The Era Of Simplicity: Drama With Plain Stories And K-pop With Easy-listening Songs

Despite the clichés present in tvN’s popular drama “Queen of Tears,”including chaebol conflicts, terminal illnesses, and hidden family secrets, the show continues to attract viewers with its predictable plot. Although there may be some nonsensical details, the ratings have surpassed 21.6% and viewers are still tuning in.

The drama “Chicken Nugget”is similar to Netflix’s series of the same name. It follows the story of Choi Min-ah, who accidentally transforms into a chicken nugget, and her father Choi Seon-man and intern Go Baek-joong’s journey to turn her back into a human. Despite the bizarre concept of a human turning into a chicken nugget in the original webtoon, the director stayed true to the source material and produced an engaging and unrealistic drama. The show quickly gained popularity and ranked No.3 on Kinolights in the fourth week of March.

Despite having simple plots, dramas can still be enjoyable as they often cater to viewers’ desires and hopes with satisfying conclusions. In today’s busy world, where individuals are exhausted from their daily lives, these types of dramas offer an escape from reality and a sense of freedom.

In recent years, easy-listening songs have become a popular trend in the music industry. This year, there has been fierce competition among singers such as BIBI, TWS, and RIIZE. These artists have all been dominating the top spots on major Korean music charts. BIBI’s “Bam Yang-gang”has taken the top spots on real-time and daily charts, while TWS’s “plot twist”has won four music shows and entered the Top 10 on music charts. RIIZE’s “Love 119″has also been climbing the charts, reaching No.4 on Melon’s weekly chart after five consecutive weeks of success.

In addition to prioritizing fandom and performance-based music, it is crucial to create catchy songs that resonate with listeners. While solo artists IU and Taeyeon have consistently dominated the charts, boy groups have struggled to maintain top positions for extended periods of time. However, the recent success of BIBI, TWS, and RIIZE has shown a shift in public preference towards songs with enjoyable and easy-to-listen melodies.

That is why there is a growing trend among singers to use samples from music released in the 2000s, as these melodies are already well-known to the audience. Singers such as NewJeans and Fifty Fifty have adopted this approach, and have gained attention with their nostalgic sound in songs like “Ditto”and “Hype Boy”. While there may be differing opinions among K-pop fans regarding these easy-listening songs, it cannot be denied that they have a significant impact.