Oh K!

2021 was a year when Korean soft power was at its most potent in India. From K-beauty to K-cuisine, here’s a lowdown on how we embraced the culture made so popular by K-dramas and K-pop stars

POPULAR K-POP BANDS IN INDIA

• BTS
• EXO
• Twice
• Blackpink

THE K-POP STREAMING BOOM

K-pop lies at the epicentre of hallyu – the phenomenon that is the Korean wave. Last year, music streaming platform Gaana.com had recorded a 350% jump in K-pop streams. In October came the Namaste Hallyu Podcast on the platform, an acknowledgement of the popularity that is this genre. The same is evident from the followers of the BTS Army’s Indian fan pages on Twitter (53.8K) and Instagram (almost 200K). What’s more, India streamed 163 million Blackpink videos on YouTube in June this year, with Delhi topping the list with 2.9mn streams, followed by Chennai (2.83mn), Hyderabad (2.75mn) and Mumbai 2.43mn).

K-FASHION: VERSATILE TRACK SUITS AND CO-ORDINATED SETS

Korean fashion is defined by what K-pop and K-drama stars wear — neon and bright candy colours, lively prints and comfy, minimalistic, if not conservative, silhouettes. While youngsters have been gravitating towards athleisure and co-ords and track suits since the advent of COVID, the runaway success of The Squid Game, the popularity of fashion icons such as Lisa and Jisoo in India and a fair bit of endorsement by Bollywood’s young fashionistas took K-fashion to dizzying heights.

Korean dramas, music and culture take India by storm

K-DRAMA RULED OUR BANDWIDTH