What qualifies as Kpop?

There is often debate about whether or not some groups are kpop groups or not. Here are some of the indicators of whether or not a group is a Kpop group.

1. Instruments

(dykim0102, 2024)

Kpop groups do not primarily play instruments. Sure, they can sometimes play instruments, but this is not a primary aspect of their performances. For example, ENHYPEN is kpop, whereas DAY6 is not. Jay may sometimes play guitar during performances, but primarily they either sing or sing and dance to a track or live band they are not a part of. DAY6, on the other hand, is a band where all the members' primary positions are their instruments, and this is the main aspect of their performances, as they typically do not have much choreography. 

2. Korean lyrics

(Wasserman Music, 2025)

Despite many kpop groups switching to majority English lyrics, they still have at least a handful of Korean lyrics in their music. For example, KATSEYE is not Kpop. It may seem that they are kpop as they were co-formed and are managed by HYBE, often appear on the same variety and music shows, and share a large fanbase with kpop groups; however, this is not the case. The whole point of KATSEYE was to create a global girl group with kpop ideologies. All of KATSEYE’s songs are in English (except for the Spanish verse in "Gabriela" which ate BTW).  Additionally, all of the members speak English all the time. Even Yoonchae, their Korean member, is currently learning English as their music is in English, and they speak English on interviews, variety shows, etc.

3. Korean members

(Lodhi, 2025)

An idol does not need to be Korean to be considered a kpop idol. Many groups, such as TWICE, BLACKPINK, and EXO have members of different ethnicities and Nationalities, but they are still kpop. However, there still is the question: does there need to be at least one Korean member? The short answer is no. Take Blackswan for example, none of the current members are Korean; however their songs are still in Korean, they speak in Korean on variety shows, and self-identify as being a kpop group. They can even use their diversity to their advantage, by playing into the girls' unique backgrounds, such as in “Karma”, where both the song and MV were inspired by Indian music and culture.