TWICE, a famous girlband from South Korea. More and more Vietnamese people are listening to K-pop. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY — In less than one day, the new hit song How You Like That by famous South Korean girl band BLACKPINK was number one on the trending list of Youtube Vietnam.

The song stayed at the position for about one week.

Also in the top 10 trending list of Youtube Vietnam was another song by BLACKPINK and a song by BTS, another famous band from South Korea.

The top 10 trending list shows that besides famous US and UK songs, K-Pop music has always been an energetic market which engages a huge number of fans from Việt Nam. 

Spotify, an audio streaming service from Sweden, said that Korean music is one of the most eclectic and diverse genres, from groovy K-R&B hits to K-Rock’s electric vibrations and K-Hip Hop’s spitting rhythm and flow. 

“Since the launch of Spotify’s first K-Pop playlist in 2014, there have been more than 41 billion K-Pop streams on Spotify, and fans have spent more than 134 billion minutes on K-Pop music. With over 50 playlists, Spotify’s K-Pop Hub is the one-stop destination for fans to discover the world of K-Pop and immerse themselves in Korean artists, genres, and songs across every mood and moment,” the company said. 

A student from District 7 told Việt Nam News that most of the students in her class like South Korea’s music.

“Each of them has their own idol. I like BTS and my friend BLACKPINK. We love South Korean song because of the attractive costumes and dancing. Their music is also catchy.”

Both adults and teenagers tend to listen to South Korean music because they like OST in South Korean films.

The trend of listening to South Korean music can be seen on the lists of music apps like Zing MP3 and Spotify.

New playlists 

Spotify said the company has updated its playlists to support K-Pop. They have introduced 13 new and revamped playlists on its K-Pop Hub, broadening its current K-Pop offerings and catering to the many facets of this exciting genre. 

Spotify has curated one of the most amazing playlists including Korean OST Instrumental and Best of Korean Soundtracks with original soundtracks from favourite Korean dramas; K-Club Party with K-Pop dance hits to party alongside; and Girl Krush with songs from everyone’s favourite girl groups like Red Velvet, BLACKPINK.

To help listeners determine which direction to expand their K-music horizon, Spotify’s dedicated K-Pop Twitter channel, @SpotifyKDaebak, has launched a simple personality quiz, directing users to a K-Pop playlist based on their personality traits and habits. 

One of the newest playlist additions to the K-Pop Hub includes Cool K:IDs Rock - Spotify’s signature playlist for Korean Rock anthems offering fans a glimpse into South Korea’s burgeoning rock scene. 

Users can discover and enjoy the alternative sounds of Korean rock from bands like DAY6, HYUKOH and more. 

Also found within the hub are also updated playlists like TrenChill K-R&B featuring soulful Korean R&B acts like Crush and DPR LIVE, as well as K-Hip-Hop +82, which highlights the most exciting artists in South Korea’s hip hop scene and its array of homegrown rappers, from mainstream to underground. 

Often created with original soundtracks, Korean dramas like World of the Married, Hospital Playlist, The King and more also boast their own unique audio identity that continues to exist beyond the show. To cater to the increasing popularity of these soundtracks, Spotify has curated two new playlists for this genre, including Korean OST Instrumental and Best of Korean Soundtracks to accompany fans reliving the moments of their favourite shows. — VNS