Kpop

It’s called “Acubi”, K-Pop stars wear it and Zara is already taking note

by

The long-awaited return of the third season of Euphoria to HBO screens this April seemed to dictate a clear sentence about the future of fashion and beauty: excess is back, but in a darker and more intentional version. The series has abandoned the ethereal, innocent aesthetic of its beginnings to embrace high-contrast makeup, deep ’90s inspiration, and “fierce, unapologetic glam.” As Donni Davy saysthe main makeup artist of the fiction, this new season is “a campaign against clean-girl makeup.” However, while Hollywood pushes hard towards this drama and visual aggressiveness, there is a much quieter rebellion in the streets and on global social networks. An entire generation has decided to turn its back on the aesthetic chaos of the West to embrace Acubi: the quiet cool South Korean style with muted tones and loose silhouettes that is redefining the youth wardrobe. A trend born on the internet. The Acubi style is not an invention of recent weeks, but its current explosion is undeniable. The term comes from the south korean brand Acubi Cluba pioneer in mixing 2000s minimalism (Y2K), “subversive” basics and cyber fairy grunge. It is an aesthetic that avoids metallic pastel tones and takes refuge in a neutral color palette—white, black and gray—, constantly playing with proportions: tight-fitting tops or those with strategic cuts (cut-outs) combined with very loose cut pants. This fashion is gaining traction on platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest since the summer of 2022, standing out for being a creative and mature mix. The accelerator has been K-Pop. If Acubi has conquered the world, it has been thanks to its most powerful ambassadors. Heewon Yuh, youth fashion strategist at WGSN, clarify in cnn that “K-Pop functioned not so much as the origin, but as an accelerator, transforming a local style approach into a globally recognized look.” Female groups with global impact such as Blackpink, NewJeans and Aespa have taken this aesthetic to the stages and fashion weeks. In fact, Ning Ning and Winter, vocalists of Aespa, they showed off their best performance of the Acubi style, dominated by black and asymmetry, during the promotion of his album Armageddon. The data supports this aesthetic tsunami: the hashtag #Acubi generates about 65,000 daily posts on TikTok and 87,000 on Instagram. In addition, interest in Google Trends in Korean fashion reached its peak in the United Kingdom and the United States in February of this same 2026, coinciding with the appearance of idols at London Fashion Week. It is not a simple algorithmic whim. Jaana Jätyri, founder of the forecasting agency Trendstop, explains to cnn that “in periods of economic and social tension, fashion tends to soften.” The Acubi allows young people to be fashionable “without feeling on display.” Along the same lines, Rose Coffey, analyst at The Future Laboratory, maintains that new generations seek “stability and a sense of control” through modular and adaptable garments. However, this search for stability through neutrality does not convince everyone, and has a deeper and more controversial reading. The general obsession with derived aesthetics such as clean girl proposes a “neutral, apolitical and universalized” image. According to Marta De la Rochaan expert from the European University of Madrid, “we have lost the political and identity message that more striking urban tribes previously had.” This is where the analysis of journalist Noemí López Trujillo in Newtral provides a fundamental critical layer. Based on the test Reaction by Susan Faludi, details that the rise of aesthetics that require women to be discreet and ultra-clean can be read as a conservative and anti-feminist reaction. The goal, as journalist Brenda Otero explains, is that women “do not make mistakes, that they all appear equal, that there is no chaos, that they are static and do not change.” Fortunately, although the Acubi shares that silent color palette, its heritage grunge and its asymmetrical cuts save it from falling into the total and apolitical submission of the clean girlgiving it a subversive edge against the desire for women to go unnoticed. From digital niche to universal basic. Far from being a passing fad, the business model behind Acubi predicts a long life. The trend has already made the leap from screens to cash registers. Retailers of fast-fashion such as Shein and British brands such as Minga London already market these garments. Furthermore, mainstream market giants (high street) like Zara and COS have begun to incorporate similar loose silhouettes in their recent collections. Even haute couture has taken note: Gucci’s Cruise 2025 collection and Fendi’s recent catwalks They have presented minimalist designs relaxed people who drink from this same fountain. This success is also a victory for Soft Power South Korean. Professor Dal Yong Jin, from Simon Fraser University, explains in cnn that the growing visibility of Seoul aesthetics is a reflection of the expansion of the Hallyu (the Korean wave). Consuming Korean fashion has become deeply attractive to the international public, strengthening the economy and institutional image of the Asian country globally. The key lies in its extreme practicality. As illustrated in The Straits Times When analyzing urban youth in Singapore, this aesthetic triumphs in all types of contexts – even in hot and humid climates – thanks to the fact that it allows you to show off a well-groomed appearance effortlessly. It is a style that is built on interchangeable and breathable layers: a basic tank top, loose cargo pants and the finishing touch of some metallic accessories or sunglasses are enough to complete the look. Furthermore, although it was initially promoted by women, Acubi has broken gender barriers. Men’s fashion has embraced this trend under an influence Techwear. The “tiny top and big pants” formula translates to men wearing tight shirts or ripped sweaters paired with extra-wide parachute cargo pants, a line that retailers like Lewkin already carry under the “Acubi Men” label. The silent noise of a generation The current fashion landscape draws an interesting dichotomy. While giant Western productions try to impose dramatic or high-contrast aesthetics, global youth has chosen to … Read more

