After conquering Asia, K-Pop is now making its way to Europe. Paris seems to be the target of the new stars in Korean music. On Friday and Saturday, the most popular boy and girl groups of South Korea will take the Zénith stage by storm for two never-before-seen concerts. The concerts are guaranteed to be a success, as the tickets were sold out within 15 minutes! It even led fans to organize an incredible flashmob in front of the Louvre Pyramid on May 2. Hundreds of people waved their banners to get a second date in front of the tourists' flabbergasted eyes. The event made it to the headlines of the Korean press and convinced the organizers and the extremely powerful agency, SM Entertainment, to add another date for the concert.
"They are all so excited to perform in Paris! It's the most romantic city par excellence", says Kim Euna, the spokeswoman of Asia's most powerful agency. She is actually referring to Girls' Generation, the highlight of the show at the Zénith, the group that dominates all the charts of the Far East. These nine dolls with never-ending legs and mini skirts whose hips move have already made Japan, China, and Thailand kneel down before them. The security staff at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport have also planned an incredible system to face the wild fans in the entrance hall.
On stage, they will be accompanied by SHINee, TVXQ!, and Super Junior; three boy groups with androgynous looks that have won the hearts of the French teenagers. Recruited in their middle school days, these baby stars went through a severe training path and are now good at everything: singing, dancing to wild rhythms, and even participating in sitcoms or commercial movies, one of the main sources of profit in the South Korean show business.
"The infatuation from Europe surprises us."
For five years, Hallyu (the Korean wave) has been taking Asia by storm to the point of making everyone forget about J-Pop, mainly because of an unfailing recipe: sounds and choreographies borrowed from the Occident were adapted for the Asian audience, offering a perfectly executed show. Manga, the global product which started to seduce the young France population since two years ago, has enabled them to discover K-Pop, making them shift from Japan to Korea.
"It's a mixture of familiar sounds and a more exotic touch, making it different", explains Maxime Pacquet, a 31-year-old fan.This informatics engineer is currently the president of the Korean Connection Association, and claims more than 100,000 people in France are now K-Pop lovers. A new trend has been spreading through YouTube and social networks like facebook, with communities of fans exchanging their latest videos and organizing lessons for K-Pop dances. "The infatuation surprises us, but Asia will remain our priority," Kim Euna emphasized. Indeed, in September, Girls' Generation will perform in front of 100,000 fans for a concert in Tokyo! Europe will have to be very patient to see these idols in mini skirts again.
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