K-pop glossary: the words to know

K-pop glossary: the words to know

K-pop has its own vocabulary, a mix of Korean and fandom English. Here are the words that come up most often in the news, the group profiles and the quizzes on Ensemble, each explained in one clear sentence.

Comeback

A group's or artist's return with a new release — single, mini album or album — together with a promotion period on TV and online.

Bias

A fan's favourite member of a group. A “bias wrecker” is the member who threatens to take that spot.

Fandom

The official fan community of a group, with a name chosen by the group or its agency.

Maknae막내

The youngest member of a group. Older members are called “hyung” (by boys) or “unnie” (by girls).

Title track

The lead song of a release: it gets the music video and the TV promotion. The other songs are the “B-sides”.

Music show

Weekly Korean music programme (Music Bank, Inkigayo, M Countdown, Show Champion, The Show, Music Core) where groups perform their comeback and can win a trophy.

All-kill

A song sitting at number one on every Korean real-time chart at the same time. A “perfect all-kill” adds the daily and weekly charts.

Lightstick

A group's official light-up stick, waved at concerts. Its shape and colour are specific to each group.

Fanchant

A chant shouted by the audience at set moments of a song, often the list of the members' names.

Trainee

An artist training at an agency — singing, dancing, languages and media skills — before a possible official debut.

Début

The first official release of a group or artist, usually with a showcase event.

Sub-unit

A smaller line-up made of a few members of a group, releasing music alongside the full group.

Génération

A way of splitting K-pop history into periods: groups are grouped by debut year, from the 1st generation in the 1990s to the 5th today.

Hallyu한류

The “Korean wave”: the international spread of Korean popular culture — music, series, film, beauty and food.