The ‘magic formula’ BTS, Blackpink, Twice and other K-pop groups follow for success
- South Korea’s entertainment companies appeal to different fan bases with ‘leaders’, ‘visuals’ and ‘maknaes’
- Main vocalists like Rosé sing the toughest parts of the song, while dancers like Lisa have the most choreography
K-pop boy band BTS is one example of this winning formula. Credit: Big Hit EntertainmentIf you’re new to K-pop, you might have noticed that the industry comes with its own language, with terms like maknae and “visual of the group” regularly being thrown around. But what do all these words mean exactly?
South Korea’s entertainment companies realised long ago that there’s a “magic formula” for idol groups, ensuring a good mix of individuals with different characteristics, strengths and fan appeal.
Although members of some groups might wear several hats, most bands are composed of the same roles. Here’s a look at the most common.
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Leader
This one is simple: the leader is usually the oldest member of the group, or the member who has trained with the entertainment company for the longest. Typically selected by the agency or the rest of the group, the leader is supposed to motivate the other members – like Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, Twice’s Jihyo and BTS’ RM.
Visual
The “visual” is the member who is considered to have the most attractive or interesting looks, and is likely to get the most endorsements and get positioned in the middle of group photos. Yoona is Girls’ Generation’s “visual”.
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Vocalist
As you might expect, the vocalists are the members with the best singing abilities who therefore get the most showcase vocal parts in songs. Subcategorised into “main” and “lead” vocalists, the former often sings the most lines and gets the more challenging sections, while the latter “takes the lead” in tracks by singing before the main vocalist. The lead vocalist often sings the choruses too. In Blackpink, Rosé is considered a main vocalist, while Jennie and Jisoo are lead vocalists.
Rapper
This is the member who takes on the rap portions of most of the group’s songs. Similar to the vocalists, rappers can also be subcategorised into “main” and “lead” rappers. One of the most famous main rappers is G-Dragon of BigBang.
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Dancer
This is the member who is the most skilled dancer and gets widely showcased in the group’s choreography. In concerts, they often get special dance solos. Popular dancers are Lisa from Blackpink and Kai from Exo.
Maknae
The Korean word for “youngest sibling”, this is the group member who is, well, the youngest. They are often also thought of as cute and more reserved compared to the other members. Itzy’s Yuna is an example of an idol maknae.