music, he added.

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, Lee Gyutag

This is subjective. What is Thai music? What defines a Thai music? Who should define what is Thai music and what Thai musical elements are?

“It is a hip-hop track, so musically speaking, it does not appear to be Thai style,” he explained. “Its lyrics are mostly written in English as well … If Lisa, who already has an identity as a K-pop singer, craves a change in her career, I think she should come up with completely different music with more Thai elements, such as Thai lyrics.”

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, Lee Gyutag

Hip-hop is not exclusive to K-pop. Thai hip-hop has existed since 1985, predating the K-pop idol formula and industry. Meanwhile, the Philippines is well-established as the first (1980) hip-hop music scene in Asia, ¹ a decade before hip-hop entered the K-pop scene, and two decades before the K-pop idol industry was born.

Language should also not be used to determine a song’s identity. There were and will be K-pop songs predominantly written in English, yet they remain K-pop. Similarly, there are countless of Filipino music written in English yet are still officially considered OPM (Original Pilipino Music).

“SB19 defines itself as a Philippine pop (P-pop) group and sings a lot in its language,” he said. “But on a global scale, even a group like this often falls into the category of K-pop. This shows that it is not a walk in the park to build a new identity.”

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, Lee Gyutag

Categorizing SB19 as K-pop despite their Filipino lyrics only proves that language isn’t a definitive factor. What about Bini? Is Bini K-pop or P-pop?

However, Kim Jin-woo, head researcher at Circle Chart, which collates data to rank music releases, believes that “Rockstar” is more closely associated with T-pop.

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, Kim Jin-woo

I totally agree.

“At the crux of K-pop is its own system of training idols, creating music videos and making songs through ‘songwriting camps’ that bring together composers from around the world,” Kim said. “If we use this system as a yardstick to define K-pop, we can get a much clearer picture. In Lisa’s case, although she did receive K-pop training at YG Entertainment as a member of BLACKPINK, that’s about it. That is why I think her new solo release is not K-pop.”

Is BLACKPINK Lisa’s ‘Rockstar’ K-pop or T-pop?, Kim Jin-woo

Absolutely.

Conclusion

Here’s what we learned:

People naturally identify with their origins first.
It is unusual for artists to announce their transition between industries.
The language of a song does not determine its category.
Music genres are not exclusive to one country.
Music is a universal language. It transcends labels like K-pop, Thai-Pop, J-pop, M-pop, P-pop.

Here are the key takeaways: