A multi-billionaire dollar business in South Korea, K-Pop is now taking on the world - with acts performing at some of the biggest concerts in the US and for the first time venturing into the Middle East.
Despite not understanding a word of Korean, Rachael White was hooked to K-Pop the moment she heard it.
“I was just scrolling on Facebook and I found a trailer video of SHINee and I really liked it then it kind of went off from there,” she says.
The 19-year old Sydneysider confesses she now listens to K-Pop every day and attends K-Pop dance classes regularly.
“In K-Pop you have to act, dance and sing all at the same and I find that really impressive.”
K-Pop fan Rachel White Source: SBS News
“So I thought, ‘I want to try it and be cool like them!’”
Like a surprising number of young tech-savvy fans with no cultural ties to South Korea, she is obsessed with K-pop - keeping up-to-date with the latest songs and music videos of her favourite bands on YouTube.
“Social media is really important - without it I don't think K-Pop would be able to thrive,” she said.
“People gather around the world just to like one certain band through Facebook, YouTube or Tumblr."
K-Pop has already gained popularity in Asian countries, like China and Japan.
Thanks to the power of social networking sites, the industry is also extending its reach to the West.
In the US, popular music festival Coachella has announced it will feature a K-Pop act for the first time.
And it appears the industry has even managed to crack the Middle East with a K-Pop convention to be held in Abu Dhabi for the first time next month.
K-Pop sensation Boyfriend has over three-million Facebook fans, and its first YouTube video has attracted over 21 million views.
The six-member boy band has been invited to Australia to help launch Chinese New Year festivities at Carriageworks in Sydney this week.
K-Pop band Boyfriend Source: SBS News
Singer Lee Jeongmin says Instagram plays an important role in interacting with fans.
"They like the fact that they can follow us in real time.”
JJCC, a K-Pop group created by the well-known Chinese martial arts actor Jackie Chan, will be joining them on stage.
The band includes members from Australia and the United States which helps attract English-speaking audiences.
25-year-old Prince Mak - who’s real name is Henry - left Sydney's western suburbs four years ago to join the Seoul-based band.
"We actually have a lot of foreign fans, I'd say even more than Korean-based fans," he said.
With a growing fan base, Prince Mak says hopes K-pop will become even more popular in Australia.
Dr Roald Maliangkay, the Head of Korean Studies at the Australian National University, says he’s not surprised K-pop is resonating with Western audiences.
"In Korea, you find that a lot of people going to the concerts are actually tourists and foreigners so the industry is doing a good job at marketing the packages to non-Koreans," Dr Maliangkay said.
Dr Maliangkay says the global success of K-Pop is a sign of things to come.
"K-pop certainly has a lot more influence than your average western pop at the moment."
