As generations of K-Pop pass through, so does the style of music, clothing, and overall concept of groups. In the fourth generation there’s a big debate over which group is doing Y2K the best, but what about the original K-Pop artists from the first generation? 

From the debut of H.O.T to BoA, the first generation of K-Pop idols paved the way into what the genre is now. While the constant breaking of barriers such as language and even music genre is in hot discussion right now, it all started in the year 1996. 

Under SM Entertainment, the five-member-group H.O.T debuted on September 7, 1996 with their album We Hate All Kinds of Violence. The album had many different styles of music, but the one that stuck was their B-side “Candy”. The bubblegum pop song established a certain sound in the industry that brought millions of fans to the group and is something K-Pop idols still cover to this day. The most recent cover of “Candy” was the release of NCT Dream’s version, which exploded in popularity. 

The 2000s brought so much into the world, from clothing to music and even movies, but the one that is sure to stick forever is the impact the music made on the world. The decade brought us SHINee, Swi.T, and many others who were heavily influenced by R&B and western hip-hop but found their way to make it sound unique and leave an imprint on the industry. It also introduced the second generation of K-Pop that holds many iconic and important idols.

My favorite release has to be Swi.T’s “I’ll Be There,” which has a very subtle TLC vibe. The song is heavily R&B influenced while including futuristic scenes in the iconic music video. Though the song was released in 2002, the track continues to be on repeat for first generation fans. Another one is the iconic “Tell Me” release by Wonder Girls which has a ‘90s dance-pop freestyle sound. Even in the year 2023, K-Pop fans find ways to keep the song trending and popular, which rings true about many 2000s releases. 

In 2008, SHINee released their iconic “Replay.” Like many other songs, “Replay” left a mark in the industry and has idols still covering it. Their debut song holds the classic R&B sound that was widely popular in the year of its release. “Replay” currently sits at 46 million streams on Spotify, making it one of their most streamed releases. The song not only spiked their popularity right after debut, but continues to bring the group fans even 15 years after the formation of the band. 

While K-Pop continues to grow and generations continue to pop up, many forget where the genre stemmed from. However, the first generation of the industry will forever be iconic and will forever guide the directions of where idols head next.