ok, so quick disclaimer: this is not a post that KPOP fans faint of the heart should read. This rant will discuss what I believe are the defining qualities of what it means to be an artist, and applying those implications in the vast realm of Korean pop music. I do not hate any group, nor do I wish them any ill harm, rather, this is just what i feel should be recognized and understood by fans.

By definition, an artist is a person who practices any of the various creative arts. In the sphere of this topic, then, a musical artist is a person who practices and distributes the art of music. However, it is well-known that KPOP idols lack a lot of the artistic freedom that most artists have, and the music they distribute may or may not represent their actual tastes and abilities as musicians. Therefore, I would define an idol as an individual who performs, and is greatly revered by a certain audience, but often does not explore their musical ambitions nor do they challenge themselves in any musical way.

Now that we have the definitions out of the way, let me just say that it is possible for an idol to be an artist, though rare. Some of the best known examples in Korea would include IU, Big Bang, SHINee, f(x) (to a certain extent), TVXQ (to a certain extent), etc. In the Korean music industry, these idols are given their material, given their choreography, given their concepts, and told to look pretty and perform it well. That is the epitome of what an idol is. On the other hand, artists are individuals who may not be 'mainstream music', and have music that is not necessarily easy to follow like a catchy pop song, but have a distinct flavor and are usually the ones gaining praise from professionals and critics. There are few groups in Korean pop music that are able to encompass both roles of the idol and the artist, so whenever fans go out and talk about what great and talented artists their oppars are, I can't help but roll my eyes most of the time. Idols are often limited from exploring their true abilities as musicians and artists, so though I don't believe we should claim them to be crap artists, we cannot claim them to be the gods of artistry either. In fact, I would argue that we cannot classify them as artists at all.

Idols are, in the most simplistic of terms, entertainers. They aim to please a certain audience (usually teenage girls) with a lot of catchy tunes, showy dance moves, and fun variety shows. Their songs lack a lot of depth or real musicality, and are quite pop-like. Instead of music, most idol groups focus on their dance routines, their faces, catchy or addictive lyrics or personas, and certain personas. Though the KPOP industry is undeniably popular, with faithful fangirls and a lot of hype, they are often ignored by the general public and actual music critics due to their lack of musicality.

The most obvious example of this claim to artistic talent would be with EXO and their fans. It is a bit sickening, in my opinion, to watch these fans bash other groups who are actually artists and to stand up for their oppars' live singing ( or lack of, I daresay ). The first step to becoming an artist, in my mind, is actually performing the song whenever it is done live. This means that it should not be a big deal when a group is actually singing without some pre-recorded track being blasted instead, rather, it should come as a shock when they do do that. If you are to claim them as artists, then shouldn't you be getting upset whenever they rely so heavily on a music recording? Rather than pointing out EXO's top three vocalists, and using those three individuals to attest to twelve individual's abilities to sing, shouldn't you urge all of the members to sing live and to practice to become better as vocalists or artists? I'm not going to lie, some of the excuses I've seen posted on the MR Removed videos for EXO are offensive, and downright false. No, it is not that the removed MR was removed incorrectly (in fact, I find it extremely insulting that you denounce these people who have put so much time and effort to make these videos in the first place). No, it is not the choreographer's fault for giving EXO this choreography. No, it is not the fans who are screaming too loud and are ceasing their concentration. Get off your high horses for a second, and think, rather than just blame and blindly continue to love a group as 'artists' that are clearly idols and nothing more. Furthermore, do not try to push their lack of an attempt to become artists on other people. It is not that I'm saying you should stop loving idols, it's just that they are idols, and not artists. Each term entails different expectations for a group, and claiming EXO to be the 'kings of kpop' or the 'top artists' is a ridiculous notion in it of itself.

Now, going into the hybrid mix of an artist-idol. Artist-idols are often unable to fully grasp either role, and are more like a hybrid combination, encompassing qualities that make them artists as well as idols, but often not a very wholesome or even very good version of either. To make things more interesting, it's often the groups who are seen as more 'quirky' or 'un-mainstream' who I consider artists as well as idols. Artist-idols often sing live at all of their performances, and execute each performance in a distinct style. Furthermore, artist-idols still lack a lot of artistic freedom, but they have a clear amount of individual style and thought that the members put into it. Though they might not be complete artists, due to either a lack of ability or a lack to present their abilities (we will never really know), the sparse examples of their own written / produced songs and hints at their musical identity are at levels beyond idols. I, for one, tend to follow and support artist-idols more. Another distinct quality of artist-idols that makes them stand apart from idols in the same industry is their attention to certain things, and the depths in which they explore music. More often than not, the music you would find in a KPOP group's album would be pop songs, maybe influenced by something (i.e. R&B or something). Typical stuff, not saying it's bad or anything. On the other side of the spectrum, are the artist-idol groups, who have music that is often experimental and difficult for many people to understand and to casually listen to for a multitude of reasons. Musically, there is often a lot of harmonizations, layering, and metaphors entrapped in these songs, and these artist-idol groups are not considered 'mainstream' pop. Furthermore, since what defines and artist and what defines an idol are extremely different, to a point to where they can be conflicting, artist-idols seem to similarly have tension in their songs. Several of these groups are trying to appease to a similar audience as other idol groups are, while still trying to create an artistic masterpiece, sometimes leading to just a mishmash of a song that could have sounded amazing and beautifully-crafted without the attempts to sound pop-like and could have been catchy and attention-grabbing without trying to go into too much depth musically. There's also the problem that artist-idols, in my opinion, are usually artists who more or less are stuck being idols. They are under managements that are good at maintaining and promoting idol groups--they have limited knowledge in undertaking complex groups of artists. This can cause tensions, and these artist-idols are often left on the backburner or have their artistic exploration as musicians cut to a sudden stop with the influx of pop and teenage-girl hype.