The return of BTS turns K-pop into macroeconomics thanks to 4 million copies and a 2 billion tour

by

After four years of group silencethe return of the undisputed kings of K-pop, BTS, is going beyond the mere cultural event: 3.98 million copies of her new album sold on the first day and the announcement of an 82-concert tour whose projected revenue rivals Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. BTS is already more than one of the most important pop groups in the world. It is an event of almost microeconomic magnitude. The farewell BTS’s last joint concert was in March 2022. A few months later, the group announced a pause for its seven members to complete mandatory military service in South Korea, a commitment of between 18 and 21 months from which not even they were exempt. The last to graduate was Jin, in June 2025. In between, each member launched solo projects with mixed success while HYBE, the company that owns the group, endured the pressure of not having its main asset working. Strangled without BTS, but not much. Because of this forced absenceHYBE’s operating profit fell 73% in 2025up to 49.9 billion won and while restructuring its operations in the United States and investing in new business lines. Its fan platform Weverse, however, managed to enter its first year of profit, with 11.2 million monthly active users generating stable income through memberships and expenses linked to digital commerce. The search for ‘Arirang’. This past weekend, BTS released ‘Arirang’, their fifth studio album. The title is loaded with meaning: it refers to a Korean folk song considered the country’s unofficial anthem, with centuries of history and dozens of regional variants. A clear manifesto, as they have said in various interviewsabout the group members’ common Korean identity. They produced more than 120 songs for this album in two months, of which 14 survived, all deliberately brief to please generation Z and its more than recognized difficulty concentrating your attention at a point beyond a few minutes. The sales. ‘Arirang’ sold 3.98 million physical copies in its first 24 hourssurpassing the record that the group itself had with ‘Map of the Soul: 7’. On Spotify, the platform recorded 110 million global plays on Spotify in its first 24 hours, and was positioned among the most pre-saves in the history of the service, with more than 5 million prey. The album’s 14 songs simultaneously occupied Spotify’s global top spot, while the single ‘Swim’ debuted at number one with more than 14.6 million views. The absolute historical record for the platform is still held by Taylor Swift with ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ and 314 million listens. Concert in Seoul. The day after the release, on March 21, BTS held a free concert in Seoul’s massive Gwanghwamun Square. Around 260,000 people traveled to the venue: 22,000 fans were in front of the stage and tens of thousands more followed the show on giant screens installed in the surrounding area. Municipal authorities and HYBE 8,200 people were deployed between police, medical staff and management teams. The concert was, furthermore, broadcast live on Netflix: It was the platform’s first global live broadcast of a music concert, and could be enjoyed in 190 countries. The tour is the key. The tour is where the economic magnitude of the return is concentrated. The ARIRANG World Tour will begin on April 9 in Goyang (South Korea) and will end about 11 months later in Manila, with 82 concerts in 34 cities in 23 countries. The tour includes Europe (Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany and France), North America, Latin America (Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil), Southeast Asia and Australia. How will it be? Apparently, BTS will use a 360 degree scenario instead of the usual front format. This will eliminate restricted visibility areas that normally render between 15% and 30% of the seats unusable: a 70,000-seat stadium in frontal format sells approximately 55,000 usable tickets; with the round design it can reach 65,000. The analysts They project total income from the tour of up to $1.8 billion, figures that would place the tour in the same league as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour. For comparison: that of Taylor Swift It generated nearly $2.07 billion with 149 concerts. BTS could approach that figure with half the number of concerts. The stock market hype. Following the announcement of BTS’ comeback, HYBE shares reached their highest in the last four years, rising up to 9.5% and adding more than one trillion South Korean won to the company’s market capitalization. It is expected HYBE’s revenue in 2026 is expected to grow by 47% to 3.87 trillion won, with an operating profit of approximately 480 billion won: ten times that of 2025. Impact on tourism. According to data from the South Korean Ministry of Justice, foreign visitor arrivals between March 1 and 18 grew by 32.7% compared to the previous year, driven especially by tourists between 20 and 29 years old. Europe was the market with the highest relative growth, with an increase of 51%. The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute esteem that the tour will generate 1.2 trillion won of impact per concert held in South Korea. Some economists are modeling the entire return as a macroeconomic event in itself, with projections pointing to a contribution of up to 0.5% of GDP when tourism, hospitality, retail and country brand growth are added. What has changed. Four years later, BTS returns to a different market than the one they left: the short-form video (Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok) is no longer an accessory promotional tool, but the very core of what needs to be covered with any launch. Artificial intelligence has been installed in music production (in the interview with Bloomberg, Suga compares it to the Industrial Revolution and speaks of “irreversible” changes). It has also changed how we see live musicincreasingly in need of spectacularity. And, of course, how the international perception of K-pop has changed after the success of ‘The K-pop Warriors’ from Netflix. A world in perpetual change to which, for the moment, BTS does … Read more

