Representation in K-Pop

LibidO, Onlyoneof and representation in K-pop

By Ashley Davies

Some of you are probably looking at this title quite confused. What do all of these words have to do with each other, you wonder? So let me explain a couple things firsts. “libidO” is the name of the recently released track from South Korean boy group, Onlyoneof. The song was released in midApril and after the music video dropped, the group garnered a lot of new attention. Along with this attention there was a lot more backlash with some people even calling for subsequent performances and promotions to be cancelled entirely. But why is that? And what does it have to do with representation? Let’s talk about it.

“LibidO” is an electronic pop song, complete with breathy, distorted vocals and extensive use of low synth and bass. The song’s lyrics have heavy sexual undertones and explore themes of sexual experimentation, human desire and acceptance of it. The music video expands on those themes, utilising a muted colour palette to strip down the visuals and centre on the group members. This draws our attention immediately to the song’s themes, and the shots and dance routine immediately double down on them. The video features choreography that incorporates bondage, intimacy and often involves more touching between members than is normally seen within K-pop. Often throughout the video shots are interspersed with longing looks and moments of physical affection between the members, as well as using natural imagery. Not only do these all create a sense of aesthetic appeal, but also carries its own message about normalising and accepting desire.

The song’s themes, lyrics, music video and choreography have all generated a fair amount of controversy in South Korea and have sparked a larger international conversation into depictions of homosexuality and sexual themes in art. For western audiences, a music video or song concept like this isn’t exactly new. Meaningful art that positively depicts homosexuality and sexual experimentation, although unfortunately lacking in the past, has slowly started to increase in numbers, especially in the West. This is not the case for South Korea and much of the debate is wrapped up not only in their more conservative culture but also the culture that surrounds K-pop and fandoms. In essence, it boils down to the fact that Korean entertainment companies are not selling the music, they are selling their idols and the fantasy surrounding them. Often very restrictive measures are placed on K-pop groups including dating bans, dietary restrictions, restrictions on where members can live and a constant filming schedule. These are all put into place to sell the image that you could date the idols, that you know them intimately and as friends, that you could support them through buying their albums and merchandise. There is also often an element of fetishisation of homosexuality within boy group fandoms, that is often encouraged implicitly in order to generate more interest in a group and their dynamics. This creates even more restrictions on members as they are often not allowed to engage in conversation that would be deemed controversial, go Korean social values or could in any way upset the image or brand that has been given to them, as it would hurt the entertainment company’s reputation. This obviously negatively effects the creation of art that celebrates and normalises diverse voices and viewpoints and denies idols their own identities.

When we think of what Onlyoneof has done with “libidO” in this context, it’s definitely what I would consider a bold move. Even after the criticism they received they continued promoting and even released a guilty pleasure version of their music video which showcases the full choreography of the song with more revealing outfits. Not only have they embraced and performed art that represents a very underrepresented group in K-media, but they have also expressed an opinion with it. Which again is incredibly rare within the K-pop industry.

Overall, I think “libidO” by Onlyoneof is incredibly innovative in its message and its given context. It was quite artfully executed even if it was quite explicit in its message at certain points. I have a lot of respect for the group especially for standing by their concept in the face of criticism. I also think it leaves us with some interesting questions going forward about how K-media and K-pop will change after this point. Ultimately: will we see more LGBTQ+ representation within it?