Classical music is inspiring K-pop in more ways than one

With rhapsodies and orchestral songs, classical composers being sampled and placed in concept films, K-pop and classical music are closer than ever in the 2020s

To many people, K-pop is understood as music “by and for teenagers”; while, in contrast, classical music is considered outdated merely because is inherently old. These are two questionable definitions; but also, K-pop and classical music actually mesh very well.

Classical music has a popularity of its own in South Korea, and the country is home to outstanding classical music musicians, such as pianist Lim Dong-hyek. The rising interest of young Korean musicians for classical music has even been called as the “K-classics generation.”

But likewise, K-pop is introducing classical music to new generations and taking inspiration from its composition forms too.

From SM Entertainment releasing its own “Classics” music label to classical music being paired with balletcore concepts, many are the ways in which classical music is informing K-pop.

First, of course: classical music sampling

K-pop’s love story with classical music is far from recent. K-pop songs have been sampling classical composers for as early as SHINHWA’s “T.O.P. (Twinkling Of Paradise)” (1999), which samples Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”

But it’s safe to say that classical music is hotter than ever in K-pop when you see classical composers getting sampled by no less than two of the biggest K-pop girl groups, TWICE and Red Velvet, in a span of barely 6 months away from each other.

TWICE’s “Last Waltz”, a b-side from their 2021 album “Formula of Love: O+T=< 3”, is a brilliant, creative case of classical music sampling. Not only it samples Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers”, but it also uses “waltz” metaphorically as a part of its lyrical motif. The insertion of the Tchaikovsky epic melody is just brilliant and causes a fun disruption to the beat.

Red Velvet used the melody of Bach’s “Air On The G String” in “Feel My Rhythm” (2022), and even released its music video on Bach’s birthday, March 21st. Bach’s classic composition being sampled in a key that is different from the original, paired with the fact that Red Velvet’s track is titled “Feel My Rhythm”, conveys a message: Red Velvet is doing Bach on their own terms.

Classical music appeared again in Red Velvet’s Japanese album Bloom (2022), released on April 6th. This time, Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” was the chosen composition to be a part of “Marionette”. This same song was also sampled by girl group Billlie in “everybody’s got a SECRET”, released in 2021.

Before TWICE, Red Velvet, and Billlie, many other K-pop groups have sampled classical music in the recent years, such as Cherry Bullet, who sampled Beethoven’s “Für Elise” in “Hands Up” (2020).

Storyline soundtracks

Storytelling has always been a big part of K-pop, but never has K-pop diversified its media to tell stories beyond the music videos and performances as we’ve seen in the last years. Many of these stories are soundtracked by classical music.

For example, in the fictional-but-not-so-fictional universe of the BTS WORLD game released in 2019, BTS’ SUGA is a pianist. In one of the scenes, the character is playing Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu.”

Billlie’s concept story film “what is your B?” (2022) features a sample of Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” in its instrumental version of “everybody’s got a $ECRET.”

Orchestral versions of K-pop songs

Classical music and orchestral music are not exactly the same thing. But there’s a symbiotic relationship between them, as classical music is instrumental, and thus, it is often played by orchestras when not by one musician alone.

For K-pop, orchestral versions can be a great way to showcase the rich musicality of songs, as events such as “K-Factor: An Orchestral Exploration of K-pop” (2019) have shown.

In January 2020, BTS released a beautiful, orchestral version of their single “Black Swan” before releasing the official version. While the orchestral version featured vocals, there’s indeed a classical music feel to it.

Later that year, SM Entertainment announced a partnership with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra to release orchestral versions of K-pop songs, which culminated in the launch of the label SM Classics. A lively orchestral version of Red Velvet’s “Red Flavor” was their first release. In 2021, they released an orchestral version of NCT U’s “Make a Wish”; and in February 2022, SM and The Philharmonic signed another agreement, which means we can expect more orchestral versions of songs by SM’s K-pop acts.

The rhapsody format

In classical music, a rhapsody is a type of song structure made of different sections that vary in their range of moods and patterns of melody, arrangement, and other musical elements, often derived from improvisation. A few examples of rhapsodies in classical music are Debussy’s “Première rhapsodie” and Béla Bartók’s “Rhapsody No 1.”

Rhapsodies are not strangers to modern pop music. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975) is undoubtedly the most popular example. But while Queen took literal inspiration from classical music in the album A Night in the Opera, fast forward to the 2010s and 2020s and you’ll notice that rhapsodies continue to influence pop music. More than that: they actually fit the modern soundscape of popular culture perfectly.

At a time when many acts strive for song structure diversity to grab the listener’s attention in the immediatist era of streaming, it is not uncommon to see songs that sound like 2, 3, maybe 4 songs in 1, such as Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode (feat. Drake)” (2018), and Billie Eilish’s “Happier than Ever” (2021).

As for K-pop, the ultimate example of a rhapsody is GIRLS GENERATION’s “I GOT A BOY” (2013). It’s no wonder songwriters and music critics consider this the “the K-pop Bohemian Rhapsody.”

But almost a decade after the release of “I GOT A BOY”, more K-pop tracks continue to dive into the rhapsody format.

In 2021, when aespa released “Savage”, many people pointed out the similarity with “I GOT A BOY” in how the track also features different song sections with no apparent connection amongst each other (at least from the perspective of melody and arrangement). Now, in 2022, the format seems as popular as ever.

Genre-mixing and disruptive song structures are often heard in K-pop. However, tracks like NMIXX’s “O.O” (2022) and Purple Kiss’ “memeM” (2022) are taking it to a new level. While they use lots of modern, electronic music elements, the song structure dates back to the classical period when composers added lots of abrupt variations of tempo and melody patterns in between their song sections.

Enjoyed this? You might enjoy these other pieces I wrote:

• 20 best K-pop albums of 2021 for PopMatters, featuring some analysis of the genres and trends that dominated the best K-pop music of that year;
• My interview with Billlie for PopMatters + commentary on how their transmedia storytelling reflects on their discography;
• More on how rhapsodies are the perfect response to the streaming era in my 2018 blog post Aminé’s “ONEPOINTFIVE” — Rhapsodies shaped by the streaming era, defying the definition of what a song is.

My work as a music writer and critic is independent. This blog is not monetized.

My articles and reviews have been published in PopMatters, Rolling Stone Korea, Remezcla, Sounds and Colours, Tenho Mais Discos que Amigos, Consequence of Sound, Dummy Magazine, KultScene, and more.

The reviews and articles posted in this blog are original and have not been published on any of the websites I write for.