As I begin my first genre experiment, I’ve chosen to rebrand K-Pop through the visualities of Electronic music. This genre offers a rich landscape of aesthetic codes that are at once futuristic, synthetic, and deeply tied to the body, through dance, rhythm, and often, nightlife. It feels like a natural starting point, not only because of its stark contrast with K-Pop, but also because of the potential overlap in theatricality and visual experimentation.
Why Electronic?
Electronic music, particularly in its subgenres like techno, house, and synth-pop, has always been visually forward-thinking. Think neon lighting, metallics, cyberpunk references, holographic materials, and modular or asymmetrical silhouettes. The scene’s roots in underground club culture also open up gender expression in fluid and often transgressive ways, queer aesthetics have long found a home in this space. In that sense, the Electronic genre shares some DNA with K-Pop’s own flirtation with androgyny and boundary-pushing styling, but it amplifies these traits within a more abstract, sometimes even dehumanized framework.
K-Pop, by contrast, often uses styling to emphasize emotion, narrative, or intimacy. Its idols are both idealized and made accessible through fashion that speaks to fans’ desires, aspirations, or fantasies. So what happens when those same idols are placed in the cold, digital, deconstructed aesthetics of Electronic music?
This experiment is ultimately about asking: what kinds visualities are possible within the visual vocabulary of Electronic music, and how might a K-Pop idol inhabit those possibilities?
Next up: I’ll begin creating and documenting the actual visual experimentation.