This summer’s surprise success in Netflix combines superheroes and k-pop

by

‘The K-Pop Warriors’ is the undisputed surprise success of the summer: an animated film inspired by the K-Pop music that has been submitted to the top of Netflix’s success lists. One more proof that sometimes it is not necessary to have great names by supporting a production: strangely that it seems, sometimes it is enough to exhibit enough quality and originality. What happens to ‘The K-Pop Warriors’: Also known as ‘KPOP DEMON HUNERS’, the movie’s premise is pure fantasy: a group of idols of K-Pop They lead a secret life as demon jackets, in an absurd and highly stylized mixture of ‘Buffy Hunting’ and ‘Hannah Montana’. In this adventure, facing a band of villains, a group of boys who are also music stars, their responsibilities as Salvadoras of the world and more or less run over their massive success are quoted. Sweeping ‘The K-Pop Warriors’ arrived on the platform on June 20 and quickly reached the post number 1 in Netflix worldwideleading the most watched lists in 26 countries and entering The Top 10 in 93 territories. In its first two weeks, he accumulated more than 33 million views, being placed as the most watched film of the platform in that period. In fact, in the second week, he doubled his initial figures, from 9.2 million views in the first three days to 24.2 million and more than 40 million hours reproduced. That is, a phenomenon of pure mouth mouth. And be careful, that there is also critical and public impact: In Rotten Tomatoesthe film has 95% criticism and 90% of the public, which makes it the best combination of scores for an animated production output of the platform. Impact on multiple aspects. It is not just that the series is reaching unusual success thanks to the quality of its history or its impressive animation, but has transcended its initial success in streaming to become a global phenomenon that also dominates the musical field. Your soundtrack has also achieved a Notable impact: two of their songs entered the 200 Billboard and in their second week the streams In the US, they exceeded 42 million, with a 44% increase in digital downloads, an unusual achievement for an animated film. Who is behind. This success must to the participation of a couple of producers from the K-Pop industry, Teddy Park and Lindgren. The first is one of the most influential producers of the genre, and has written successes for Blackpink2Ne1 and Bigbang. The second is an international producer and composer of international scope, and has worked with artists such as Dua Lipa and BTS. Park took care that the songs sounded to Genuino K-Pop, not a low quality glow for a movie. And Lindgren, on the other hand, is responsible for the cabins to possess enough pop hook to impact the lists of successes. To round the product, in the songs you can hear voices of idols Reales such as Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung from Twice. The fandom can be satisfied. And now what. The overwhelming success of ‘The K-Pop warriors’ can leave an important mark in the industry, or at least advance some future trends. For example, it eliminates from Disney’s hands the monopoly of animated musical productions, introducing other genres and themes that are proven that they are interested in the Fandom: the K-Pop sells, and is a practically virgin material in the world of success animation. We are facing unstoppable force within the tastes of thousands of spectators. Lie groups. And linked to the latter, we must not forget that Hentr/X and Saja Boys, the leading groups of ‘The K-Pop Warriors’ are entirely virtual. Its sales and their achievements (for example, have reached number one of platforms such as Spotify) rival those of authentic groups, which opens the doors to more experiments of this type. The creation of fictitious artists, whose life was modeled by marketing departments, was common note in the K-Pop, but with this confirmation of the success of the idols Virtualthe genre continues to widen borders towards unknown limits. Header | Netflix In Xataka | In South Korea there is a curious phenomenon that keeps economists and fans of the K-Pop in suspense: the return of BTS

