Lee Hyeon-Ju (26, Genie User) said, “I am so into Trot these days. I listen to Trot music when I commute to work. Most of my playlists are composed of Trot. I get super excited by listening to Trot and it relieves my stress.” On May, 2019 the tickets of *MissTrot’s concert were mostly sold out all over South Korea and the winner of the program, Song Ga-In’s first regular album was ranked as most played on adult’s Korean popular song on November 5th. Genie Music stated that the amount of Trot streaming increased by 74% this year. MisterTrot, a following second season of MissTrot, has the audience rating over 27.5%. This record is the highest audience rating among the recent entertainment shows being broadcast. Let’s take a look at the reason why Trot is suddenly popular.

The reason behind the current success of Trot is because it is catchy. The audience feels like Trot is easy due to the simple composition of scales. Most pop music is composed of seven scales. On the other hand, Trot mostly uses five major or five minor scales which is relatively easy compared to seven scales. Paik Ban-Jong (Prof. of Practical Music, BaekSeok Arts University) said, “I think the main reason why Trot is popular is because of a simple scale. In my opinion, the melody and the simple scale itself is the most prominent factor of its popularity.”  Moreover, most Trot’s lyrics are in Korean so it can be understood by all the generations. Kim Hyo-Kyung (21, Melon User) stated, “I used to listen to Hip-hop a lot but I am a huge fan of Trot these days. For Hip-hop, I had to look up the lyrics online because it was hard to understand the lyrics. However, Trot is so catchy that I can understand the lyrics right away. As a result, it is easy to sympathize with Trot. Also, Trot has a repetitive simple scale which makes the music stuck in my head.”

The second reason why Trot became popular is because it is reinvented by being-incorporated in a phenomenon called “Newtro”. Newtro is a newly coined term combining new and retro, which tends to reflect the past into the culture of modern times. Kim Yeon-Ja's "Amor Fati" was loved by various age groups for its EDM elements. As such, Trot is being recreated with elements that young people like, such as EDM, and is loved by all generations. On November 11th, 2018, there was a survey conducted by **“10 JAM”. The result came out that Amor Fati was selected as an addictive song which should be avoided during the exam period. In fact, under a YouTube video titled “30 Exciting Trot Medley", there was a comment which stated, “I am 15 years old but find solace by listening to this video.” Kang Tae-Kyu (Pop Music Critic) said, “Trot is a genre that reflects diversity these days. Ever since the emergence of Jang Yoon-Jung, Hong Jin-Young and Seol Ha-Yoon, Trot has expanded its spectrum into the young generation. The main reason is that it is not an exclusive possession of older people but also a content that the young generation enjoy. The Newtro phenomenon is linked with the reason why recent young musicians are solidifying their culture base.

The last reason for the popularity of trot is the spread of leisure activities and communication channels among middle-aged people. The middle-age group of people in modern society did not have a vehicle to communicate with others after a retirement. People in their 50s and 60s usually enjoyed Trot by watching Television. Recently, however, they enjoy Trot by meeting other fans outside and work as an active organization systematically. In fact, Song Ga-In’s official fan cafe, “Again”, has about 50,000 members of which 76 percent are in the 50s and 60s age group. These 50s and 60s systematically stream music like teenage fans and buy products of their favorite singers. In addition, the fan cafe will host a booth called “Smingbooth” which teach how to stream the music and join the online fan page. Lee Jung-Woo (52, Member of the “Again” cafe) said, “I wanted to work actively as Song Ga-In’s fan, so my daughter helped me in joining the online fan page. Also, I learned how to use Instagram and music streaming sites. I will also learn how to stream music on the websites so that she can sweep the music chart.” Again is holding a cheering session every weekend while wearing pink uniform which is Song Ga-In’s favorite color. As such, the middle-aged fan group enjoy their free time by communicating with other fans and showing their affection towards Trot singers.

Kang also said, “Trot is mostly composed with four to four beats, so audiences can easily sing along with excitement. The recent activities of young Trot musicians also contributed to a rise in popularity of Trot. While Trot music in the past was mostly focused on listening, the modern Trot is loved by many people with visualizing. Trot also has the power of music embedded in various genres and lyrics. The singer's tearful life story combined with sympathy lead to communication and amplified the music culture for the middle-age group.”

By Lee Hyeon-Su, Reporter

hlee9602@pusan.ac.kr

*MissTrot: a Trot audience program broadcast by TV Chosun

** “10 JAM”: an application for teenagers who use Genie Muisc.