Glittering costumes and colorful streaks of hair have become the trademark of K-pop singers, who are now known as much for their flashy visuals as for their hypnotic music. In the hypercompetitive world of K-pop, recent releases have been toying with niche concepts in an effort to stand out from the increasingly crowded market.

Boy band VIXX chose to take the supernatural horror route for its single “Fantasy” from the group’s fourth album “Hades” released last Friday.

The song’s music video features the boy band’s six members dancing in a dark forest and posing in an eerie manor, with crowns of thorns on their heads and their lips bloodstained. According to the group’s agency Jellyfish Entertainment, the theme for the latest album is “god of the underworld.”


This is not the first time the band has experimented with dark, extravagant concepts. In the video of its 2014 release “Error,” the members are featured as blue-eyed figures emitting rays of electricity. “Voodoo Doll” from 2013 starts with a scene featuring dissected human parts and stapled flesh. The song and its bold concept catapulted the group to idol-like popularity, in contrast to the lackluster response to VIXX’s 2012 debut song “Super Hero,” which focused on the “boy-next-door” approach.

Another striking artist is DJ, producer and EDM musician Hitchhiker, known for performing in a metallic space suit. Last week, Hitchhiker was announced as the first South Korean musician to participate in the soundtrack of a Netflix original movie, “XOXO,” with his song “Ding Dong” alongside global musicians Disclosure, Diplo and Skrillex. The movie will be released on Netflix on Aug. 26.

Hitchhiker’s 2014 video “11,” which combines 3-D animations, live figures and a hypnotic tune, is said to have grabbed the attention of foreign labels. Last December, he signed with the American entertainment agency William Morris Endeaver and label Deckstar for his official international debut. In Korea, the musician -- who is behind several hits, including Brown Eyed Girls’ “Abracadabra” and Infinite’s “Come Back Again” -- is represented by entertainment powerhouse S.M. Entertainment.

Like other DJs such as Deadmau5, who performs with a Mickey Mouse helmet on his head, and Daft Punk, known for its symbolic metallic helmet, Hitchhiker will perform on the global stage wearing his trademark suit.


YG Entertainment’s newest girl group Black Pink, which debuted last Sunday on “Inkigayo,” has a little bit of everything in both its looks and music. The title tracks “Whistle” and “Boombaya” are both hip-hop based, with the latter featuring elements of Indian music. Fashion-wise, the girls don everything from plaid schoolgirl skirts to cross-shaped earrings. In the video for “Boombaya,” they are featured dancing against the backdrop of a colorful Indian slum.

Other girl groups are more conservative in their concepts. GFriend, which released its retro-themed song “Navillera” last month, has reaped massive success with its consistent schoolgirl image. Since its 2015 debut, the group has donned school uniforms, gym shorts and prim lacy dresses on stage. GFriend topped weekly music program charts 26 times this year, according to its agency Source Music.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)