Korean Netizens React To BLACKSWAN — Debate Whether The Group Is K-Pop

Korean netizens reacted to BLACKSWAN.

From left to right: Gabi, Fatou, Nvee, Sryia | @blackswan___official/Instagram

BLACKSWAN is a K-Pop group that holds the distinction of not having any Korean members, albeit not by design (Korean members have left the group).

Korean members Judy (left) and Youngheun (right) left the group in 2022 | D.R Music

The multinational group, which has gone through several member changes, recently returned with four international members: Nvee, Sriya, Gabi, and Fatou, who come from the United States, India, Brazil, and Senegal, respectively.

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Recently, major news outlet Chosun Ilbo wrote an article about the multinational group. In its article, the news outlet covers the debate on if the group should be considered a K-Pop group.

Some ask if they are even K-Pop. Recently in the music industry, there has been debate on whether a group without a Korean member can be considered K-Pop.

— Chosun Ilbo

BLACKSWAN isn’t the only group to face this question. Recently, XG, a group made up of all Japanese members, faced criticism from Koreans for allegedly trying to hop on the K-Pop wave.

All-Japanese Girl Group XG Faces Backlash After The Group’s CEO Makes Anti-Korean Remarks

It is important to note that XG does not sing in Korean, while BLACKSWAN does — a distinction that BLACKSWAN says makes them a bonafide K-Pop group.

We sing awesome songs in Korean while dancing at the same time. That’s K-Pop. What more needs to be said?

— BLACKSWAN

And it is hard to argue with them. BLACKSWAN members make it obvious in their latest comeback, “Karma,” that dismissing the group’s efforts based on the members’ ethnicity would be short-sighted, to say the least.

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Korean netizens reacted overwhelmingly positively to the article and BLACKSWAN. Most netizens agreed that the group was definitely a K-Pop group, citing the fact that the group sang and rapped in Korean while being damn good at it.

• “I consider it K-Pop if they release a Korean album and debut in Korea.”
• “K-Pop should now be considered its own music genre.”
• “I agree. If they sing a K-Pop style song in Korean, then that is K-Pop.”
• “I watched their music video and their stage performance, and they are good!!! If they sing in Korean and promote as a group in Korea, then they are K-Pop, duh. LOL.”
• “I agree, LOL. But the reason I really like them is because they kill it on stage and in Korean. They dance really well too. I watched BLACKSWAN due to the algorithm, but they are cool AF. There are other (international singers) who need (K-Pop’s) platform that sing only in English, but I don’t care for them, LOL. BLACKSWAN and their songs are literally K-Pop AF.”
• “The unnie who raps is so cool.”
• “They are good.”

Want more BLACKSWAN? Check out their recent single “Karma” in the link below!