However, it is undeniable the amount of talent and work that these artist-idols put in--from a completely objective point of view, they seem to work the hardest. They must maintain the dance routines and roles that many idols undertake, whilst exploring different genres of music and creating artistic masterpieces that artists usually focus on, while trying to find the balance between depth in music and popularity in their targeted audience. SHINee, being one of the few artist-idol groups that has seemed to pull off the "contemporary" artist-idol role quite well, in my opinion epitomizes that gap between what it means to be an artist and what it means to be an idol. Similarly, they also are perfect examples of the tensions and shortcomings for either role. They are known for their ridiculous dance routines, for their stable live vocals and dynamic stage presence, whilst presenting music more as an art than as a form of entertainment, with members that have proved their creativity and great potential as producers or songwriters. SHINee is also one of the very few KPOP groups that professional music critics have even bothered to follow and analyze, much less praise. However, though they are popular, they are not explosively popular like idol groups such as SNSD or Super Junior are; SHINee caters to a minority of the audience of teenagers; who often go for the dashingly-good looking entertainers rather than the hard-to follow songs with blunt statements denouncing fans' beloved OTPs.

With all of that being said, it is quite obvious the differences between a idol, an artist-idol, and an artist. The Korean pop industry has seemed to perfect the art of creating these idols, but are only beginning to grasp this idea of an artist-idol hybrid. 

Similarly, I have noticed a distinct difference between how artists and idols present themselves. It could be due to how a company wishes for them to present themselves, but idols tend to cling to a concept. When I say concept, I don't just mean an album concept or a musical direction. Rather, I'm speaking about personas, or OTP ships, etc. It is obvious that idols lie, and most likely present themselves in ways that don't stand true to reality. For example, a plethora of girl groups exhaust the 'cutie-girl aegyo' concept, flashing eye-smiles and 'buing buings' not only on stage, but on reality shows or things like that. Idol groups also find it important to act like they are family. YG family, SM Town, those are all fabrications that idols wish for you to fall for. OTPs just add to the facade, making fans believe in fictitious relationships that occur between two or more members. These concepts and fake relationships create a significant breach between reality and this fictitious group idol companies attempt to promote. Overexaggerated gifs of Tao and Gucci and things like that make fans believe that we may know them personally, and also create a lot of expectations and hype that cease to exist in any human. This desperate cling onto 'concepts' is why it is so horrible whenever idols are caught partying, or cursing, or dating; it breaches the gap between the actual individuals idols are and the image they attempt to uptake, causing a lot of confusion, and a number of angry fans. The TL;DR is this -- There are a lot of concept-driven things in KPOP, ones that extend past the music and spill into things like personalities and relationships.

On the other hand, the term artist extends only to their professional careers, and usually does not spill into their personal lives. Those few artists in the Korean pop industry are known as the ones who clearly articulate their relationship with one another, or sometimes even deny any personas fans may have created for them. A good example would be Big Bang (more specifically, T.O.P), who is aboveboard in the distinction between real and the fake. Though idol-artists may still have to keep up with an image, they also denounce that image. This can not only cause a lot of tensions between the company and its group, but also cause a lot of confusion among fans. They aren't sure what to believe, and the artist-idol conversations are often hypocritical from the last. It's strange, really, but I personally appreciate their efforts in distinguishing between what their company may wish for you to believe and what it is actually like, though their candid responses are still extremely limited.

The point of this whole spiel is this: I'm not trying to denounce one class over another, I am merely trying to explain the vast differences between what it means to be an idol and what it means to be an artist. Claiming someone to be an artist but not an idol and vice-versa means very different things, whom often cater to very different audiences. It annoys me whenever fans of idols try to entitle their favorite groups as artists, because they are not. Similarly, artists are not entertainers like idols are.

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so that was my 10,000-plus worded essay on what it means to be an artist. it is utter cow poop, and i obviously got lazier as this progressed otl