Trot is a Korean popular music genre, known for its use of repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections. Originating in Korea during Japanese colonial rule in the first half of the 20th century, Trot was influenced by Korean, Japanese, U.S., and European music. Trot has been around for almost 100 years, and its distinct singing style has been continuously evolving. Trot music got its shape in rhythms during Japanese colonial rule.
After the Korean peninsula and the Korean War (1950-1953) liberation, talented artists such as Lee Mi-Ja, Choi Sook-ja, Bae Ho, Nam Jin, Na Hun-a, Joo Hyun-mi, and many others helped to make Trot popular. With the rise of K-pop from the 1990s onwards, Trot music lost some popularity and was viewed as more old-fashioned. However, from the 2000s onwards, young Trot singers such as Jang Yoon-jeong, Hong Jin-young, and K-pop singers such as Super Junior-T, Daesung, and Lizzy, renewed interest in the genre and popularised it among young listeners.
Recently, on the occasion of Chuseok, a cherished national holiday of great importance in South Korea, Na Hoon-Ah, a 73-year-old trot musician, who has been dubbed as the "Emperor of Trot" held a special concert that was aired on KBS 2TV. The program drew a 29% rating, which meant that 29% of the TV viewing population tuned in for the concert. The number is incredibly high but not surprising at all, knowing the popularity of trot and Na Hoon Ah himself. Among the songs he performed was a new track called "Ah Tess Hyung," which has effectively gone viral in South Korea.
According to the idol chart on the 9th, BTS (RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook) scored 1456 in the 4th week of September (20.09.28 to 20.10.04) announced on the 9th along with Youtube score of 9279 points, search score of 1467 points, etc., with a total score of 11,383 points, ranking first in the chart ranking. With this, BTS has effectively remained at the top for 6 consecutive weeks. BLACKPINK ranked second with a total score of 7269 points, including 1736 points for the sound source, 3010 points for YouTube, and 2328 points for searches. Right after came IU with 4401 points followed by Na Hoon Ah with 3510 points. With this, Na Hoon Ah entered the top ranking of the idol charts and drew surprising attention from especially Korean fans. We congratulate the legend for this feat!