In South Korea there is a curious phenomenon that keeps economists and fans of the K-Pop in suspense: the return of BTS

by

For a time BTS’s careerone of the most popular K-Pop bands on the planet (if not the most popular), seemed unstoppable. Their sales added millionslike his Fans legions Inside and outside South Korea or its fame in the music industry, which soon extended to the Anglopartla market. The Septeto broke barriers, crowned in the Billboard 200 And even posed with Joe Biden In the White House. In 2022 however things changed. At its peak, the Boy Band advertisement A temporary pause forced by something that had little to do with music: the mili. Now its seven members have fulfilled the obligations with Seoul and You talk already next resentment With a background question: what will you mean for the K-Pop, a cultural industry Milmillonaria In full transformation? When BTS hung the rifle. In South Korea the law is relentless: all men between 18 and 28 must Comply with mandatory military service (or social volunteering) for a period ranging between 18 and 21 months. The rule provides some exemptions for athletes, dancers or young people who have achieved large awards in their disciplines and suppose a pride for the country. The same does not happen with K-pop singers. At most they can, thanks to a reform approved in 2020, delay recruitment up to 30 years. Hence In 2022 BTS members did something strange in a formation uploaded to the crest of the wave and with a growing fame both inside and outside Korea: they announced a break to do the mili. Its seven components do not have the same age or enlisted at the same time, hence the band’s reunion It was announced already by then by 2025. And the date came. The oldest component, Jin, was enlisted in December 2022 and ended his service in June 2024which has allowed him to return to the stage and resume his solo career. In recent weeks, RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook have also graduated. The last to fulfill its obligations with the South Korean state, Suga, did it Just a few days ago. In practice, Remember Nikkeithat means that (if there are no surprises) in July all members of the Boy Band They will be able to resume their joint career. And, as expected, that has unleashed the expectation of the international press and its fans. The agency that represents the band has confirmed to The New York Times That he still cannot relieve any return plan, but that has not prevented BTS fans from being celebrated and some leaks jump. A few days ago Variety It echoed of an exclusive of The Korea Herald That states that the group will return to the stage in more or less nine months, towards March next year. Nikkei does not specify so much, but reveals That the band’s environment rules out that a stage is once again on the stage. Much more than pop music. That BTS’s return plans (despite being diffuse still) have monopolized holders in the means of reach of The BBC, CNN either Tnytreveals that Boy Band South Korean is much more than a popular group. BTS is relevant for several reasons. And not all strictly musical. Beyond its success in the West or to break molds by crowning the Billboard 200, BTS is a key exponent of Hallyu, The “Korean wave” that has expanded the culture, music and cinema of the country far beyond its borders. In 2024 Asia Fund Managers assuredciting a survey of the South Korean government itself, which the Hallyu wave added around 225 million fans throughout the world, far from the 9.26 million that its first survey had shown, made in 2012. According to its calculations, in 2023 there were more than 1,700 Hallyu fans clubs in 119 countries and much of them (68%) focused on the K-Pop. It’s culture … and it’s money. Asia Fund Managers remember Also that the influence of the K-Pop is not limited to the music industry or the concert circuit. That there are more pending people of South Korean groups translates into greater interest in the country’s culture, their language, kitchen, tourism or fashion, which has a measurable impact on Wones. Wion ensures that the global value of exports of products and services related to the K-POP exceeded 5,000 million dollars in 2018, a stratospheric figure compared to 40 million only two decades ago. The figures should be handled cautiously, but give an idea of ​​the mayor of the K-Pop as a cultural industry. There is Who esteem which in 2018 contributed 1.7% of South Korea’s GDP. “K-pop has become an important cultural force, influencing fashion, beauty and language trends,” Reflect ROMADHONI FAILUATE IN MEDUM. “This has contributed to promoting South Korean culture and tourism, generating an increase in income in these sectors.” And what does BTS suppose? In 2022 Korea Science published A report which reflects that in full international expansion the “BTS effect” came to boost exports of consumer goods of South Korea worth $ 1.1 billion. In 2021, during An interview In the NPR, Vanek Smith went even further and estimated that the Boy Band It contributes hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars every year to the South Korean economy. Its effect reminds in a way that of Taylor Swift, whose activity reverses in thousands of millions of dollars for the United States, according to the Federal Reserve. The K-Pop in crisis? Yeah Filtration of The Korea Herald It is correct and BTS returns to the stage in March 2026, the big question is … will it meet the same K-Pop in 2022, when the group announced its temporal break? During this time already measured, some members have continued with solo careers and during these last years their agency has strategically launching issues and videos to keep interest in the Boy Band. The K-POP scene also has other outstanding representatives, such as Blackpink, Seventeen either Newjaans. However, during the last years There has been multiple voices that have identified symptoms of Crisis in the K-Pop. … Read more

