“You Can Call Me Artist, You Can Call Me IDOL!”: Contexts, Genealogies, and Aesthetics of Performance

This short summary describes the contents of the chapters in this section of the book, which include the musical, dance, and visual aesthetics that have shaped BTS’s repertoire.

Wonseok Lee’s “Tradition, Transition, and Trends: Contextualizing BTS’s Gugak-Inspired Performance of ‘IDOL’” looks at the state’s role in K-Pop’s integration of traditional Korean music and dance. In 2009, the government established an agency affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, called KOCCA (the Korea Creative Content Agency), which has initiated several projects to support local musicians, including idol groups, independent musicians, solo artists, and even traditional Korean music gugak-oriented fusion bands. Lee claims that the government contributes to not only expanding the musical boundaries of K-Pop but also diluting a musical boundary between gugak and popular music by supporting various kinds of musicians. Using BTS’s performance of “IDOL” at the 2018 Melon Music Awards, Lee demonstrates how incorporating elements of Korean traditional music and dance cultures are a significant part of the band’s global success story and reflects broader trends of cultural promotion within the K-Pop industry.