‘The first Korean group to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart’, BTS’s “Dynamite” has topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks in September. It is very rare for a non-English musician to top the Billboard charts. This is because radio airplay data, an indicator of public popularity rather than the power of fandom, plays a crucial role in the chart rankings. How could a K-pop song, which is regarded as a kind of ‘subculture’ make it to the top of the Billboard chart, the representative of the ‘mainstream’ music, in the U.S.? Among the various reasons, it is decisive that the genre of the song is ‘disco pop’, which went down on history in American pop culture back in the day. Once again, disco is rising in popularity regardless of generation or race. What is the reason that disco, the icon of the 70s, is actively consumed in the domestic and international music markets recently?
Do You Know Disco?
Have you heard of the movie <Saturday Night Fever>? Released in 1977, starring John Travolta, this movie spread the disco we now know throughout popular culture. The fancy dance floor, colorful mirror balls, bell-bottoms and poking dances in the movie brought ‘Disco Fever’ around the world. Before this movie came out, disco was only a genre limited to several regions, including Detroit and Chicago in the U.S. This movie reflects the phases of the times back in the U.S., and shows the main character living in Brooklyn slums and the hardships of life through disco. Disco is a genre that rock‘n’roll popular in the 50s, and R&B popular in the 60s, met in the 70s. And it makes a rhythmic and lilting atmosphere using electric guitars, bass, and keyboard to highlight the beat. The disco fever in the 70s greatly influenced people’s fashion, hair styles, media and play culture, and disco became the center point of American pop culture in the 70s; far beyond being just a simple music genre. In addition, the popularity of disco has greatly influenced not only the mainland the U.S. but also Korean pop culture in the 70s-80s, which became a remembrance for the older generation of Korea.
Disco Fever in Domestic and Abroad Music Market
One song set fire to disco revival, “Future Nostalgia” by Dua Lipa. This album, which has a retro vibe from the cover, was released in March this year and its name is a combination of two paradoxical words ‘Future’ and ‘Nostalgia’. Another song of hers, “Don’t Start Now” is also a representative of disco pop music. “Rain On Me” by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, which was released in May, is a mix of disco and other styles, and has become very popular topping Billboard Hot 100 chart. In addition, The Weeknd’s “After Hours” album and Doja Cat’s “Say So” are also set in disco. Disco pop is also becoming popular in Korea. “When We Disco” by JYP, released in August, evokes nostalgia with lyrics like “It was like magic when we disco” and “us from those beautiful days”. The choreography of it is also made up of popular dance moves of the 70s and 80s, which JYP directly experienced in the past. MAMAMOO’s “WANNA BE MYSELF”, released in September, is also based on disco, but with modern style choreography. As such, disco is once again showing its status in the global music market, once representing popular culture in the 70s.
How Could Disco Get Popular Again?
Gloomy Background due to COVID-19
First of all, there is a situational reason why disco is brought back to the music market again. The social confusion caused by COVID-19 and the psychology of those who seek the more pleasure in more difficult times are interlinked. The reason why disco emerged as the mainstay of American pop culture in the 1970s was the confusion and distress of the younger generation, as well as the Vietnam War, the oil shock, and the economic recession. Currently, the world is suffering from one of the worst pandemics ever due to COVID-19. In this era, disco is once again serving as a breakthrough for people to forget the tough realities and gives them the positive energy of life. Referring to the U.S. times of the 70s when disco was popular, pop music critic Han Dong-yoon said, “There are aspects that resemble the present, which is socially and economically difficult due to COVID-19. People look for simple and exciting music that can make them feel relieved, rather than difficult music, when they have a hard time, and that representative music is disco.” BTS also said about “Dynamite” during a KBS news interview that “In this difficult period when people are sad or depressed, there are many things people can do to console or overcome them. But we faced it head on and found disco pop to make people happy and hopeful. We thought we needed to find a way to make people happy and hopeful.”
Influence of the ‘Retro Craze’
The second reason for the disco revival is the ‘Retro Craze’ that has hit Korea over the last few years. The retro craze has exerted enormous influence across vast areas of society, including film, drama, fashion, play culture, advertising, and more. The popularity of retro has been the same abroad. Disco can also be regarded as a trend of retro craze. Just like any of the retro craze does, disco, which retains the ‘memories’ of the older generation’s school days back in the 70s and 80s, is getting attention as it approaches the younger generation as ‘novelty’. It is gaining wide popularity throughout the world regardless of generation. This is why young American pop musicians and K-pop idols that mainly target young people create disco pop music. They even go beyond the boundaries of typical disco and reinterpret it in a mix of other genres such as dance, hip-hop and house. This has widened the age group range of disco. Both the artists who make music and the fans who consume it can enjoy disco together, even though they have not experienced the era in person. As such, disco comes as familiar to the older generation and unique for the younger generation.
The revival of disco in the global music market is significant in that it is popular regardless of generation and culture. Although disco originated in the U.S., its popularity and fashion were so strong that it spread throughout the world, including to Korea, in the past. Thanks to this, disco is actively showing itself not only in the U.S., but also in the Korean music market. In the reappearance of disco, we should also pay attention to the situations of modern society caused by COVID-19. Pop music critic Park Eun-seok said, “If the response of the fans continues and related music continues to come out, disco could become a representative music genre of the COVID-19 era.” Will disco be able to become the representative music of the COVID-19 era along with the 70s? Let’s look forward to the future of disco!