The Expansion of Music and Cultural Globalization


Music is a sound that we hear everyday. Whether it’s by choice through the use of our headphones, or in the hallways of the campus we walk, music is an inevitable concept that surrounds us daily. We often take for granted the ability we have to listen to different musical genres ranging from Francophone to Afrobeat, available at the tips of our fingers. These above genres and the influences they have on the hits we hear on the radio today, can be credited to the process of globalization.
Many countries around the world listen to American music and vice versa. America has one of the strongest music industries in the world, with some of the most famous artists. It is no surprise that other countries want to compete with this, as music has become a very profitable market. Countries will compete by “westernizing” themselves. A modern-day example of this is the Korean musical genre of K-Pop. K-Pop is Korean pop music that “consists of an assortment of other genres such as electronic, hip-hop, rock and R&B music” (“What Is K-Pop?,” 2018). K-Pop has become a rapidly growing phenomenon over the past decade. This is because of its diverse sounds (mainly hip-hop and indie based), catchy melodies, and hardworking artists that bring in fans worldwide. For example, the 2012 song “Gangnam Style” by Korean artist Psy took the world by storm due to its “visual nature of the song, the easily mimicked dance moves, and the upbeat tone” (“Gangnam Style Takes the World by Storm”, 2012), as well as its relatable parody of the wealthy lifestyle both Koreans and Americans live. As can be seen, K-Pop is a product of cultural globalization at its peak and continues to grow. Not only does it bring in Korean elements such as the lyrics and the language the song is sung in, it also brings it Western elements such as American-influenced backtracks to these songs and catchy pop melodies.
Overall, as cultural globalization continues to expand, the different genres of music, cross-culturally, continue to expand as well. This can be seen in the form of genres such as K-Pop, that bring in Westernized components into Korean music, or vice versa, having American top-chart hits such as Drake’s “One Dance” that are influenced by other cultural music genres such as Afrobeat. Music is a great product of globalization that exposes individuals everywhere to different cultures at the tip of their fingers.




REFERENCES
Gangnam Style Takes the World by Storm. (2012, December 26). Retrieved from https://www.globalization101.org/gangnam-style-takes-the-world-by-storm/.

What Is K-Pop? (2018, June 21). Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://kpopdeal.com/what-is-kpop/.




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