K-Pop has always been known as a genre that doesn't shy away from being experimental. It is a genre that can be found in the dictionary next to 'unique' and prides itself on that fact. In a single K-Pop song, you can experience a number of genres, musical tones, themes, and more. This makes the K-Pop listening experience a true adventure.

In our article Why K-Pop Songs Tend To Sound Similar Or Familiar: Exploring Sampling And Interpolation In Popular K-Pop Songs, we briefly touched on the experimental nature of K-Pop. Read all about it at the link below.

Recently, this experimentalism has taken the K-Pop world by storm as more and more artists try different sounds. The rhapsody format has become one of the latest rising trends in K-Pop music.

The definition of a rhapsody is as follows:

"A rhapsody in music is a one-movement, episodic work, often featuring contrasting moods, colors, and tonalities, with a distinct air of spontaneity and improvisations" - Interlude

The rhapsody originates from and was initially most commonly used in classical music, especially through piano rhapsodies.

In modern pop music, one can say that a rhapsody would be a song that has several distinct parts with vastly different instrumental and tonal differences. It could almost sound like a few different songs strung together if you're unfamiliar with the format.

Today, we'll take a look at how the rhapsody format has become popular in K-Pop.

 

The 'Bohemian Rhapsody Effect' in K-Pop

One of the most popular Western examples of a rhapsody is 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen. This song was also largely popular in South Korea in the 1980s and 1990s and regained popularity, going viral, following the release of the 2018 film "Bohemian Rhapsody". This resurgence of the song's popularity despite having a mixture of genres, key changes, and vocal ranges has been dubbed the 'Bohemian Rhapsody Effect'.

Music experts credit the popularity of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in Korea to the genre-bending nature of Queen and Freddie Mercury's music. As Korean pop music often leans towards genre-bending, experts reckon that the familarities between the two are what appeals to Korean listeners. Experts say that a lot of Korea's music in the 1990s was modeled after Queen and Freddie Mercury's musical influence, too.

One of the artists who was most influenced by Queen was the Korean singer Shin HaeChul. His influence then spread to other K-Pop artists and producers. Additionally, artists like PSY have also credited Freddie Mercury as one of his musical inspirations.

It is safe to say that the 'Bohemian Rhapsody Effect' is one of many factors that have influenced the uptrend of K-Pop rhapsody experimentation over the years.

 

The Basic Structure of a K-Pop Song vs. the Structure of a K-Pop Rhapsody

The average K-Pop song starts with a verse, progresses into a pre-chorus, then starts the chorus, enters the second verse, the pre-chorus again, the chorus again, then the bridge, and then the final chorus.

Occasionally, K-Pop producers might have a break in the song (usually to accompany a dance or rap break) that has heavier bass or a stronger beat to create differentiation. In some cases, this break might even have a party-like atmosphere. It could also be a short part of the song used as a transition to either drop a beat, change the key, or change a tempo. All of these devices create a contrast in time, space, and/or atmosphere.

When K-Pop producers want to take their song a step further, they might even combine a number of these mixing techniques. This is where the K-Pop rhapsody is born.

One example of a rhapsody song is Red Velvet's 'Zimzalabim' which goes from bubbly beats, to deeper bass and unexpected dance breaks, to acapella sections, and more.

NMIXX's 'O.O' is another example of a rhapsody song. It is the kind of song where just as you get used to a particular sound in the song, it moves onto the next and takes your ears along for the musical adventure. It features tempo changes, genre influence changes, atmospheric changes, and even key changes before linking the start to the finish.

Another, more subtle example is GOT the Beat's 'Stamp On It'. It is more subtle because it tries to blend together the different elements of the beat by having one prominent melody running throughout most of the song with its sound only slightly affected by the musical changes.

A final classic example is Girl's Generation's 'I Got A Boy'. The song features 9 different genre influences and is one of the first K-Pop songs to become a hit rhapsody. It is considered one of the most diverse-sounding K-Pop tracks of all time. Fans have loved the song for keeping them on their toes when they listen to it.

 

Why Rhapsodies are Used/Created in K-Pop

As we briefly mentioned earlier, K-Pop is a narrative and visual-heavy genre. Song lyrics are not used to tell a story in isolation. Each element of the song is just as important in storytelling as the other. The same goes for the rhapsody format.

For example, TXT's 'Eternally' is a rhapsody song about magic, nightmares, and more. The track has an illusive quality that imitates its subject matter, with the rhapsody being a final touch on the narrative. Rhapsodies are often intended to be dreamlike and mimic an imaginary state more than the usual K-Pop song.

EXO's 'Tempo' is another song where the rhapsody format adds a unique spin and additional storytelling to the song's concept. The numerous genres (such as electro-pop, bubblegum pop, ballad, etc.), tempo changes, musical breaks, etc. created a slightly jarring effect that can be compared to elements of time ticking by. All of these elements speed up and slow down to create emphasis on the song's concept of a 'tempo'.

SHINee's 'Sherlock (Clue + Note)' is yet another example of a rhapsody format where the narrative comes alive due to the song's uniqueness. Just like the names 'Clue', 'Note', and 'Sherlock', the song lets us piece together clues to solve its mystery. It is a mix of songs together that is acknowledged as K-Pop's first hybrid song.

 

Fan Reactions to Rhapsody K-Pop Songs 

K-Pop songs with rhapsody formats have been famous for often sparking debate in the K-Pop community. Many fans mention how they tend not to like these songs at first because of their 'jarring' or 'discombobulated' sound. However, the song tends to grow on many fans and lead them to acknowledge the futuristic song structure.

Some even argue that some K-Pop rhapsody songs (dubbed so by popular fan opinion) shouldn't be considered rhapsodies as they are too comfortable to listen to. There is a belief that a rhapsody should add a slight sense of discomfort to the listening experience.

Other fans even argue about whether some of the songs defined as rhapsodies in K-Pop are really able to be labeled as one. There are sentiments that most K-Pop songs labeled as rhapsodies only feature abrupt transitions but in most cases repeat melodies or instruments again in the song.

These opinions are all a matter of subjectivity, however.

Some fans have pitched into the debate saying that rhapsody songs are iconic because they take multiple sounds and make them work in an unconventional structure, separating the song from the rest of the airplay. They then, as a result, separate the K-Pop groups from the others by shining their vocals in a special light.

What do you think of the rhapsody format being used in K-Pop? Do you have any K-Pop rhapsody-type songs that you enjoy? Let us know in the comments.