Block B – “Her”: Success in Changing Concepts
Many idol groups are created with a certain concept in mind that they will portray and promote. After debuting, they are expected to play their role in the given concept to uphold the fantasy for the fans; a performer’s career is scrutinized by the entertainment industry and its consumers, and ultimately depend on them to become and stay popular (Auslander 2015: 322). In most cases, the media depends on the idols to maintain the persona assigned to them by their agency, and the rest of their lifestyle is also carefully managed (Elfving-Hwang 2018: 194). Rapidly changing concepts results in a lack of identity, resulting in a decline of support from consumers. K-pop boy group Block B debuted with the intention of being Korea’s Eminem (and branching out to similar imagery for the next two years), but have dramatically deviated away from it in one comeback, and have rebranded with a much brighter style with the release of the album H.E.R and its title track “Her”. I argue that by creating and presenting an effective justification for their drastic concept change in the music video “Her”, it created a precedent which allowed Block B to continue introducing new concepts while being accepted by their growing fanbase.
The beginning of the music video does little to transition fans from their previous concept. It instantly starts off with brighter colours and beats. The sets used for the video are consistent until Zico’s verse after the first chorus. While the music and beats stay similar to the rest of the song, the darker setting used is a reference to their previous wilder concepts. Even though the style is a little closer to the ones they used prior to “Her”, much of the grungy and alternative approaches Block B’s fans are familiar with are absent. Despite the fast rapping Zico’s verse contains, the overall feel of the scene is softer compared to their older releases. To fans, the verse allows them to remember Block B’s rap-heavy concept. To new viewers, they are presented with a verse that showcases Zico’s talent as an artist, and a concept that is easier to grasp since it is much closer to mainstream idol styles.
Between the second chorus and the bridge, a Korean variety show parody is introduced. Block B greets the camera and briefly discusses their change in concept. In the format of a talk show, they explain to the host that they had already presented themselves as a wilder group and decided to show the cute and brighter side of them this time. The explanation is not long, but it satisfies their audience (indicated by the inserted laugh and applause tracks), which in turn invites the real-world consumers to accept this explanation too. YouTube has become a much-needed tool for international fans to access and appreciate the visuality of music; much of what K-pop is known around the world for, is their visual appeal and its invitation of fan interaction (Ono and Kwon 2013: 208). Transitioning away from traditional media, the K-pop industry has taken advantage video sharing platforms and other social media networks to promote fandom interaction and in turn, itself (Jung 2015: 81). The official music video does not include subtitles for other languages, but the song has become so popular the video (including the variety show parody) has been translated many times by fans of the group, allowing even more to access and connect with the group.
K-pop boy group Block B has been an exception to the standard of upkeeping the persona given for their concept. “Her” pleasantly surprises old and new fans with an unexpected concept, and H.E.R is now their best-selling album. With the group’s approach to changing styles approved by global consumers, they remove themselves from the one trick pony label and raise the standard for themselves, continuing to release more songs of different styles and genres.
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Block B 