K-pop begins to give signs of exhaustion

by

A few years ago, we talked about how K-Pop, the Korean synthetic pop groups manifestly prefabricated and whose background is so fascinating or more than their music, They were sweeping the international panoramaafter decades kneading millions in their country of origin. Currently, however, signals of exhaustion are detected both in financial and creative. Are we seeing the principle of gender decline or is it only an occasional bump? 2020, turning point. It was in that year, As The Guardian rememberswhen BTS, perhaps The most popular K-Pop group in the worldhe cast his song ‘Dynamite‘In the best -selling lists in the United States. It was a first time for the K-Pop that seemed to consolidate in 2023, when the Blackpink were Coachella poster head. Since then, soloists like Jennie and Lisa (Blackpink outings), the new sensation of the genre Tomorrow X Together, Ateez or Twice have entered the North American list: Seven of the 10 best-selling CDs in the US in 2024 were K-Pop. And this presence in the American lists is perhaps what is precipitating a certain crisis … in Korea. Sound internationalization. When Korean bands have detected the possibility of expanding their already huge market, they have applied an internationalizing roller to many of their successes, without a doubt derived from the success of ‘Dynamite’, sung entirely in English, perhaps essential requirement to succeed in a list as Anglocentric as that of US successes. This has not liked, the Guardian tells, the fans of a lifetime, who are also seeing how an older fandom enters: the K-Pop has ceased to be a strictly youthful phenomenon (as phenomena such as the tour ‘Forever Young’ tour of Day6 this year, aimed at a mature audience), and more than integrate, that alienates the usual fans. Songs in English, little Korean sound. This internationalization goes through a series of elements that are not well seen in Korea. For example, singing in English: ‘Dynamite’ has been a success in the United States, as we said, precisely thanks to the fact that it is sung entirely in that language, an absolute first time for gender. But not only that: the last viral success in networks like Tiktok of the K-Pop, ‘APT‘, by Rosé (another Blackpink member) is not only sung in English and is a duet with Bruno Mars, but its sound is absolutely produced in the American style, as a kind of accelerated Lady Gaga and Punk-Pop. Korea looks at J-Pop. And we do not talk about success strictly from the United States: in Spain, without going any further, COLDE, AESPA, KISS OF LIFE AND TXT have played and in the rest of this year the visits of Lun8, Kisu, Wave to Earth, Stray Kids or Blackpink are planned in the rest of this year. More and more international, increasingly related to international tastes, it is logical that Korean fans themselves turn their backs: current idols Synthetic generated. And meanwhile, the industry is atomized. Traditionally, K-Pop groups have been created by seals through castings, and have controlled absolutely all aspects of their career: their public image, their personal relationships, etc. In 2022, a group of the most praised in the scene, Newjaans, He tried to disconnect from his stampHybe, as a protest for the treatment they had given them and for the dismissal of their producer and responsible for their sound, a unclassifiable mixture of advanced pop, pop and electronics. They talked to their fans in direct on the Internet and unleashed a public discussion about the Labor rights of K-Pop artists. A business in crisis. Newjaans’ action served as wedge so that the industry, which is becoming more rigid, gives crisis symptoms, or at least exhibits certain cracks in its structure. As proof, sales: Korea Music Content Association has observed That after nine consecutive years of crush, in 2024 discs sales fell 19% in Korea. An image crisis. A revealing detail both about the crisis in the industry in Korea and the fall in sales is that two of the groups that traction the industry (In the words of ‘Korea Times’), BTS and BlackPink (some doing military service, the others focused on their international careers) have paralyzed their activity in the country. Hybe, the seal with which Newjaans collided, and the most important in the Korean industry, It takes time reporting losses and is immersed in an image crisis that has led him to apologize to rival seals, artists and the public. Everything points to a sign of the times that may be the beginning of an inevitable change. In Xataka | If you listen to K-Pop, forced labor: North Korea is battling the cultural hegemony of its neighbors without regard

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.