Feeling the upward trajectory since the 90s, K-pop became a melting pot of genres - from bubbly and bright to sweet and fresh and to rock and grime.
As K-pop aspires to defy the traditional music approach and reintroduce innovations, new music taste is offered to the listeners through gearing on the experimental genre.
In the K-pop landscape, SM Entertainment is the father of experimental music. The entertainment label has cemented its title for producing tracks that break the "normal structure" of a song by integrating more genres to generate a new unique melody.
Proving that SM Entertainment is one of the ancestors of propagating this trend, some songs exemplify the said genre.
Here are 5 Experimental Songs from SM Entertainment
1. 'Ko Ko Bop' by EXO
Hitting the summer vibes, EXO dropped Ko Ko Bop, a song that emits a mixture of reggae and tropical sounds, boosted with the boy band's style of electro-hip-hop.
However, unlike other experimental songs created by SM Entertainment, this song calmed in the island grooves and was deemed by fans to have "lost its potential." Fans cited that although the song may have received enormous applause, there are aspects where it lost momentum, particularly during the post-chorus of the song.
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On the bright side, what surprised the fans, particularly the EXO-Ls, was Ko Ko Bop's eclectic attempt at a few spins to mix sounds - something that once distinguished EXO from other K-pop boy groups in SM Entertainment, such as NCT and SHINee,
2. 'I Got A Boy' by Girls' Generation
An SM stans' list of experimental music will never be complete with this old but gold track from the nation's original girl group, Girls' Generation. "I Got A Boy" pushed the musical limits by maintaining a cohesive sound that suited the song's concept.
Many media outlets labeled the song as surreal, unique, fresh, and complex during its release because it exhibited innovative excellence of musical elements, despite being released in 2013. Hence, it was dubbed as a song that was "ahead of its time."
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This song gave girls the power to dominate local and international music charts, as manifested in how the first week of release garnered 300,000 copies and was named by Billboard as part of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time by ranking 21st.
3. 'Zimzalabim' by Red Velvet
Red Velvet is one of the groups under SM Entertainment that is known for releasing experimental songs. Aside from "Zimzalabim," Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri also performed "Really Bad Boy," "Ice Cream Cake," and "Russian Roulette," which are all under the experimental music genre.
"Zimzalabim" intends to bring the listeners to the carnival scene. Hence the sound of the song appears "disjointed and chaotic," which then suddenly mimics rollercoaster sounds. Yet, just like "I Got A Boy," this EDM-influenced track maintained its music cohesiveness that undoubtedly represented the song's concept.
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REVELUVs and even non-fans had expressed that when they first listened to the song, they were astonished by its bizarre sound. Nevertheless, after listening to the song a couple of times, fans learned to love it as it was indeed catchy and fun.
4. 'Resonance' by NCT 2020
Proving that they are limitless but could unite as one voice, NCT 2020 featured "Resonance" as they raised the roof in fulfilling their extent potential, individually, as a sub-unit, and as a full-packed 23-member boy group.
With hopes to open the past-present portal and cement the throne on experimental genre, NCT 2020 featured the remix of Make A Wish (Birthday Song), 90's Love, Work It, and Raise the Roof for this lead song.
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According to NCTzens, the song sounded ruthless and ambitious as it became a hybrid of four songs. However, it also displayed SM Entertainment's musical creativity as they successfully merged four different songs to sound like one.
5. 'Ring Ding Dong' by SHINee
This transcending track from SHINee is one of the manifestations of how the entertainment label always has something to bring to the table to feed listeners. Hailed as one of the K-pop anthems, this track by SHINee has catchy lyrics, especially with the lines 'fantastic, elastic.'
SHAWOLs recommend that non-fans fully listen to the song so that the meaning would be unraveled.
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As other entertainment is also exploring this genre, it proves that experimental music is more than "noise" music which some people claim. As shown by how the above songs garnered recognition, it demonstrates that sometimes, deviating from the tradition is good.
What are other experimental songs do you know? Share those below!
