Korean Folk Singer Tells a Tale of Profound Cultural Change that led to K-Pop
K-Pop has become an international success story in what is described as Hallyu, the Korean wave. Haki Park is a folk singer who started his career in the late 1980s and has witnessed the shift in perception of a whole nation and how becoming a musician went from an undesirable career to an enviable one. Now, Vice-Chairman of one of Korea’s collective societies, he defends authors' and performers’ rights.
In the 1980s, becoming a musician did not seem like an ideal prospect for any young person, Haki said. Only a few considered it could become a sustaining job, and parents discouraged their children from pursuing that route. However, as a child, Haki loved music. "Music was a means of giving me a sense of existence and presence."
Although he released his first album in 1988, he considers that he became a professional musician in late 1982 when, as a college student, he played the guitar in a club as a part-time job. "It was great because I was doing something I loved and making money," he said.
In 1998, he won the Golden Disk Award for Best New Artist, and his album became one of Korea's best-selling. “I made my name as a professional singer then.”
Korean Family Heritage
Haki said he inherited his voice from his father, a taekwondo master, and grandmother. Young Haki was used to seeing people express their emotions through singing. “When they had a drink,” he said, “they would sing, and I saw people cry as they sang."
The quality of a singer was measured by their ability to hit high notes, Haki explained. "I was able to go very high, and it gave me the confidence that I was a good singer." “I was not academically successful, but when I sang, everyone applauded and encouraged me to pursue a musical career.”
Self-made Musician with Foreign Pop Songs influence
Haki got his first guitar when he was 14. "My life goal was to play 'Romance'” (a Spanish classical guitar piece), he said. After practicing throughout his Winter holidays, he found he could master the piece. "I was so happy with my music at that time; my goal and my ability matched in my mind."
In the 1980s, no higher education schools or universities provided pop music courses, so Haki turned to self-teaching. "There were no CDs, and it was difficult to get LPs," he explained. "I really liked pop songs from abroad, but it was not easy to access Western pop songs, so I would send a request to the radio station, they would play the songs, and I would record them on my K7 recorder and reproduce them.”
"Through music, I was able to live and exist, but music goes beyond that. It gave me great happiness in life," he said.
Streaming & Social Media Marketing for Music Artists
With a career spanning over three decades, Haki witnessed drastic changes. Young musicians in the 1980s could not count on self-promotion. They had to rely on an agency to manage their careers, give their LPs to labels, and go through a long-winded path for their music to be broadcast on the radio or television. There was no social media, and despite some live performances, "becoming famous was really difficult."
With the advent of social media, he said, artists can upload their music to multiple platforms and let the market decide. Streaming also enables music to be shared with a broad audience.
From recording to publishing, the digital world opened new avenues for artists. "Nowadays, you can have a virtual studio, your own devices, and publish your music daily."
Life as an inspiration for Haki Park’s Music
Haki's music and lyrics are inspired by his life. "Music helps me preserve the story of my life. "I feel like I am keeping my journal."
He wrote a song called "Vitamin" about his two daughters. He meant it as a family project, a way to record some life events related to his children, like their births, the fireworks they saw together, their fear on a roller-coaster, and their young voices. "I wanted to leave that recording [to them] once I pass away." However, colleagues and his company persuaded him to release the song, which became an instant success.
The success of K-Pop Culture: A Societal Shift
According to Haki, the success of K-pop culture and the interest in Korean artists result from several factors. The first one is a cultural shift towards musicians. In the 1980s, parents would discourage their children from playing the guitar. "The importance of academic achievement was paramount for Korean parents,” and becoming a musician was no option.
In a strong shift of perspective, as singers became more successful and started to enjoy a higher social status, parents now have a different view of musicians.
The focus on education, however, is unchanged, and parents have been expecting their children to play their chosen instrument perfectly, leading to the production of excellent musicians. "Teenagers in Korea work so much, and the environment is so much more competitive than in the Western world,” Haki said. Many Koreans start training to become pop stars from a very early age, he said, adding that many universities now offer applied music and pop music education.
Korean music was also championed by producers, like musician Soo-man Lee, who sought a systematic way to promote Korean musicians outside of Korea and a systematic system to train musicians.
“All these factors contributed to the creation and success of the Korean wave,” he said.
Collective Societies' Push for a Better Life for Korean Music Artists
As he grew as a musician, Haki said he realized the importance of copyright and joined the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), later becoming its Vice-Chairman.
At KOMCA, Haki is advocating for better remuneration for artists, as streaming has become the primary distribution channel, but only very successful artists are large earners, he said. One of the association's aims is to have all music, wherever it is played, to be identified so royalties are collected and distributed to artists. KOMCA also devotes part of the royalties collected to support elderly musicians, acting like a pension fund, and young musicians yet unable to make a living. "We water the seeds and tend to older trees," he said.
AI in Music: A Two-Sided Coin
According to Haki, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is a two-sided coin. With artificial intelligence, "you just press a button, and you get a result," whereas artists spend a lot of time writing music and lyrics.
A growing number of musicians feel threatened by AI, he said, adding that AI is here to stay, but rules and regulations need to be put in place to protect musicians. "AI cannot be considered creation because it is just collecting data and basically rearranging it, but this data comes from somebody else's work, without remuneration." He called for identifying labels on AI resources and adequate remuneration for artists.
Building a Cultural and Human Bridge with Korean Music
Beyond the success of Korean music, Haki believes music is making the world a better place. “We don't have national borders as artists. Our hearts and our minds don't have any borders either. It goes beyond politics.”
He said many young musicians in Korea are embracing traditional music and making it attractive to a global audience. He hopes more great musicians will come out of Korea and, as the KOMCA Vice-President, wants to pass on a better environment for all the musicians who will come after him.
